Webster lays out his case for becoming U.S. House speaker
TALLAHASSEE Using the analogy of a broken widget maker, U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Orlando, succinctly laid out his case for becoming the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in an...
View ArticleStakes are high for new Senate lines
The partisan balance of the Florida Senate could shift, political careers may be dashed and precedent will be set for future redistricting efforts as the Legislature kicks off a two-week special...
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Campus gun bill advances in Senate
TALLAHASSEE -- With more emotional testimony from rape victims, relatives of campus shooting victims, self-defense experts and Second Amendment advocates, a bill that would allow concealed guns on...
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Venice lawmaker files controversial "religious freedom" bill opposed by gay...
Florida adoption agencies could turn away same sex couples for religious reasons and certain businesses in the state could deny them products or services under a bill filed Wednesday by state Rep....
View ArticleState Legislature strikes out again
TALLAHASSEE The Florida Legislature’s second attempt at drawing political lines ended in failure again Thursday, when the Senate firmly rejected a redistricting plan for its 40 districts. The 23-16...
View ArticleFlorida Supreme Court approves new congressional map
TALLAHASSEE Florida has a congressional redistricting map that splits Sarasota County between two districts. In a 5-2 opinion, the Florida Supreme Court today approved a map for the 27 districts that...
View ArticleContrasting fundraising styles for Sarasota state Senate candidates
The candidates for a state Senate seat covering Sarasota County continued to raise big money in November, with one collecting dozens of checks from small donors while another hauled in a few big...
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Proposed changes to divorce laws gain strength — and opposition
TALLAHASSEE The emotional, contentious issue of changing Florida’s alimony law is heading for another try in the Legislature. It represents the latest chapter in a multi-year debate of revamping a law...
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Judge rejects state Senate map produced by Legislature, sides with plaintiffs...
UPDATE In another stinging rebuke to state lawmakers that could shift the partisan balance of Florida politics, a judge sided with a coalition of voting rights groups and endorsed one of their proposed...
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It's 2016: Let the political games begin
By Brandon Larrabee TALLAHASSEE — After a strange and at times exhausting 2015, Florida’s government and political establishment is bracing for what could be another intriguing year. The legislative...
View ArticleElevator safety bill triggered by Bradenton boy's death advances
Sometimes an incident is so tragic and the way to prevent future occurrences so obvious that legislation moves through the process in the state Capitol quickly and without friction. That’s the case...
View ArticleRowing, homeless money in early state budget proposals
Preliminary budget proposals released Thursday by the Florida Legislature include money to help complete the rowing complex at Nathan Benderson Park, supplement efforts to reduce homelessness in...
View ArticleWould Legislature contain more average joes if it paid more?
By Brandon Larrabee and Jim Turner News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Would the Legislature include more average Floridians if the job paid more? That was the idea behind a bill (SB 712), pitched...
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Lawmakers approve abortion bill
TALLAHASSEE — A bill increasing regulations for abortion providers and prohibiting them from receiving public funding in Florida cleared the Legislature Wednesday, after days of debate in which...
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Sarasota state House race among Top 10 to watch
Sarasota has one of the hottest state House races in Florida according to a new ranking compiled by a leading political consultant. Steve Schale, who ran President Barack Obama's campaign in Florida in...
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