Gary Fineout - page 17

Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell abruptly resigned on Friday amid questions about her travel, spending and work habits. O’Connell, whose resignation takes effect Oct. 1, said in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott that she was leaving in order to “explore opportunities in the private sector.” But the announcement that she was stepping down came several hours before The Florida Lottery released O’Connell’s credit card records requested a month ago by The Associated Press. Those records show that O’Connell used…

Keep Reading

Gov. Rick Scott, reigniting a budget fight with the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, says the state is nearly out of money to lure companies to Florida. Scott plans to deliver that stinging message Thursday when he is scheduled to address the board of directors of Enterprise Florida Inc., the state’s economic development agency that is meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach. Scott and Enterprise Florida officials say the state has only about $9 million left in the main account it uses to…

Keep Reading

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature — which has been split this year over health care and a new state budget — is divided yet again, this time over a new map for congressional districts. With just days left in their special session, legislators in the House and Senate are now working on different plans to change the state’s 27 congressional districts. Lawmakers are holding a rare August special session after the state Supreme Court threw out the current map. The court,…

Keep Reading

Florida law enforcement officers provided around-the-clock security for Attorney General Pam Bondi for six weeks this year due to a threat that is still under investigation. Authorities had not previously acknowledged the threat until Friday. That’s because a new report released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement showed the state had spent more than $216,000 on providing security for Bondi this past year. FDLE officials would not provide any details about the threat but called it “credible.” They provided…

Keep Reading

Two organizations that successfully sued the Florida Legislature over the state’s congressional map contended Friday that Republicans were plotting to help a freshman GOP congressman save his seat. State legislators are in the middle of a 12-day special session to draw up a new map for the state’s 27 congressional districts after the state Supreme Court ruled that the current map was tainted by partisan influence. Voters in 2010 approved standards that prohibit legislators from drawing districts designed to benefit an incumbent…

Keep Reading

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature, stung by a harshly worded ruling from the state’s highest court, returns to the state Capitol this week for a 12-day special session to draw up new congressional districts. The final outcome could prompt a major shakeup for the state’s congressional delegation and short-circuit or resurrect the careers of some of the state’s veteran politicians. The session starts Monday and is scheduled to run until Aug. 21. The court ordered legislators to change the boundaries of eight…

Keep Reading