Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonOctober 3, 2018

Let us sum up the essence of the Florida U.S. Senate debate Tuesday between Bill Nelson and Rick Scott for the seat Nelson currently holds: Blah, blah, and furthermore, blah. Nelson believes Scott is a lying slimeball whose policies have savaged public education, health care, and the environment. We already knew that. Scott believes Nelson […]

Scott PowersJuly 26, 2018

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gov. Rick Scott picked up another Florida business group’s endorsement with the announcement in Marco Island Thursday that the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida is backing his campaign. Scott picked up the endorsement at the annual conference of the group, which represnts 2,500 general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, and professional […]

Joe HendersonJuly 10, 2018

When you own the last cigar factory in the Cigar City, and you’re fighting the Food and Drug Administration over regulations that could put the company out of business, you take victories where you can get them. That’s what Eric Newman, president of Tampa’s J.C. Newman Cigar Company, is doing today. He won a skirmish […]

Joe HendersonJune 20, 2018

The best thing that could have happened to Bill Nelson’s campaign so far took place Tuesday. Florida’s senior U.S. Senator, in a fight for his political life, traveled to inspect the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children facility. It’s a holding camp keeping an estimated 1,000 children — some came to America without their parents, and […]

Joe HendersonApril 23, 2018

Rick Scott’s greatest political gift has been perfect timing. He proved that in 2010 when he tapped into Floridians’ angst over the recession with an oft-repeated simple slogan: “Let’s Get To Work.” Even after the first election, you could ask him about the weather or the NFL draft and his answer was always the same: […]

Joe HendersonApril 9, 2018

Guns and Trump. Let’s just cut to what figures to be the essence of a showdown between three-term incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson and two-term Republican Gov. Rick Scott for a Florida U.S. Senate seat. Scott’s entry into the race, long a foregone conclusion, becomes official Monday and signals the start of what could the most expensive […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 9, 2018

It’s not uncommon for the House floor to look like a veritable florist’s shop on the first day of a legislative session. But now, Speaker Richard Corcoran is telling members to cool it on displays of blooms and topiary. The 2018 Legislative Session begins next Tuesday. “Only reasonably-sized floral arrangements and live plants will be […]

Scott PowersMay 25, 2017

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Florida lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings and Mario Diaz-Balart are trying again to give the Army Corps of Engineers the authority to go forward with Everglades restoration projects without having to have Congress sign off on each one. The ‘‘Everglades for the Next Generation Act,’’ was filed as […]

Michael MolineFebruary 20, 2017

Is Sen. Bill Nelson up for a contested Democratic primary in his re-election bid next year? “You want to do a contest on pull-ups or push-ups?” Nelson replied to a reporter who asked that question during an informal news conference in Tallahassee Monday. News reports have mentioned Tim Canova, who tried and failed to replace Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Congress, former U.S. […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 21, 2016

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has joined Gov. Rick Scott’s appeal to the Obama administration to declare much of Florida a disaster zone. “I am writing to urge that you approve the State of Florida’s request for a major disaster declaration related to Hurricane Hermine as soon as possible,” Nelson wrote in a letter to President […]

Tag: U. S. Sen. Bill Nelson

Joe Henderson: Winner in Florida U.S. Senate debate? Status quo in runaway

Builders backing Rick Scott

Joe Henderson: Newman Cigar gets reprieve, but it’s only temporary

Joe Henderson: Bill Nelson visit was right thing to do (and good politics)

Joe Henderson: Rick Scott betting his timing is right again

Joe Henderson: Guns and Trump form backdrop of Rick Scott

Richard Corcoran: ‘Reasonably-sized’ flowers only, please

Federal Everglades bills would give Army Corps advance authority to proceed

Bill Nelson seems undaunted by prospect of primary challengers

Bill Nelson seconds Rick Scott’s call for Hermine disaster declaration