Gary Fineout - page 36

Despite support from leading Republicans including Gov. Rick Scott, a push to offer a tuition break to students who entered the country illegally appears doomed again this year. A key Republican state senator on Thursday used a procedural move to block the legislation from being heard next week in a Senate committee. The move makes it unlikely the bill will be considered since the annual session ends in early May. Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart and Senate budget chief, in a…

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Florida legislators this year are debating everything from gambling to what kinds of beer containers can be sold and how much money to give professional sports teams — so it is perhaps not surprising that the largest campaign donors have included casino developers, team owners and beer distributors. New campaign finance reports filed this week show that millions flowed into the campaign accounts of the state’s two main political parties during the first three months of 2014. The Republican Party…

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A Tallahassee attorney embroiled in an ongoing land dispute with the state contends in a new court filing that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office deleted or withheld emails he was seeking. Steven Andrews, who has been a persistent critic of Gov. Rick Scott, is involved in a lawsuit over attempts by the state to acquire land near the Governor’s Mansion. This week he filed documents alleging that Bondi’s office failed to promptly turn over 61 emails sent or received…

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Fueled by parents angry over contentious new national education standards called Common Core, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is pushing through a series of sweeping changes. But shhh — don’t tell anyone this — Common Core isn’t really going away in Florida, just the name. GOP lawmakers are advancing a bill that repeals more than 30 mentions of Common Core that were placed into state law just a year ago. Some Republicans are also pushing ahead a bill that would mandate school districts adopt…

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Florida officials have abruptly canceled a talk by a Florida State professor and writer who has been critical of the administration of Gov. Rick Scott. Diane Roberts, who does commentary for National Public Radio and writes columns for various publications, was supposed to give a talk at the state-owned Mission San Luis on April 3. Roberts planned to discuss Florida’s environment and problems with the state’s rivers, lakes and springs. Brittany Lesser, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Ken Detzner,…

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Florida’s chief financial officer went to the Legislature this spring with a simple request: grant additional protections to customers dealing with property insurance companies. But the push by Jeff Atwater is in serious jeopardy. That’s because insurers, such as State Farm Florida, are only willing to accept the added protections if they come with other changes that could help keep their costs down. And that’s proving to be a big problem. The House and Senate are now divided over the…

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David Beckham brought his international star power to the halls of the Florida Capitol on Tuesday, trying to rally support from the governor and legislators for the professional soccer franchise he plans to bring to Miami later this decade. Beckham was mobbed by legislators and legislative aides during his visit as they took to social media to document his visit. Even Gov. Rick Scott took a “selfie” of himself with Beckham. Beckham made no secret that he wants to tap…

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