James Call - page 32

State Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart was the first to qualify Monday for a special election for Florida Senate District 6. When John Thrasher resigned in November from the Florida Senate to become president of Florida State University, he sent a set of dominoes in motion as Renuart and House District 24 Rep. Travis Hutson look to move to the Senate. Four candidates have announced their intention to seek Renuart’s seat. Michael Alan Davis has qualified as a Republican candidate. He…

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Margate state Sen. Jeremey Ring wants to help lawyers pay off their student loans if they work as prosecutors and public defenders. The South Florida Democrat filed SB 150 Tuesday, a measure he has sponsored in two previous sessions. Money for student loan payments would become available after serving for at least three years as an assistant state attorney or public defender. “It is the most grueling job in the legal profession,” Ring explained when he filed the bill before the 2013…

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The world is growing smaller for Governors Club smokers. Beginning Jan. 1, smoking will not be permitted prior to 7:00 p.m. in the Lounge of the exclusive downtown Tallahassee club which features dining and meeting rooms. “It makes the Governors Club Lounge like any other bar in town; there’s nothing special about going there now,” said David Ramba, a Tallahassee lobbyist who frequently holds court in the Lounge. “If you want a nice place to smoke a cigar, it’s the only…

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A special election for the Florida House District 64 seat is set for Feb. 10 and April 21. Governor Rick Scott set the dates Monday in an executive order. The House rejected the result of the November 4 election over confusion triggered by a legal challenge to a write-in candidate. Rep. Jamie Grant, R-Tampa, has represented the district and won re-election but even he questioned the integrity of the election after an appellate judge said the election was unconstitutional. Daniel…

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Port Orange Sen. Dorothy Hukill wants to implement one of Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign promises. The Volusia County Republican Friday filed a bill to raise an exemption on the state’s corporate tax, a move state economists estimated would cost the state almost $9 million. Under current law, the first $50,000 of a corporation’s income is exempt from the tax. Hukill’s bill would raise the exemption to $75,000. SB 138 for the 2015 legislative session is identical to a measure that died…

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The number of total jobs in Florida rose by 34,400 last month, and the unemployment rate fell 0.1 percent from September to 6 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Department of Economic Opportunity.  The October rate is the lowest Florida has posted in more than six years and matches the rate of June 2008. The number of jobs in Florida in October was counted at  7,857,300, up more than 200,000 from a year ago and represents the 51st…

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State Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart has assembled his campaign team for the special election for Senate District 6. The qualifying period for the Jan. 27 primary is less than two weeks away but Renuart said he’s hitting the airwaves now with his first commercial – which can be seen here. Mark Zubaly will serve as the campaign’s general consultant. Zubaly is a partner in Southern Campaign Resources and Summit Communications. Renuart used Southern Campaign in this year’s re-election campaign for…

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