Brendan Farrington - page 16

The Florida Democratic Party used their annual fundraising dinner to bash Gov. Rick Scott — but not to showcase the candidates that hope to replace him. Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz called Scott a tea party extremist. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant said Scott has never helped Florida’s middle class. And former President Bill Clinton said Scott’s economic policies only benefit those that don’t need help. But the candidates hoping to challenge Scott — Republican…

Keep Reading

Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign suggests in a new ad that former Gov. Charlie Crist has something to hide by not releasing his wife’s tax returns, while Crist said Wednesday that Scott is “hitting below the belt” by dragging his wife Carole into a negative campaign ad. Scott last week released the joint tax return he filed with his wife Ann and called on Crist to do the same. The same day that Crist released tax returns for the three…

Keep Reading

Red light cameras installed before the Legislature authorized them in 2010 were illegal, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday, but drivers who were ticketed under the municipal programs shouldn’t expect to find a refund check in the mail anytime soon. The court ruled 5-2 that cities couldn’t enact their own traffic enforcement ordinances that conflicted with the state’s uniform traffic code. The state legalized red light cameras in 2010 after more than a dozen cities had installed them. But the…

Keep Reading

On good days when her epileptic seizures aren’t severe, RayAnn Moseley laughs, sings, dances, swims and practices with the children’s choir at her church. She easily brings smiles to the people around her. On bad days, the 11-year-old wakes up in bloody sheets or lies down on the school floor and says nothing all day. When her seizures become particularly intense, she is rushed to the hospital. The images of those extremes collected in a collage helped persuade Florida lawmakers…

Keep Reading

Gov. Rick Scott says he plans to sue the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs because it will not let state hospital officials inspect federal medical care facilities in Florida. Scott made the announcement Wednesday. The lawsuit hasn’t been filed. Scott’s office said that on seven recent occasions at six VA hospitals, inspectors from the state Agency for Health Care Administration were prevented from inspecting facilities. The suit will seek to keep the Department of Veterans Affairs from obstructing state inspectors.…

Keep Reading

A Republican Party of Florida official testified Friday that congressional maps he drew and turned over to a GOP consultant were identical to those submitted to the Legislature by a member of the public months later as lawmakers held hearings on how they should redraw the state’s political lines. Frank Terraferma was shown his maps alongside those submitted under someone else’s name at a public hearing three months later and agreed that seven congressional districts were the same. But Terraferma,…

Keep Reading

Gov. Rick Scott is opting to soften his image instead of attacking Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in a campaign ad that features his two-year-old grandson. Scott acknowledges in the ad that he hasn’t had a great relationship with the media in the ninth ad since Crist announced he would challenge Scott. As he reads a newspaper at a lawn table, Scott says, “You might’ve noticed the news media is not always my friend. But they aren’t the critics I worry about.…

Keep Reading