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Raymond Blacklidge

Jeremy Bailie wants to bring intense focus to Florida Legislature

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Jeremy Bailie, one of three Republicans who filed to run for the Pinellas County-based House District 69 seat being vacated by Kathleen Peters, says in his job as an attorney, he’s driven to help small businesses. He wants to bring that same intense focus to Tallahassee.

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Chris Licata makes HD 69 candidacy official

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Republican Chris Licata announced Friday that he’s moving his House campaign over to District 69, the southwest Pinellas County seat Rep. Kathleen Peters is giving up to run for local office.

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Christopher Licata switches to running in House District 69

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

After initially planning to run in 2018 to try to replace House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, Republican Christopher Licata this week switched races to run for an open Pinellas County House seat.

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Top state officials still can’t agree on new Insurance Commissioner

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

A second Florida Cabinet meeting has ended with no agreement on a new state Insurance Commissioner. Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater again deadlocked on Tuesday, further stalling the process. In a near replay of the last meeting, an intransigent Scott again moved to hire retired insurance executive Jeffrey Bragg. An equally intransigent Atwater declined to second the nomination after an almost palpably long silence. Under state law, Scott and Atwater first have to agree on one candidate. The Office Of Insurance Regulation is under the Department…

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Could new Insurance Commissioner be hired Tuesday?

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

And then there were four. Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are scheduled to interview four candidates Tuesday for the position of state Insurance Commissioner. The Cabinet meeting kicks off at 9 a.m. in the Capitol. The interviews, which could result in someone being appointed at the meeting, are last on the agenda. Time is of the essence: Hurricane season starts June 1. “The coming … season should produce a near-average 12 named storms before it ends in November,” Insurance…

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Jeff Atwater selects three for OIR top job

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater again picked state Rep. Bill Hager and two others to be interviewed for state Insurance Commissioner at next Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. The decision came in a Thursday email. The current commissioner, Kevin McCarty, plans to leave the post this year. Hager, a former Iowa Insurance Commissioner, is Atwater’s choice but Gov. Rick Scott wouldn’t second the nomination at the last meeting. Under state law, Scott and Atwater first have to agree on one candidate. The Office of Insurance…

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