Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Peter SchorschJuly 1, 2017

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam sent out his occasional warning Friday in advance of “projected record-breaking travel this Independence Day” on credit card skimmers at the gas pump. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates gas pumps, “found and removed 276 credit card skimmers so far this year.” Skimming “is a type of credit […]

Peter SchorschJune 24, 2017

State Sen. Aaron Bean was at his carnival-barker best this week—including some surprises—when he spoke to teens attending this year’s American Legion Boys State at Tallahassee’s Civic Center. The idea of the non-partisan event is to “gain hands-on experience to leadership by taking part in the political process through role-play civic exercises,” its website explains. VISIT […]

Peter SchorschJune 17, 2017

Couched in the latest crime statistics is a sobering reality: “The attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando helped drive up Florida’s murder rate in 2016 to its highest level since 2008.” The Associated Press noted that fact as Gov. Rick Scott trumpeted this week that “Florida’s crime rate is now at a 46-year low,” according […]

Tag: takeaways

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

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Don’t get ‘skimmed’

Takeaways from Tallahassee — That time Aaron Bean ‘chickened out’

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Pulse killings bump up Florida’s murder stats