Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschJune 18, 2014

By the time whoever is chosen to serve as Speaker of the Florida House in 2020-21, there will be a new occupant of the White House and a new governor of Florida. The Sunshine State’s population is expected to be over 21 million by the time of the next census. By 2020, there will be two […]

Guest AuthorJune 10, 2014

Florida’s state-run insurer, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., is due for another investigation. This review is needed following the report “Revolving door of Citizens executives to companies with contracts raises questions” by Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times. The Herald/Times report found that at least three senior executives at Citizens went to work […]

Guest AuthorMay 8, 2014

I was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000 and quickly participated in my first session — a special session called to determine which candidate for president would be awarded Florida’s electoral votes. There were 14 sessions during my first three years in office. Many of those sessions were special sessions needed to […]

Bob SparksMay 6, 2014

Another legislative session is behind us. A host of bills, some more significant than others, await a signature and possibly a made-for-media signing ceremony by Gov. Rick Scott. With one party leading two branches of government, the governor’s veto pen will require precious little ink. A surge in “member projects” (some say pork, some say […]

Peter SchorschMay 4, 2014

Winner: Will Weatherford With the passage of the immigration tuition bill, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford is the single biggest winner of the 2014 legislative session. He has completely silenced his detractors by accomplishing something few of the old silverbacks could have pulled off, and it is the capstone on the first phase of a political […]

Guest AuthorApril 28, 2014

Florida legislators demanding more “accountability” as a condition for expanding the state’s premier school-choice program could learn a very valuable lesson from the example set by the late, great Mary McLeod Bethune. When Bethune opened her Daytona School for Negro Girls in 1904, she knew success would depend on satisfying two different constituencies — parents […]

Daniel TilsonApril 26, 2014

Like a crew of clumsy card sharks armed with trick decks, Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislators have turned the final days of the 2014 session into a rigged political poker tournament. Bankrolled by our tax dollars, they keep betting, raising and bluffing with bravado. But we’re the ones with most of the skin in […]

Peter SchorschApril 9, 2014

With lawmakers dressed in sweaters to stave off the cold and holiday displays set in the Capitol Rotunda, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli gaveled in a rare December special session of the Florida Legislature. Almost immediately after Democrat Charlie Crist unseated Republican Rick Scott last month in the most expensive gubernatorial […]

Guest AuthorMarch 27, 2014

I’m beginning to think that Adam Putnam is just about the only grown-up in Tallahassee. Which is ironic because Putnam, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, isn’t even 40 yet. But he’s served in the Florida and U.S. Houses of Representatives and as agriculture commissioner has demonstrated that — future ambitions aside — he’s at least looking […]

Bob SparksMarch 19, 2014

As most of Tallahassee and those enrolled in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) throughout the state know, the Legislature is again taking up what is called public pension overhaul. Both House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz seek to change a system that is not broken. In fact, more than 86 percent […]

Tag: Will Weatherford

Peter Schorsch: Here’s everything you didn’t know about the 2020-21 Speaker race

Dan Krassner: Citizens Property Insurance due for another investigation

Jeff Kottkamp: Low-key legislative session was a lull before election fireworks

Bob Sparks: Real people must trump ideology

Peter Schorsch: The winners and losers in the 2014 legislative session

William Mattox: Private schools must pass the ‘Mary McLeod Bethune’ test

Daniel Tilson: Going for broke in the Capitol casino

Peter Schorsch: Here’s what a December special session might look like

Cary McMullen: Kudos to Putnam for trying to get money to fix schools

Bob Sparks: Is overhauling FRS a greater risk than doing nothing?