Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonOctober 2, 2015

Clearwater Republican Sen. Jack Latvala may have been the big winner in August fundraising, but Joe Negron bounced back in September, bringing in more than $500,000 through the committee supporting his bid for the senate presidency. The unofficial tally shows Treasure Coast Alliance with $515,050 in contributions and $13,409 in expenditures, leaving the Stuart Republican […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 23, 2015

Like so many others, I am really worried about my friend Nick Iarossi, one of the founders of the lobbying firm Capital City Consulting. As Jim Rosica reported Tuesday, gambling giant Las Vegas Sands is abandoning its push for a destination casino resort in Florida. Part of thie move includes Sands canceling its contract with […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 23, 2015

The Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s decision to abandon efforts to build a destination casino in Florida is “good news,” says an anti-gambling group. The No Casinos organization in Orlando sent out a press release Tuesday night saying the Sands’ “so-called ‘integrated resort,’ which is industry-speak for giant casino, would (have caused) economic harm to small […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 23, 2015

The Las Vegas Sands Corp. is giving up its efforts to get a destination casino resort in Florida, its Tallahassee lobbyist confirmed Tuesday afternoon. Nick Iarossi, the Sands’ Florida lobbyist, said chairman Sheldon Adelson and other company heads made the decision over the weekend. Iarossi said the company as of Monday has been canceling consulting contracts for […]

Jim RosicaAugust 31, 2015

A proposed constitutional amendment allowing medical pot now has the amount of signatures needed for Supreme Court review, the next step toward getting on the 2016 ballot. Late Monday, the state Division of Elections website showed the amendment had 73,713 valid signatures. Medical marijuana got more than a million signatures overall last time, but an initiative actually needs 683,149 verified […]

Phil AmmannJuly 23, 2015

As the first presidential debate approaches, staged by Fox News, 10 top-tier Republican candidates are sure to be asked at least a few tough questions. Hey, it could happen. One such hopeful is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who could face grilling on his inconsistencies over a government crackdown on online gambling – and how it […]

Peter SchorschJuly 16, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Mark Rubio is under attack by a Libertarian-leaning group for his support of a bill that could be used to expand the federal government’s powers to monitor the Internet. Campaign for Liberty, a political action group founded by former Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, has launched an attack on the Florida Senator, […]

Martin DyckmanMay 5, 2015

American politics these days can make one wonder, why bother? Why care? What’s the use of even hoping? In a devastating exposé, “Higher Ed Hustle,” the Miami Herald documents how for-profit private colleges have been ripping off unsuspecting students and calls out politicians in both Tallahassee and Washington for helping the predators feast on the […]

Martin DyckmanApril 21, 2015

The delusional Don Quixote, who fancied himself a knight errant and galloped headstrong into battle with windmills he believed to be giants, has become a metaphor and an adjective – quixotic – for people who dare to pursue impossible dreams. He was, of course, a figure of fiction, not fact. What shall we say, then, […]

Ryan RayMarch 31, 2015

It’s been said many times and many ways but in light of the host-committee dynamics behind Marco Rubio‘s April 7 breakfast fundraiser in Tallahassee, it bears repeating: the road to Florida’s 2016 GOP presidential contest may well run through the Las Vegas estate of billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Rubio was reportedly on the outs with the Adelson people after declining an invitation […]

Tag: Sheldon Adelson

In race for Senate presidency, Joe Negron bounces back in September fundraising

Poor Nick Iarossi: What will top lobbyist do after losing Las Vegas Sands as a client?

Anti-casinos group ‘vigilant’ despite Sands leaving

Las Vegas Sands calls it quits in Florida

Medical marijuana initiative headed to Supreme Court

Will Marco Rubio be called on his inconsistent positions during GOP debate?

Marco Rubio blasted for “currying favor” of Sheldon Adelson with online gambling ban

Martin Dyckman: Supreme Court failing to cure the terminal illness of American democracy

Martin Dyckman: Mailman delivers message; cash delivers Congress

Marco Rubio’s Tallahassee fundraiser: a keyhole into the “Sheldon Adelson primary”?