Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJune 18, 2018

In a statement released by his U.S. Senate campaign, Republican Gov. Rick Scott insisted that he continues to support the requirement that health insurers not discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions. The statement puts Scott at odds with the apparent strategy of President Donald Trump, whose Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicated in recent court […]

Staff ReportsMay 21, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott ordered flags at half-staff in Florida, in solidarity with Texas as it mourns 10 dead there after another high school shooting spree. “My wife, Ann, and I are devastated to learn of the tragic school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas,” he said in a statement. “I spoke to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 4, 2018

Florida is falling behind on criminal justice reform. While a majority of states – including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas – have adopted comprehensive criminal justice reforms over the last several years with bipartisan support, Florida has done little to evaluate its existing policies and create a more effective system. Other states are reducing […]

Scott PowersOctober 2, 2017

Ever since former Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel married Texas’ U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions in 2012, questions swirled about whether Winter Park was unofficially gaining a member of Congress or losing a fixture in Central Florida politics, most recently with renewed questions about whether the congressman was living in Texas or Florida; but both […]

Scott PowersSeptember 14, 2017

Airbnb, the nation’s largest vacation rental home marketing business, said Thursday it has 230 host homes mostly in northern Florida offering free stays to Hurricane Irma evacuees and relief workers and now is activating its disaster relief program through more of Florida. Airbnb also is seeking new hosts in Central Florida, South Florida, North Florida, […]

Phil AmmannSeptember 11, 2017

Telecommunications giant AT&T is giving another $1.4 million in relief toward “sustained recovery” efforts in Florida, Texas and the Caribbean after a pair of devastating hurricanes. The additional money will include $1 million in matching donations to Team Rubicon — a veteran-led nonprofit disaster response group — as well as $150,000 to Telecoms Sans Frontieres, […]

Phil AmmannAugust 31, 2017

Florida volunteers have reached out to Texas in its time of need. The state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, including hundreds of volunteers from the Sunshine State, are continuing disaster response efforts in Texas, rescuing hundreds of people trapped by floodwater in the Houston area. What was formally Hurricane Harvey — now downgraded to a […]

Associated PressAugust 29, 2017

George W. Bush never recovered from his flyover of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. Barack Obama got a bipartisan boost late in his re-election campaign for his handling of Superstorm Sandy. Now, President Donald Trump confronts the political risks and potential gains that come with leading the federal government’s response to a deadly and destructive natural disaster. […]

Associated PressApril 28, 2017

They are young and old: a high school student who can’t yet vote, a Vietnam vet who did so proudly. They hail from all corners of the United States and very different walks of life: a “downhome boy” from Kentucky, a third-generation Mexican-American from Texas, a stay-at-home mom in Pennsylvania, an Iranian immigrant in Los […]

Guest AuthorApril 18, 2017

Since 1970, the size of Florida’s prison population has grown by more than 1,000 percent, and its corrections system is now the third largest in the nation. Under the state’s rigid mandatory minimum laws, more people are being sent to prison for a longer amount of time, with an annual average cost of $20,553 per […]

Tag: Texas

Rick Scott rebuts charges that he’d favor removal of pre-existing conditions coverage

Flags at half-staff for Texas school shooting victims

Melba Pearson, Shalini Goel Agarwal: Keep Florida from falling further behind; adopt meaningful criminal justice reform

Long-distance romance: Karen and Pete Sessions calling Dallas, not Winter Park, home

Airbnb expands call for hosts to house evacuees, relief workers

AT&T pledges $1.4M in Hurricane Irma relief

Florida Wildlife officers save hundreds trapped by Harvey floods, rescue continues

Donald Trump’s turn to face tricky politics of natural disasters

Americans offer hope, prayer in assessing Donald Trump’s 100 days

Ewan Watt, Jordan Richardson: Lessons in lockup — what Florida can learn from Texas