Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Danny McAuliffeJune 13, 2018

Lobbyists representing clients before the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation will soon have to disclose their efforts publicly. Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway told Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis at a Wednesday Cabinet meeting that a new lobbying disclosure system will be operating August 1 and those who wish to lobby the state’s insurer […]

Scott PowersJanuary 4, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott‘s office wants $1,200 from Gwen Graham before it will deliver anything to respond to her public records request, contending that’s how much staff time cost to research her inquiry into whether he spoke with nursing home administrators during the September 2017 tragedy at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. The governor’s office […]

Danny McAuliffeDecember 13, 2017

A friendly scheduling meeting of the Constitution Revision Commission Rules and Administration Committee Tuesday evening took a sharp turn when someone testified that members of a different committee had violated two of the Commission’s rules. Stephanie Owens, a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters, said the CRC’s Education Committee last month did not follow […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 12, 2017

A loophole in state law that allows the governor and cabinet to fundraise during the Legislative Session could close if a House bill passes. Dania Beach Democratic Rep. Evan Jenne filed HB 707 Tuesday, which would put the kibosh on executive branch members soliciting or accepting contributions during Session, either for one’s own campaign, one’s own […]

Scott PowersNovember 7, 2017

Orange County and Visit Orlando are working on new rules to open the convention and visitors bureau’s business to more public scrutiny, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs told Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran in a letter sent Monday. “We believe that the additional transparency measures we plan to implement will greatly enhance the transparency and […]

Associated PressJune 26, 2017

Half of Florida’s legislators failed or nearly failed in a review of their support for public records and meetings given by Florida newspapers and an open-government group after this year’s legislative sessions. In a “scorecard” produced by the Florida Society of News Editors and based on information provided by Florida’s First Amendment Foundation — which tracked a priority list of […]

Jim RosicaMay 10, 2017

Both citing a “lack of transparency,” the heads of the League of Women Voters of Florida and the First Amendment Foundation are calling for Gov. Rick Scott to veto the just-passed state budget for 2017-18. But with the House of Representatives passing the budget 98-14 and the Senate approving 34-4 on Monday, there are enough […]

Jim RosicaMarch 20, 2017

Just like the Legislature, any two members of the new Constitution Revision Commission could meet out of the “sunshine,” according to a copy of the panel’s proposed rules. The draft rules, posted online Monday, say that “all meetings at which Commission business is discussed between more than two members of the Commission shall be open […]

Florence SnyderMarch 6, 2017

Somebody please give Shelisha Coleman a big fat raise. The Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) high profile flack works hard duty playing hardball with some of Florida’s best reporters, but makes tens of thousands of dollars less than men paid by taxpayers to tell tall tales about #Transparency. Coleman had to drop a whopping […]

Michael MolineFebruary 23, 2017

A lively debate on governing principles broke out Thursday as a House committee voted unanimously to ask the voters to raise the threshold for amending the Florida Constitution. HJR 321 would require approval by 66 2/3 percent of the voters to change the state’s foundational document. At present, that requires 60 percent approval. Sponsor Rick […]

Tag: transparency

Citizens rolls out new lobbying disclosure requirements

Governor’s office seeks $1,200 to respond to Gwen Graham’s Hollywood Hills query

Constitution panel criticized again for procedural hiccups, announces second tour

House bill would ban Governor, Cabinet from in-Session fundraising

Teresa Jacobs tells Richard Corcoran Orange County, Visit Orlando working on transparency

On open records, half Florida’s legislators rate F or D

‘Lack of transparency’ causes calls for Rick Scott budget veto

Constitutional rewrite panel’s transparency rules would track Legislature’s

Bad nursing homes benefit from AHCA’s passive-aggressive war on #transparency

House panel votes to raise the bar for proposed constitutional amendments