Daily Digest for Tuesday, 2/28
Daily Digest for 2/28 [Listen or Download] [iTunes link] Here's what we're watching on Day 50 of the 2012 Florida Legislature. Five Stories To Think About Today * Today marks the last day for...
View ArticleJeb Bush foundation helps shape Florida education policy
When Sen. David Simmons needed his colleagues’ support on the education budget last week, he dropped a powerful name on the Senate floor. “I had a conversation last week with former Gov. Jeb Bush in...
View ArticleMiami-Dade Mayor Gimenez to push commission on term limits, more charter reforms
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is geared up Tuesday to throw his weight behind eight-year term limits for county commissioners as he pushes an agenda of economic development and government reform in...
View Article1Miami's back in D.C. Will they get a meeting this time?
They're back. A delegation that traveled to Washington unsuccessfully in December to land a meeting with Sen. Marco Rubio will try again. The South Floridians, led by the community organization,...
View Article‘Frustrated’ Grimsley says budget talks have collapsed with Senate
The budget talks between the House and the Senate are suddenly in bad shape and the question is whether the 2012 session is headed for a meltdown. After what appeared to have been a productive weekend...
View ArticleRick Scott applauds Obama
Usually a reliable critic of the president's job performance, Gov. Rick Scott offered Barack Obama a compliment during his visit to the White House with other governors Sunday. The reason? Obama's...
View ArticleWithout some help, proposal to overhaul assisted living facilities could die
Efforts to reform how the state regulates assisted living facilities could be dead for this session if Senate leaders don’t do something about it. A subcommittee adjourned Tuesday without taking up SB...
View ArticleLegislators reject 'anti-free market' Medicaid push by GOP contributors
A proposal to force Florida hospitals into contracts with Medicaid managed care plans was defeated on two fronts in the House and Senate on Tuesday, despite a push by two of the state’s most...
View ArticleBig money flows on workers comp bill
There may be few issues in the Florida legislature this year where the nexus between campaign money and public policy is more intertwined than a proposal (HB 511 and SB 668) to trim workers...
View ArticleGenshaft: USF Poly would be accredited more quickly under BOG path
Contrary to what Sen. JD Alexander has been saying around the state Capitol, separate accreditation for the University of South Florida Polytechnic under USF could not happen by July. A more realistic...
View ArticleMarlins stadium bill causes rift, threats among Miami Republicans in House
Likely to face another Republican in a tough political race this fall, Rep. Ana Rivas Logan went rogue Tuesday, challenging other Miami Republicans over a contentious Marlins parking garage issue....
View ArticleLegislators pay less for health insurance and vote to keep it that way
Members of the Senate’s Budget Committee rejected an amendment that would have increased their health insurance premiums six-fold to match the rates most rank-and-file state workers already pay. Sen....
View ArticleVideo: Funeral Protest Ban Bill Passed in House, Close To Vote In Senate
A bill to ban funeral protests passed in the House a few days ago, and is close to a potential vote in the Senate. The Senate version narrows the ban on protests to funerals only for military...
View ArticleRedistricting is creating rifts in the state's high court
As the Florida Supreme Court opens redistricting arguments Wednesday over the Legislature’s proposed maps, recent deliberations of the normally subdued court have signaled an internal feud over how to...
View ArticleVideo: JD Alexander And Mike Haridopolos Discuss Budget Negotiations
Senate Budget Chairman JD Alexander and Senate President Mike Haridopolos talk about the temporary stall and progress today on Senate-House budget negotiations.
View ArticleMitt Romney pulls out win in home state MI, cruises in AZ
Mitt Romney's low-performing Republican US Tour continues now that he barely won Michigan, a state he grew up in and carried handily in 2008. Romney also won Arizona more easily.** But a win's a win....
View ArticleDaily Digest for Wednesday, 2/29
Daily Digest for 2/29 [Listen or Download] [iTunes link] It's Leap Day and FAMU day in the Capitol, so look out for orange and green. Today is also seersucker day, so expect to see some stylish and...
View ArticleSupreme Court gets quickly to the point: how far should it go on redistricting
The public benches in the ornate chambers of the Florida Supreme Court are packed this morning as lawyers for Republicans and Democrats line up to argue fate of the Legislature's two redistricting...
View ArticleFirst-ever openly gay FL legislator? LGBT community could gain from new maps,...
Miami Beach’s gay community is buzzing with talk that, for the first time in Florida history, an openly gay state legislator could win office and sit in the state House. The promise of a first-ever gay...
View ArticleOn wage theft bill, Dade delegation splits along party lines
On a wage theft bill that involves a top legislative priority for Miami-Dade County, the Dade delegation of lawmakers broke up along party lines. Democrats from Miami-Dade County were outspoken against...
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