Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Staff ReportsJanuary 4, 2017

Florida has asked the federal government for a five-year extension of a waiver that allows it to provide Medicaid services through a managed care program. Gov. Rick Scott filed the state’s application on Friday, seeking to extend the program through June 30, 2022. The program would remain essentially the same. “The demonstration objectives and the […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 7, 2016

A throng of Democratic and Republican state House members — 61 in all — are asking the federal government to let Florida deploy genetically modified mosquitoes in the battle against the Zika virus. “This modified mosquito, developed by the company Oxitec, has proven exceptionally effective,” said their letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, also signed […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 29, 2016

Members of the Florida House are joining together to ask the federal government to allow the state to use genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the spread of Zika. House Speaker Designate Richard Corcoran on Monday told members he planned to ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 26, 2016

Florida may be resistant to the charms of the Affordable Care Act on a governmental level, but hospitals such as Jacksonville’s Brooks Rehabilitation benefit from certain components of the ACA: specifically, bundled payments. Much focus has been given to the dysfunctions of the ACA. But Tuesday in Jacksonville, health care providers painted a rosy picture […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJune 10, 2016

Florida lawmakers continue to push for more federal assistance to fight the spread of Zika. Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday requested the Centers for Disease Control send an additional 1,300 Zika antibody tests to Florida. The additional tests would allow more Floridians, including pregnant women and new mothers, to see if they have had Zika. […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJune 1, 2016

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Immediate action is needed to combat the spread of Zika. That’s the message Gov. Rick Scott conveyed in a letter to President Barack Obama on Wednesday. In the letter, Scott called on the Obama administration to immediately provide Florida with Zika preparedness kits, resources to enhance surveillance and abatement, resources to increase training for mosquito control […]

Peter SchorschMay 15, 2016

As he gets ready to “go home,” as departing legislators like to say, outgoing Senate President Andy Gardiner has no regrets or hard feelings. He did have choice words regarding lobbyists for gambling concerns, however: They “just get greedy.” Gardiner, an opponent of gambling expansion, recently sat down with Capital Correspondent Jim Rosica for an “exit interview.” He leaves office later this […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMay 12, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott is calling on federal officials to help Florida prepare for the spread of Zika. Scott met with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Wednesday morning. In a statement after the meeting, Scott said he met with Burwell to “relay requests that state agencies need from the federal government.” Those requests, […]

Mitch PerryApril 12, 2016

Citing questions regarding the accuracy of the recent reduction in the state’s announcement of HIV transmissions, Tampa Bay area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor wants the feds to intervene. In a letter to Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Castor says that there are questions regarding the Florida Department of Health’s significant downward revision to its reported HIV cases for 2014. […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 11, 2016

Good morning, everyone. What a weekend it’s been. On Saturday, I saw “The Revenant,” the quasi-true story of Mountain Man Hugh Glass, who was part of an expedition attacked by Indians in 1823. He was nearly torn to pieces by a bear near present-day Lemmon, S.D., and left for dead by two companions. Then there […]

Tag: Sylvia Burwell

State asks feds to extend Medicaid managed-care waiver

Let Florida use Frankenskeeters, lawmakers tell feds

Richard Corcoran, Janet Cruz join forces to call on federal government to allow state to use self-limiting mosquitoes to combat Zika

HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell talks ACA ‘bundled payments’ in Jax

Florida lawmakers urge action to stop the spread of Zika

Rick Scott calls on Barack Obama to fulfill Florida’s requests to fight spread of Zika

Peter Schorsch: From the ‘gambling boys’ to (un)popularity contests

Rick Scott calls on HHS to send 5,000 Zika preparedness kits to Florida

Kathy Castor questions if Florida officials “manipulated” data regarding reduction of HIV infections

Mitch Perry Report for 1.11.16 – R.I.P. , David Bowie