Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJune 4, 2018

The next few months could go a long ways toward determining whether the privately-run, higher-speed passenger train Brightline will travel between South Florida and Orlando by 2021. With a seven-month extension granted Thursday by the federal government, All Aboard Florida now has until the end of the year to sell $1.15 billion in tax-exempt private […]

Jim RosicaMarch 9, 2018

The Florida Legislature’s last best chance to pass comprehensive legislation on gambling came up a bad beat on Friday, with a conference committee calling it quits. Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran released a joint statement Friday night. “Despite the good faith efforts of both the House and Senate, a gaming bill […]

Jim RosicaMarch 9, 2018

The House’s turn to deal in talks toward an omnibus gambling bill produced an proposal for five new “limited gaming” licenses for either 500 slots or designated player games—but not both. And designated player games, a hybrid of poker and blackjack that’s proved lucrative to pari-mutuel cardrooms, would be banned everywhere else. And no new pari-mutuel, […]

Scott PowersFebruary 22, 2018

If the crowd at Wednesday night’s gun discussion at the BB&T Center in Sunrise was indicative of more than just a normally Democratic community now suffering from one of the most horrific school massacres in history, then Republicans such as U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and staunch 2nd Amendment advocates can find little place there. In […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 16, 2018

A group of high schoolers has walked out of classes to protest gun violence after a mass shooting killed 17 people at a neighboring school. The South Broward High School students began their protest along U.S. 1 in Hollywood as school started on Friday morning. Students told news outlets they were protesting gun violence, the […]

Scott PowersJanuary 17, 2018

Now that four people have been killed after somehow walking or bicycling into Brightline railroad trains’ paths, the state senator who has been pushing for Florida to regulate safety for the state’s new high-speed, private passenger rail service decried whether there have been enough tragedies for the state to start considering train safety. “How many […]

Scott PowersJanuary 9, 2018

Running on his primary economic theme, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King announced he’ll be campaigning in South Florida on an “affordable living tour.” King, of Winter Park, is an entrepreneur of affordable housing developments and has made economic issues from living wages to free college tuition to housing a central theme of his campaign. His […]

Scott PowersDecember 22, 2017

Brightline has secured federal approval for $1.15 billion in private activity bonds to finance its private, high-speed passenger train planned to link its South Florida passenger train railway with Orlando, the company announced Friday. The company, formerly known as All Aboard Florida, has received U.S. Department of Transportation approval for the tax-exempt bonds to double-track […]

Scott PowersDecember 18, 2017

All Aboard Florida canceled an emergency meeting of the Florida Development Finance Corporation set for Monday to consider backing $1.1 billion in private activity bonds for the private, high-speed passenger Brightline railroad’s South Florida to Orlando phase of construction. The company said it requested the cancellation due to the House and Senate agreeing to a tax […]

Jim RosicaNovember 21, 2017

State regulators have told a South Florida medical marijuana provider to quit selling “unapproved” vaping devices. The Department of Health‘s Office of Medical Marijuana Use sent a “cease and desist” letter Monday to Curaleaf of Miami. It also tells the company to stop “running unapproved advertisements encouraging (its) product to be used in a manner inconsistent” with […]

Tag: south florida
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Brightline’s Orlando line could be settled in next few months

Snake eyes: Gambling bill dies for 2018

House strikes back on gambling: Five ‘limited gaming’ licenses

CNN Parkland town hall crowd expresses powerful gun-control message

Florida students quit class to protest shootings

With four Brightline pedestrian deaths, Debbie Mayfield imploring need for state safety regulation

Chris King launching ‘affordable living tour’

Brightline gets $1.1B financing approval for Orlando train

Brightline cancels finance meeting

State to medical marijuana company: Stop selling ‘vaping’ devices