Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonAugust 8, 2016

Mosquitoes don’t ask for a person’s political party affiliation before they bite. So now that the bug-borne Zika virus is a certified health emergency you might think this is one time red and blue can come together. (Insert laugh track HERE.) It’s no laughing matter though. If a pregnant woman contracts Zika, her child could […]

Tamara LushAugust 7, 2016

Thank goodness it’s the slow season in Florida. At least that’s what officials and representatives of the state’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry are thinking in the wake of the news that 16 people have been infected with Zika in a small, trendy neighborhood in Miami. The outbreak has sent another chill through the Sunshine State’s all-important […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 5, 2016

Zika_Mosquitoes.JPG_ne9dCoD-1024x1024.jpg

Gov. Rick Scott told state lawmakers Friday he will continue to take steps to protect its residents and visitors from the Zika virus, but said he was unsure whether their federal counterparts would step up to the plate. The Naples Republican updated lawmakers on the Zika crisis during a conference call Friday. During the 20-minute […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 5, 2016

Scott Fuhrman is terrified for his unborn daughter. So terrified, in fact, he and his wife are pondering whether she should temporarily move to protect herself — and their children — from the Zika virus. “We’re in a tough position, like thousands of other families, trying to figure out what to do,” said Fuhrman, a […]

Associated PressAugust 3, 2016

Worried you might catch the Zika virus? Scammers and bug spray companies are counting on it. Marketers know this is the time to pounce: The Summer Olympics are about to start in Brazil, where the recent Zika epidemic started, and 14 mosquito-borne cases of Zika were identified recently in the Miami area, the first in […]

Jim RosicaAugust 3, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday he was ordering free Zika virus testing for pregnant women at county health departments. The news came a day after the Department of Health said a “new non-travel related infection is located outside of the one-square mile area in Miami where the department has identified active transmission is taking place.” The hot zone is located […]

Jim RosicaAugust 2, 2016

In a highly unusual travel warning, health officials advised pregnant women to avoid a part of Miami where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting the Zika virus directly to humans. At the same time, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said residents and travelers to Miami and the rest of the state were safe. “We’ve tested a little over 20,000 […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 2, 2016

Sen. Bill Nelson is once again pushing for a vote on the Senate’s $1.1 billion proposal to curb the spread of Zika. Nelson sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday, asking him to reconvene the Senate so they can “take up and pass an emergency spending bill” to provide health officials with resources to […]

Associated PressAugust 2, 2016

Homegrown mosquitoes have infected more than a dozen people with Zika in a small area of Miami, and officials are recommending that pregnant women stay away from the neighborhood. The Zika infections are the first from mosquito bites on the U.S. mainland. Scientists don’t expect big outbreaks in U.S. states like those in hard-hit parts […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 1, 2016

Ten more people are believed to have contracted the Zika virus through a mosquito bite, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a travel warning for the affected area. On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott announced the Department of Health identified 10 more people who contracted the virus locally. The governor said the […]

Tag: Zika
Image via AP.

Joe Henderson: The Zika crisis should be above party politics

Florida officials go into damage-control mode over Zika

Rick Scott updates lawmakers on Zika outbreak

For Scott Fuhrman, the Zika threat is more than politics — it’s personal

Scammers, bug spray companies capitalizing on Zika fears

Rick Scott orders free Zika testing for pregnant women

Rick Scott calls Zika “a national issue”

Bill Nelson asks Senate leaders to pass Zika funding during pro forma session

Homegrown Zika raises more questions about the evolving risk

Rick Scott: 10 more cases of locally transmitted Zika in Florida