Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaNovember 18, 2015

In a legislative equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, the Democratic leader of the GOP-controlled state House has filed legislation to extend the terms of state lawmakers from eight years to 12 years. State Rep. Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach submitted the bill (HJR 711) on Wednesday for the 2016 Legislative Session. The change would require amending the state […]

Bill PrescottOctober 26, 2015

Term limits have spelled disaster for the Florida Legislature – erasing experience, dumbing down the process, and leaving lobbyists even more firmly in control. It was the achievement of people who preferred to weaken government rather than improve it. Florida being Florida, it figures that some people now propose to do the same to the […]

Jim RosicaOctober 14, 2015

House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford played the role of the not-so-loyal opposition Wednesday, floating ideas that are heretical to the controlling Republican caucus, including extending legislative term limits and prohibiting fundraising during committee weeks. “Boy, that would be charming,” he said with a grin. “That would change things.” Pafford, a Palm Beach County state representative, appeared before a group […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 16, 2015

Florida House Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran is determined to rein in lobbyist influence on lawmakers, as evidenced by his speech to fellow legislators at his Wednesday designation ceremony. Corcoran, a Land O’Lakes Republican and current House budget chief, was formally selected to be the House of Representatives leader for 2016-18. “We must close the revolving door between the Legislature and […]

Bill PrescottAugust 26, 2015

Writer, international scholar, FSU English professor, opinion columnist and environmentalist Diane Roberts entertained a crowd of North Florida Democrats Tuesday evening with her incisive wit and pointed observations about the state of Florida and its leaders. Referring to herself as “that professor conservatives warn you about,” Roberts let fly a quiverful of bon mots as […]

Martin DyckmanMay 12, 2015

Confronted with a particularly mean Legislature that was accomplishing nothing good, Florida’s governor knew one reason why. “Remarks have been made, ‘What do we care? We won’t be around,'” he said. That was the late Lawton Chiles, commenting 20 years ago on the most immediate effect of the 1992 term limits initiative. Although the axe […]

Martin DyckmanMay 12, 2015

Confronted with a particularly mean Legislature that was accomplishing nothing good, Florida’s governor knew one reason why. “Remarks have been made, ‘What do we care? We won’t be around,'” he said. That was the late Lawton Chiles, commenting 20 years ago on the most immediate effect of the 1992 term limits initiative. Although the axe […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 19, 2014

The term limits initiative that Florida voters put into the Constitution in 1992 was one of the most popular issues ever, passing with 3,625,500 “yes” votes to only 1,097,127 against it. But what it has done to the Legislature makes it one of the costliest mistakes in Florida history. The voters deserve an opportunity to […]

Guest AuthorOctober 29, 2013

Earlier this month, one of the country’s great politicians of our day, Congressman Bill Young, died while serving his 22nd term in office. Young was a career politician, the longest serving Republican in the House of Representatives. He was remembered as a devoted public servant, eulogized not only as an important advocate for the American […]

Tag: term limits

Mark Pafford proposes extending legislative term limits

Martin Dyckman: Judiciary term limits? Bad idea

Mark Pafford calls Tallahassee ‘corrosive,’ ‘corrupted’

In designation speech, Richard Corcoran calls for major reforms to state lobbying laws

Diane Roberts skewers ruling class during Tallahassee talk

Martin Dyckman: Add House-Senate meltdown to ill effects of Florida’s term limits

Martin Dyckman: Add House-Senate meltdown to ill effects of Florida's term limits

Martin Dyckman: Elect Crist if you want to fix the mess created by term limits

Steve Kurlander: Legacy of Bill Young: term limits not answer to fixing system