Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

James CallApril 1, 2015

Senate Democrats kicked off the second half of the 2015 Legislative Session with a pep talk from Democratic National Committee Chair and south Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In a pre-floor session huddle Schultz she came to bolster their efforts to uphold “the will of the voters” on both Medicaid expansion and the spending of Amendment […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 31, 2015

Amendment 1 supporters on Tuesday flooded senators with calls urging them to support funding for land-buying in advance of Senate floor action on the state budget Wednesday. In November, 75 percent of voters statewide supported the water and land conservation funding initiative that provides an estimated $741 million in the 2015-16 state budget. The proposed […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 31, 2015

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Bills dealing with oil and gas hydraulic fracturing in Florida passed their first Senate committee stop on Tuesday after a state environmental official said they would provide needed regulation for the industry. SB 1468 by Sen. Garrett Richter, a Republican from Naples, requires the state to develop rules for permitting “high-pressure well-stimulation,” which includes hydraulic […]

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 26, 2015

Time ran short Thursday before the Senate Children and Families Committee could weigh in on whether to approve Samuel P. Verghese as Secretary of the State Department of Elder Affairs. Verghese, a New Jersey transplant, began his testimony by telling the committee that being secretary is about “serving others.” “Plain and simple, it’s about public […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 25, 2015

A Senate budget amendment that would have provided $350 million for land-buying was withdrawn Wednesday but the senator who sponsored it said it could come back. In November, 75 percent of voters approved a ballot initiative called Amendment 1 that provides an estimated $741 million in fiscal 2015-16 for water and land conservation. The proposed Senate budget […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 25, 2015

Sen. Thad Altman is backing up his criticism of Amendment 1 funding in the Senate proposed spending plan for 2015-16 with budget amendments to provide $350 million for conservation land-buying. The Senate Committee on Appropriations is scheduled Wednesday to consider the proposed $80.4 billion Senate budget. Amendment 1, approved by voters in November, provides an […]

James CallMarch 25, 2015

“There’s a lot of synergy among Pensacola, Tampa, Jacksonville and the Space Coast (Brevard County) (on this),” Sen. Thad Altman said. “It’s why we call it Space Day: We don’t call it Brevard day.” Altman was driving to the state Capitol from the Space Coast on Monday while discussing the aerospace industry and the importance […]

Melissa RossMarch 24, 2015

Add Jacksonville’s North Florida Land Trust to the chorus of outrage over the Legislature’s proposal for the Amendment 1 budget. Amendment 1 passed overwhelmingly in November. The measure is designed to dedicate 33 percent of revenue from excise taxes to protect the state’s land and water resources. Now environmental groups like the NFLT are furious that […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 22, 2015

Most mornings I walk my dog down to the neighborhood lakeside park. In the evening I go there to jog while others go bicycling, walking and fishing. In 2000, my yard and the hundreds of homes surrounding it were pastureland owned by The St. Joe Co., the timber and paper conglomerate. In 1998, St. Joe […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 22, 2015

Most mornings I walk my dog down to the neighborhood lakeside park. And in the evening I go there to jog while others go bicycling, walking and fishing. In 2000, my yard and the hundreds of homes surrounding it were pastureland owned by The St. Joe Co., the timber and paper conglomerate. In 1998, St. […]

Tag: Thad Altman
Image via AP.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz rallies Democrats for the second half

With Senate budget amendments teed up, calls flood senators

Fracking bills pass Senate committee with DEP support

Senate Elder Affairs panel delays vote on new secretary’s OK

Budget amendment for land-buying withdrawn but may be back, senator says

Senate budget amendment would provide $350 million for land-buying

Space Day 2015 celebrates aerospace today at Capitol

North Florida Land Trust howls over Amendment 1 funding

Bruce Ritchie: How much is enough conservation land for Florida?

Bruce Ritchie: How much is enough conservation land for Florida?