Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschSeptember 16, 2017

Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera wants to “help you.” With what exactly, we don’t know. Lopez-Cantera filed papers with the state on Sept. 5 forming a new political committee called “Helping You.” The paperwork was sparing in detail, listing the committee’s statement of purpose as “political” and saying “none at this time” for any candidates or individuals the […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 9, 2017

Publisher’s Note — As Hurricane Irma looks more likely to track up the middle of the state, we’re publishing an abbreviated version of “Takeaways from Tallahassee” this week so staff and readers have more time to prepare for the storm. Be safe, everyone. — We all need some non-hurricane news, so how about a lawsuit […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 2, 2017

The mother of a Tallahassee elementary schooler is suing the local school board after a teacher slammed a “timeout room” door on her special-needs son’s hand, breaking his finger, according to her complaint. The case is being handled by an attorney for Morgan & Morgan, the statewide personal injury law firm founded by Orlando lawyer […]

Phil AmmannAugust 26, 2017

An Orlando entrepreneur is now demanding a jury trial in his suit against Attorney General Pam Bondi, in which he claims she forces businesses to donate millions of dollars to unregistered charities as part of settlements in consumer protection cases. John D. Smith, who invented Storm Stoppers plastic panels, marketed as a “plywood alternative” to protect windows during storms, […]

Peter SchorschAugust 19, 2017

And now for some good news out of Tallahassee, the Florida Lottery this week announced, “it has reached the $32 billion mark in contributions for the state’s” education fund. Maybe Lottery Secretary Jim Poppell’s ‘housecleaning’ is paying off? “We are extremely proud of this achievement and what it means for Florida’s students and schools,” Poppell said in a […]

Peter SchorschAugust 13, 2017

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A federal court’s ruling this week in Kansas has bolstered Florida’s lawsuit against the feds over U.S. savings bonds it holds as unclaimed property. In 2016, then-Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater sued the feds for over $1 billion — the amount of all the bonds he held as unclaimed property. He said the U.S. Treasury […]

Peter SchorschAugust 5, 2017

Rather than adding yet another specialty license plate to the state’s plethora of tags, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is coming out with a new twist on an old favorite. The department on Friday announced it was releasing a “newly redesigned Florida Panthers (hockey club) specialty license plate,” to be “delivered to […]

Peter SchorschJuly 29, 2017

We’ll kick off Takeaways with two of the more unusual lawsuits filed in Tallahassee’s circuit civil court this past week: — A corporation called Doctor’s Associates Inc. is seeking a court order against the state’s Division of Corporations “to strike and forever remove from the public records of the state … (a) certain inadvertently filed […]

Peter SchorschJuly 22, 2017

A telecommunications company has sued the Department of Transportation (FDOT) and its secretary, Mike Dew, over legislation passed this year that pre-empts to the state the regulation of telecommunications companies putting “wireless facilities in rights of way.” The company, Rowstar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boca Raton’s Vertical Bridge, has exclusive deals with the state that […]

Peter SchorschJuly 15, 2017

Talk about being “busted.” A Tallahassee attorney who fronted “large sums of money” to a professional poker player is suing after the player lost over $22,000 of that bankroll in unauthorized side gambling, according to a lawsuit filed this week. Hal Lewis is a name partner in the Fonvielle Lewis Messer & McConnaughhay personal-injury law […]

Tag: Takeaways from Tallahassee

Takeaways from Tallahassee — CLC’s mysterious new PC

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Be safe, everyone

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Lawsuit: Teacher breaks kid’s finger

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Back to court

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Lottery cleans up after ‘housecleaning’

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A billion-dollar fight over bonds

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Panthers prowl with new tag

Takeaways from Tallahassee — ‘Sub’limely offbeat court filings

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A row over wireless

Takeaways from Tallahassee — You gotta know when to fold ’em