Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaOctober 21, 2015

State Sen. Tom Lee has emerged a lone voice of Republican dissent over the ongoing effort to redraw the Senate’s district map. Lee, a Brandon Republican and former Senate president, sits on the chamber’s redistricting panel that is meeting Wednesday. The morning part of the meeting was slowed down with technical and legal explanations. Essentially, however, […]

Mitch PerryOctober 20, 2015

Last week in Tallahassee, we heard Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli say sort of a remarkable thing. Referring to the conflict between his House of Representatives and the Senate that has dominated Florida politics in 2015, he said it was a “extraordinary” that anything gets passed between the two bodies. The latest fissure between the House and […]

Jim RosicaOctober 19, 2015

A fiery state Sen. Tom Lee lashed out at the Senate’s outside attorney Monday, questioning why he didn’t object to specific allegations of unconstitutionality over the chamber’s current districts. The Legislature had begun a scheduled three-week Special Session to redraw the state’s 40 districts after the Senate settled a court challenge by admitting its current map was gerrymandered to […]

Drew WilsonOctober 12, 2015

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Republican Sens. Jack Latvala and Joe Negron may have posted big-time fundraising numbers in September but they weren’t the only Senate Republicans raking in contributions. The political committee supporting Bradenton Republican Sen. Bill Galvano for Senate President brought in $207,500, its best fundraising performance since February, and it took only 10 contributions to hit that […]

Jim RosicaOctober 8, 2015

The Senate’s budget panel got the raw news Thursday: Florida isn’t getting a break on health care costs anytime soon. The Appropriations Committee, which helps write the state’s annual spending plan, heard presentations on “The Economics of Health Care” and “Factors Influencing the Price of Health Insurance.” One item conspicuously not on the agenda: Medicaid expansion. […]

Bill RuftySeptember 25, 2015

Florida Senate Appropriations Chair Tom Lee missed his speaking engagement with the Polk County Tiger Bay Club on Thursday. The Brandon Republican had received a summons to Tallahassee, which Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis wouldn’t allow him to postpone. He was a witness for the judge’s hearings to decide from perhaps as many as seven maps of […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 22, 2015

Two prominent Republican state senators are on the witness list for Thursday’s wrap-up hearing in the congressional redistricting court fight. Sen. Tom Lee, the chamber’s budget chief, and Sen. Bill Galvano, head of its redistricting panel, are set to testify. The witness list refers them as “will calls,” meaning they will definitely take the stand. […]

Gary FineoutSeptember 17, 2015

Florida Rep. Richard Corcoran, soon to become one of the most powerful people in state government, delivered a fiery speech Wednesday promising sweeping changes in everything from schools to legislative ethics and how long judges can stay on the bench. Corcoran, a lawyer and one time top aide to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio when Rubio […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 11, 2015

Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has given parties in the ongoing congressional redistricting case until Monday to submit their final versions of how to draw boundary lines for those districts. At a brief hearing on Friday, Lewis set the date for all competing maps to be submitted. A final hearing on the matter still is set for Sept. 24, court […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 10, 2015

State Sen. Tom Lee won’t give up on trying to amend Florida law on alimony and child custody. On Thursday, Lee filed a bill (SB 250) to change the way divorces are handled in state courts. It marks at least the third time since 2013 that Lee, a Brandon Republican, has supported such an overhaul […]

Tag: Tom Lee

Tom Lee’s dissent grows over Senate redistricting effort

Mitch Perry Report for 10.20.15 -Friction begins immediately between House and Senate in special session

An angry Tom Lee questions Senate base maps

Senate Republican committees post major fundraising numbers

Senate budget panel wrestles with health costs

Redistricting summons forces Tom Lee to cancel Polk Tiger Bay appearance

Redistricting witness lists roll in before trial

Next House speaker: Legislators the enemy, promises change

Judge gives redistricting parties extra time for maps

Tom Lee will try again to overhaul alimony, custody laws