Gary Fineout - page 33

A Florida judge deciding a landmark trial has been given starkly different views of whether legislators violated the law and drew up new congressional districts in 2012 in a way to help Republicans be more easily elected. The 12-day trial over the maps wrapped up earlier this month. Circuit Judge Terry Lewis, who is deciding the case, required the two sides to submit closing written statements, which they did last week. They disagree sharply over whether legislators did anything illegal.…

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Gov. Rick Scott is releasing three years of tax returns and providing a closer look at his finances. Scott made the decision to disclose the financial information since he is officially qualifying for the 2014 ballot on Monday. Scott is also asking challenger Charlie Crist to release tax returns that he and his wife filed. The latest financial information shows that Scott’s net worth jumped from nearly $83.8 million at the end of 2012 to $132.5 million at the end…

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Just a few weeks ago it appeared that Florida State University was ready to join a line of U.S. colleges that have turned to powerful politicians to lead their schools. But on Wednesday a university search committee opted to revamp a tumultuous search for a new president in the midst of a backlash over initially designating state Sen. John Thrasher the front-runner for the job. The main change was to hire a new consulting firm to help with the search…

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When Rick Scott made his maverick push for Florida governor four years ago, the Republican took a hard line against illegal immigration that he used to assail his main GOP rival for the job. But with a likely tight re-election campaign looming, the incumbent is making a concentrated push to win over Hispanic voters. Scott’s latest bid to redo his image came Monday when Florida joined more than three dozen other states in the nation that offer in-state tuition rates…

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The Republican Party of Florida is criticizing former Gov. Charlie Crist for blocking some education cuts while he was governor. The party on Tuesday sent out a press release comparing Crist’s record on education to incumbent Gov. Rick Scott. That release faulted Crist for his vetoes of education spending during his first year in office. But the release also listed what it called additional education vetoes from 2009. It turns out, however, Crist wasn’t cutting education spending that year. Crist…

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An emergency petition to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is being withdrawn. A Republican political consulting firm wanted Thomas to stop a Florida judge from hearing evidence in an ongoing trial. The trial centers on whether state legislators broke the law when drawing up new maps for Congress. But the petition to Thomas was withdrawn Friday. That came a day after Circuit Judge Terry Lewis heard the evidence after the press and public were removed from the court. The…

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Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricky Polston on Saturday jumped into the race to become the next president of Florida State University. Polston’s decision to job to seek the top spot at his alma mater is a surprising development since right now the frontrunner for the position is state Sen. John Thrasher. Thrasher, a political heavyweight who is chairman of Gov. Rick Scott‘s campaign, has already been moved ahead of all other potential candidates by a FSU search committee. But Thrasher’s candidacy has come under fire…

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