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Gary Fineout - page 11

Gary Fineout has 257 articles published.

Stormy times: Florida officials squabble over insurance pick

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Thanks to an arcane state law, Florida could enter hurricane season with no one firmly in charge of the state agency responsible for regulating the state’s at-times fragile insurance industry. The reason? The two Republican elected officials responsible for picking a new commissioner are locked in a stalemate over who should be hired to replace outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater have been backing rival candidates for the job, which has delayed…

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Millions flow to Florida’s political parties, Rick Scott

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Florida’s two main political parties are getting tens of thousands of dollars from groups who had a stake in what happened during this year’s legislative session. The Republican Party of Florida and Florida Democratic Party on Monday turned in their fundraising reports for the first three month of 2016. Republicans reported raising more than $1.55 million during that time period, including $95,000 that came from a political committee connected to Gov. Rick Scott. The donors include health care companies, gambling…

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Top aides to Rick Scott — Melissa Sellers, Tim Cerio — stepping down

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Two top aides to Gov. Rick Scott are resigning. Scott announced Thursday that his Chief of Staff and general counsel are stepping down from their posts. Their last day is April 1. Melissa Sellers has been Scott’s chief of staff since November 2014. The chief of staff is one of the most powerful positions in the administration. Sellers is expected to open her own political consulting and communications firm. Scott called Sellers an “invaluable member” of his team. “Melissa has…

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Highlights from Florida’s new $82.3 billion budget

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The Florida Legislature is expected on Friday to approve a more than $82.3 billion budget for 2016-17 that is roughly 5 percent larger than this year’s budget. Here are a few key items you should know about: – EDUCATION: The new budget increases day-to-day public school spending by $458 million, which translates into a 1 percent increase. The per pupil spending amount would be $7,178.49, which is less than Gov. Rick Scott recommended. Legislators also agreed to spend more than…

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Legislators reach deal on school building, worker benefits

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Florida legislators racing against the clock on Sunday reached important budget deals on everything from school construction to pay raises to state workers. Lawmakers must have a new state budget finished by Tuesday in order to wrap up their session by this coming Friday. That led to a marathon session of budget talks over the weekend. One of the major deals that budget chiefs from the House and Senate announced was a decision to spend more than $700 million on…

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Divide growing between Rick Scott, other Republicans

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Since charging into office some five years ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has routinely had an awkward relationship with the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and other GOP officials. Now, Scott is being handed a string of defeats that could render his final 2 ½ years in office nearly irrelevant. They could also serve as a reminder that there are limits to how much sway a multi-millionaire businessman used to his own way can have over politicians used to compromise and deal-making.…

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Florida overhauls death penalty in bid to resume executions

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With executions halted and the prosecution of some murder cases in limbo, the Florida Legislature overhauled the state’s death penalty law Thursday in response to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the current sentencing law is unconstitutional. Legislators sent to Gov. Rick Scott a bill that would require that at least 10 out of 12 jurors recommend execution in order for it be carried out. Florida previously only required that a majority of jurors recommend a death sentence.…

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