Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaMay 10, 2017

Both citing a “lack of transparency,” the heads of the League of Women Voters of Florida and the First Amendment Foundation are calling for Gov. Rick Scott to veto the just-passed state budget for 2017-18. But with the House of Representatives passing the budget 98-14 and the Senate approving 34-4 on Monday, there are enough […]

Jim RosicaMay 2, 2017

A change that critics said will neuter the state’s Sunshine Laws by allowing any two elected officials of a local governing body to meet without notice in private failed in the House on Tuesday. The bill (HB 843), filed by Naples Republican Byron Donalds, received a vote of 68-48—less than the two-thirds needed to change […]

Jim RosicaApril 26, 2017

Job searches for the top officials of the state’s public universities would be shrouded in secrecy under a bill passed Wednesday by the Florida House. House members OK’d the measure (HB 351) 103-11. But its reception in the Senate is unclear: With less than two weeks left in session, a companion bill (SB 478) has […]

Jim RosicaApril 20, 2017

Lawmakers on Thursday unanimously passed a compromise measure on winners of public records lawsuits collecting attorney fees, sending the bill to Gov. Rick Scott. The House passed the Senate bill (SB 80) on a 115-0 vote. The legislation requires judges to award attorney fees if they find an agency broke the public records law and a “requestor” […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 7, 2017

A bill that would give judges discretion to award attorney fees in public records lawsuits squeaked out of its first review panel Tuesday. The Senate’s Governmental Oversight and Accountability cleared the bill (SB 80) by a 4-3 vote. It goes next to the Community Affairs Committee. The measure changes the word “shall” to “may” regarding courts awarding legal […]

Scott PowersJanuary 23, 2017

A new bill introduced by state Rep. Bob Rommel would keep secret the identities of candidates for the presidencies and other top executive positions at Florida’s state colleges and universities through most of the selection process. House Bill 351, introduced by the Naples Republican Monday, would create exemptions in Florida’s open records and open meetings […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 4, 2017

A House bill would require judges to make specific findings before they can award attorney fees in public records lawsuits. State Rep. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican and lawyer, filed the measure (HB 163) on Wednesday. It would require a judge to determine that a public agency “unlawfully refused to permit a public record to be […]

Scott PowersDecember 13, 2016

Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sued PDR Productions Inc. Tuesday for a judge’s permission to publicly release documents involved in the Visit Florida deal used to hire Miami rapper Pitbull to promote Florida tourism. At issue is Corcoran’s concern that Visit Florida deals — done increasingly in secret — may require deeper scrutiny in how it’s spending state […]

Staff ReportsNovember 30, 2016

A bill that would give judges the discretion to award attorney fees in public records lawsuits was refiled Wednesday in the Florida Legislature. New state Sen. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican and lawyer, is again behind the legislation (SB 80). He backed a version of the bill last session as a state representative. It passed the […]

Peter SchorschMarch 31, 2016

A seven-hour Cabinet meeting ended this week with Gov. Rick Scott declining to second the motion made by CFO Jeff Atwater to appoint Rep. Bill Hager the state’s next Insurance Commissioner. Instead, the governor declared he would like to reopen the application process to solicit new candidates. As FloridaPolitics.com reported last month, 55 candidates applied for the […]

Tag: sunshine laws

‘Lack of transparency’ causes calls for Rick Scott budget veto

House beats back shroud over Florida’s open meeting law

House votes to shield college official searches from sunshine

Lawmakers approve attorney fee tweak to public record law

Public records bill barely gets out of first committee

Bob Rommel files bill to shield college presidential searches from Sunshine Laws

House bill would affect public records lawsuits

Florida House sues over Visit Florida-Pitbull deal documents

Bill again targets attorney fees in public records cases

At this point, why would anyone apply to be Florida’s Insurance Commissioner?