Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Christine Jordan SextonJune 25, 2015

After six months of political jockeying, litigation, and one-upsmanship Florida and the federal government have agreed in principle to $1.6 billion in supplemental Medicaid funds over the next two years. Most of those funds, $1 billion, have been allocated in the budget Rick Scott signed into law on Tuesday. A little more than $600 million, […]

Ryan RayJune 23, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott vetoed more than $461 million in state spending Tuesday morning, or about 6 percent of all appropriations in the 2015-2016 budget, in his second-greatest spilling of red ink over line items since his first General Appropriations Act in office when he nixed about $615 million from 2011’s $70 million budget. Not on the […]

Phil AmmannJune 19, 2015

Citing “blatant political maneuvering and a disregard for the wishes of voters,” few lawmakers can take pride in the 2015 Legislative Session, says Pamela Goodman, President of the Florida League of Women Voters. Her primary concerns in the recently ended Special Session A were notable failures in accepting federal Medicaid expansion money to cover more […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 19, 2015

House budget chief Richard Corcoran has a message for Gov. Rick Scott. “I would tell the governor to go forth boldly and veto,” Corcoran, said paraphrasing Martin Luther. Corcoran worked with Senate budget chief Tom Lee to hammer out a nearly $79 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2015-16. Addressing a group of reporters outside […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 19, 2015

Florida’s legislative leaders are trying to make the health care financing decisions they made during the June Special Session veto-proof. The Florida House and Senate were at odds throughout the 2015 Regular Legislative Session on health care spending and policy. Indeed, the inability to agree on how much additional Medicaid funding to include in the […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 17, 2015

A federal judge in Pensacola cancelled an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Friday that could have required Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to appear in court. Judge M. Casey Rodgers issued a one-page ruling on Wednesday saying that lawyers for Scott had filed a notice […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 16, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday vetoed a trio of bills, including one by Senate budget chief Sen. Tom Lee and another he aid he didn’t even need to reject. Lee supported a rewrite of the Administrative Procedures Act, HB 435, and sponsored the Senate companion bill. The governor said the changes in the bill could […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 16, 2015

The Legislature can pass the budget at 5:37 p.m. Friday and call it quits. After meeting late into Monday night and adding $300 million more in spending, the General Appropriations Act was electronically furnished to the Legislature, governor and Cabinet at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday. The Florida Constitution requires the Legislature to wait 72 hours before […]

Mitch PerryJune 16, 2015

The Legislature began its final scheduled week of the Special Session with a $428.9 million package of tax breaks it OK’d Monday. The tax breaks were scaled back from Gov. Rick Scott‘s original goal of nearly $700 million, but he appeared in no mood to quibble when he issued a statement before returning from Paris. “Giving […]

Ryan RayJune 16, 2015

At a final budget conference meeting that began at the tender hour of 11:05 p.m. and ran until nearly midnight, state budget writers failed to fully address new state funding for hospitals — the primary impetus for the June special Session to begin with. But they did find time to load up the budget with […]

Tag: Tom Lee
The mini split air conditioner installed at Lowell Correctional Institution's WOOF area. Image via Connie Edson.

Tom Lee says early LIP talk is good for state

State law enforcement radio money spared Gov. Rick Scott’s veto ax

Florida League of Women Voters blast record budget that ‘ignores Constitution’

Richard Corcoran to Rick Scott: “Go forth boldly and veto”

Lawmakers aimed to build a veto-proof health care budget

Hearing on LIP lawsuit scratched; Rick Scott, Sylvia Burwell court appearance off

Rick Scott vetoes a trio of bills including one by Tom Lee

Tick Tock: Budget is on the desks

Florida TaxWatch laments Legislature cut only $400 million in taxes

In last-minute budget talks, lawmakers add some $300+ million in new spending in dark of night