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Ryan Ray - page 26

Ryan Ray has 632 articles published.

Ryan Ray writes about campaigns and public policy in Tampa Bay and across the state. A contributor to FloridaPolitics.com and before that, The Florida Squeeze, he covers the Legislature as a member of the Florida Capitol Press Corps and has worked as a staffer on several campaigns. He can be reached at [email protected].

Gov. Scott, Cabinet presented Florida-grown Christmas tree, thanks to Adam Putnam

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The Florida Cabinet continued what it called a “long-standing tradition” Tuesday morning when Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam presented a Florida-grown Christmas tree to his executive branch colleagues. The tree, a Leland Cypress grown in the Jackson County city of Sneads, was bestowed by Putnam on Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and CFO Jeff Atwater, who were there along with a group of elementary school students who made a field trip on the occasion. Putnam said that of the 30 million Christmas trees that…

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David Jolly hails Chavista defeat in Venezuelan elections

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Voters may have rebuked Venezuela’s ruling United Social Party in elections Sunday, but Congressman David Jolly calls it a “victory for democracy.” In a statement Monday, the Indian Shores Republican hailed the victory of the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition party, which over the weekend defeated the long-ruling party of former President Hugo Chávez in the National Assembly. “Last night, socialism took a back seat to democracy,” said Jolly, who is in a hotly contested Republican primary to fill Marco Rubio‘s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.…

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Gwen Graham passes civics education initiatives in House

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Three civics education initiatives proposed by U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham are set to become law as part of the just-passed Every Child Succeeds Act, approved Thursday by the House 359-64. Graham’s camp says the Tallahassee Democrat shepherded language into the bill by working with a bipartisan group of members to sway Education Committee Chairman John Kline to include language in the sweeping rewrite of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. Specifically, Graham sought authority and money to establish academies to teach civics;…

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Jesse Panuccio out at DEO

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Jesse Panuccio, veteran of fierce battles with lawmakers over his boss Gov. Rick Scott‘s business incentive programs, is set to leave the Department of Economic Opportunity he has led since 2013. Panuccio tendered his resignation Friday. He said the decision was bittersweet, though he said it was “time for a new chapter in my career and life.” Scott released a statement Friday morning saying Panuccio “will be moving on from his position in January to pursue new opportunities.” “Jesse has been…

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DEO rules Uber drivers are independent contractors for employment purposes

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The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity issued a final order Thursday afternoon ruling that drivers for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are “independent contractors” rather than employees per se. As such, drivers for the transportation network companies do not qualify for unemployment benefits, which are paid in part by the former employers of laid off workers. “The Department finds that the drivers at issue here—providers of transportation services through the Uber software application—are independent contractors, not employees, and are therefore not entitled to…

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Jeff Brandes, Matt Caldwell want to rein in asset seizure by law enforcement

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A pair of Republican lawmakers spoke to reporters Thursday about their proposal to revamp the seizure of assets by police in Florida, amid reports the value of property taken from suspects across the country now exceeds that of property stolen by criminals. St. Petersburg Sen. Jeff Brandes and Lehigh Acres Rep. Matt Caldwell told assembled media some elements of law enforcement are wrongly “self-appropriating” funds by taking advantage of civil forfeiture laws. The legislators say some laws — like the landmark federal RICO Act passed in part…

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House panel votes to allow state to set municipal election dates

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A House panel approved a bill Thursday morning that would reshape the timing and electorate of Florida’s local elections. The bill, PCB SAC 16-04, would preempt local authority to set the date of municipal elections, granting the ultimate say-so on when they are held to state lawmakers. Bill sponsor Rep. Matt Caldwell chairs the State Affairs Committee which passed the bill Thursday in its first stop along its way to a vote before the full House, after an hour of discussion. Debate focused on…

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