Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 12, 2016

Visitors keep flocking to the Sunshine State. State tourism officials announced Friday 57.4 million people traveled to Florida in the first half of the year. The number marks a 4.3 percent increase from the first six months of 2015. “It’s exciting to have a record tourism number,” said Gov. Rick Scott during an event at the […]

Mitch PerryAugust 12, 2016

Advocates for both medical marijuana and the outright legalization of the herb were dealt a blow yesterday when the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a bid to reconsider how it treats marijuana under federal drug control laws. Along with much more serious drugs such as heroin and acid, pot is considered a Schedule I drug under the […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 11, 2016

Travelers might be worried about Zika, but it isn’t stopping them from traveling to the Sunshine State. The University of Florida’s Tourism Crisis Management Initiative found more than 70 percent of potential visitors are concerned about the mosquito-borne virus. However, the study found about 10 percent of potential visitors have actually changed their travel plans. […]

Associated PressAugust 11, 2016

Kids returning to school in a Miami neighborhood linked to Zika infections will be allowed to wear pants and long-sleeved shirts that don’t match their school uniforms, but still can’t bring mosquito repellent to campus. The Miami Herald reports that at a school board meeting Wednesday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, “aggressive […]

Mitch PerryAugust 11, 2016

With health officials reporting there are now more than 400 travel-related cases of the Zika virus in Florida and 22 locally transmitted cases, Pinellas County Republican Rep. David Jolly has become the latest Florida lawmaker calling on Congress to return to Washington to pass a bill to fund the growing health crisis. “With Congress not scheduled to […]

Diane RobertsAugust 11, 2016

The streets of Miami and Fort Lauderdale flood on a distressingly regular basis; the drinking water in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties is getting salty; mosquitoes infect you with Zika; toxic algae in our rivers, lakes and seas will give you a hideous rash, attack your nervous system, and impair your liver. Nature has […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 10, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott said federal lawmakers have to work together to battle the spread of Zika. In an interview with Wolf Blitzer Wednesday, the Naples Republican called the Zika virus a “national and international issue” and said the federal government has failed to do its part in battling the spread of the disease. “The feds aren’t […]

Associated PressAugust 9, 2016

On any given day, a visitor to Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood might see a hipster pecking at a vintage typewriter outside a coffee shop or a young professional enjoying roasted duck carnitas at a fusion restaurant next door. Two blocks away, a family from the Midwest, Latin America or Europe might be exploring the graffiti murals […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 8, 2016

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The Florida Department of Health is investigating a case of non-travel related Zika in Palm Beach County. Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday the DOH was investigating the case. The person, according to Scott’s office, recently traveled to Miami-Dade County, where several cases of locally acquired Zika have been transmitted. Scott said the health department has begun […]

Mitch PerryAugust 8, 2016

Even though Marco Rubio has already said he has no intention of backing out of an appearance at a religious conference in Orlando this week that critics have called an “anti-LGBT rally,” Patrick Murphy said Monday the Florida GOP senator should do so. “The Pulse shooting devastated the LGBT community in Orlando and across our state,” Murphy said in a […]

Tag: Zika
Rodney Guttman, image via University of West Florida.

Florida on track to see 115 million visitors in 2016

Mitch Perry Report for 8.12.16 — DEA just says no to loosening pot restrictions

Zika concerns not stopping travelers from visiting Florida

Miami students in Zika zone can’t bring repellent to school

David Jolly latest Florida lawmaker to call for Congress to return to D.C. to find Zika funding

Diane Roberts: Nature at war with Florida — thanks, Rick Scott!

Rick Scott on CNN: ‘The federal government needs to get to work’ to combat Zika

Wynwood is home to artists, hipsters, tourists – and Zika

DOH investigating case of non-travel related Zika in Palm Beach County

Patrick Murphy calls on Marco Rubio to drop out of religious conference this week