Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Staff ReportsMay 16, 2017

The numbers are out. Registered legislative lobbying firms reported median earnings of more than $35.7 million in the first quarter of 2017. The Top 5 earners during the three-month period were Ballard Partners, Southern Strategy Group, Ronald L. Book PA, Capital City Consulting, and Greenberg Traurig. If those rankings look familiar, there’s a reason for […]

Associated PressApril 11, 2017

Some of the biggest companies involved in battles at the state Capitol showered campaign contributions to the state’s political parties and other top politicians in the first few months of the year. Newly filed campaign finance reports show that the Republican Party of Florida raised $2.46 million during the first quarter of the year, while […]

Staff ReportsApril 4, 2017

Senate President Joe Negron appears ready to compromise in order to get a top priority through the Legislature. On Tuesday, Sen. Rob Bradley filed a wide-sweeping amendment to a bill (SB 10) that would, among other things, set aside money for water storage south of Lake Okeechobee, a top priority for Negron. The amendment essentially […]

Staff ReportsMarch 23, 2017

A top priority of Senate President Joe Negron’s took a hit this week, after Sen. Marco Rubio said a plan to build reservoirs wouldn’t get federal money and would wipe out farming communities. According to POLITICO Florida, Rubio said “there’s no federal money” for Negron’s proposed reservoirs. “We’re going to end up with nothing,” he […]

Jim RosicaOctober 24, 2016

Democratic House candidate Loranne Ausley‘s recent ad bemoans “special interests” who “run our state government and control our legislators.” “They get the benefits,” she says in a voiceover. “We get the cuts.” But campaign finance records show Ausley also has taken thousands of dollars from special interests for a political committee (PC) that she controls. The story […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 26, 2016

Eric Edwards, the longtime Tallahassee-based legislative assistant to Republican state Sen. Don Gaetz, is joining U.S. Sugar Corporation’s in-house influence team, the company announced. His title will be Assistant Vice President of Governmental Affairs. “We have wanted to strengthen and expand our internal government relations operation for some time, and we have patiently searched for just the right […]

Peter SchorschAugust 31, 2016

It is often said that “elections have consequences,” and for those engaged in the political struggle to convince voters to purchase land south of Lake Okeechobee, these consequences will soon seem all too real. Among the biggest losers in Tuesday’s primary were candidates who signed the “NowOrNeverGlades” declaration to buy land from Florida sugarcane growers. […]

Peter SchorschAugust 23, 2016

When it comes to Joe Negron’s plan to save the Everglades, not everyone feels the answer is to “buy the land.” The problem? The Stuart Republican’s proposal is painfully short on details, says a recent editorial in the Fort Myers News-Press. Negron, the incoming Senate President, is pushing the state to purchase 60,000 acres of […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 18, 2016

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A congressional candidate’s “pre-primary filing” is a good indication of how he or she will close, and compared to incumbent Rep. Corrine Brown (who has an anemic $25,000) as of Aug. 10, challenger Al Lawson reports $120,000 cash-on-hand ahead of the Aug. 30 primary. From July 1 to Aug. 10, Lawson raised $49,888, with $1,000 from Brian Ballard standing […]

Peter SchorschAugust 16, 2016

Florida candidates and committees collected more than $10.5 million in contributions for the July 30 through Aug. 5 reporting period, though a lot of that money can be tagged to a handful of players. More than a quarter of that total came from utility companies pumping money into “Consumers for Smart Solar,” the committee backing […]

Tag: U.S. Sugar
Image via AP.

Lobby firms bring in more than $35.7M in first quarter to lobby Legislature

Millions donated to Florida politicians amid 2017 Session

Senate proposes compromise over plan to build Everglades reservoir

Report: Marco Rubio says ‘there’s no federal money’ for reservoir south of Lake O

Loranne Ausley opposes special interests – while her PAC takes their money

Personnel note: Eric Edwards wins plum lobbying role with U.S. Sugar

Voters throw cold water on ‘Buy the Land’ candidates in primaries

News-Press editorial says Joe Negron Everglades plan needs work, more details

Al Lawson reports $120K COH in pre-primary filing, GOP money in play

Utilities, trial lawyers give big in recent reporting period