Gary Fineout - page 25

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to block gay marriages in Florida, the latest of about three dozen states allowing same-sex weddings. In a one-paragraph order, the court decided not to step into the Florida case. A federal judge previously declared Florida’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional and said same-sex marriage licenses could start being issued in the state after Jan. 5 unless the Supreme Court intervened. “This is a thrilling day for all Florida families,” Daniel Tilley, an…

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Gov. Rick Scott proclaimed Friday that he achieved a key promise from his 2010 campaign, as the state has added more than 700,000 jobs since he took office. Except that’s not what he promised. Scott actually said on several occasions that his policies would create 1.7 million jobs by 2018 – 700,000 in addition to the 1 million jobs that state economists said would be created naturally as the state recovered from the Great Recession. After the election, Scott’s aides backed…

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday took his most definitive step yet toward running for president, announcing plans to “actively explore” a campaign and form a new political operation allowing him to raise money for like-minded Republicans. In a holiday message posted on Bush’s Facebook page and Twitter account, the son and brother of past Republican presidents said he discussed the “future of our nation” and a potential bid for the White House with members of his family over…

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Attorney General Pam Bondi filed an emergency petition on Monday seeking to keep the state’s ban on gay marriage in place past Jan. 5. Bondi and attorneys in her office filed the request with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas oversees emergency appeals from Florida, Alabama and Georgia. The move by Bondi comes after a federal appeals court in Atlanta refused to keep on hold a ruling that declared Florida’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. That decision brought same-sex…

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott is getting a boost for his plans to cut taxes while also spending more on schools. State economists met Monday to predict how much the state is expected to collect in taxes. New forecasts show that the state’s main budget account should grow nearly 5 percent during the fiscal year that started in July. Economists predict an additional 4 percent growth in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Economists said lower gas prices are helping spark spending in…

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Gov. Rick Scott is turning to a veteran of state government to try to turn around Florida’s troubled prison system that has been under scrutiny for inmate deaths, abuse and allegations of cover-ups. Scott on Wednesday announced he was appointing Julie Jones, who once led the agency that oversees the state highway patrol, to take over the Department of Corrections in January. Jones, 57, becomes the first woman in state history to lead Florida’s prison system, which houses more than…

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A two-day hearing at Florida State that could determine quarterback Jameis Winston’s future at the university ended on Wednesday with no decision and no definitive timetable on when the case will be resolved. The hearing, which was held approximately two years after a female student said Winston sexually assaulted her in December 2012, was held to determine whether Winston violated any or all of four sections of the code of conduct — two for sexual misconduct and two for endangerment.…

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