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Ryan Ray - page 78

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].

Write-in residency requirements bill goes down in bipartisan flames in Senate panel

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As she portrayed her SB 840 as a mostly technical bill that simply clears up a legal conflict currently circulating in the courts, state Sen. Eleanor Sobel probably was not prepared for the maelstrom of criticism from both parties that befell her effort. Following an easy and perfunctory confirmation process of a score of various agency officials — a process fraught with much more controversy than usual today — Sobel’s bill to resolve the statutory crisis that invalidated former state Rep. Jamie Grant‘s…

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Lobbyist gift ban exemption passed swiftly in Senate panel

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One of several bills making tweaks to Florida’s austere prohibition on gifts, state Sen. Oscar Braynon‘s SB 984, was granted an easy passage Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee. The proposal — which would allow public entities to let candidates and officials use public property like city halls and conference rooms without considering that an “expenditure” or in-kind contribution — was approved unanimously and now moves on to the Rules Committee. The bill’s hearing was a lighthearted…

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Bob Buckhorn to endorse Patrick Murphy for U.S. Senate

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Sources close to the Palm Beach U.S. representative’s camp confirm to Florida Politics that Bob Buckhorn will announce his endorsement of Patrick Murphy in his bid to run for the U.S. Senate seat likely left vacant as Marco Rubio moves toward a run for president. Buckhorn and Murphy will address the press and public at downtown Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. The move comes amid speculation of a heated primary challenge to Murphy from the left, as the Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus has signaled their…

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Sweet 16 of TallyMadness set; vote now for Florida’s best lobbyist

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As the Round of 32 dust settles and the more than 400,000 votes are tabulated, the TallyMadness 2015 Sweet 16 has taken shape. Like a lot of the upset-dominated early action, the path to a championship campaign looks to be quite a doozy. Top-seeded Brian Ballard survived a strong push from #8 seed Allison Carvajal, who proved a mighty competitor in this year’s TallyMadness tournament. Carvajal bested Gary Guzzo in the first time – amassing thousands of votes in the process –…

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Americans for Prosperity sending out mid-session mailers thanking supportive lawmakers

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The pro-business political action committee Americans for Prosperity — Florida continues to make waves this session as it prepares to distribute mailers to a handful of legislators thanking them for their advocacy on charter school funding and Medicaid expansion. The move to gain good will among members of the Florida GOP majority serves as the carrot to AFP’s punitive stick, which they have also brandished freely this year. The Charles & David Koch-funded group has criticized some Republican state senators for trying…

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John Thrasher-induced limbo to be resolved in Northeast Florida special elections Tuesday

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The long tail of legislative seat-hopping put into motion when former Sen. John Thrasher decided to resign to become Florida State University’s new president will come to an end Tuesday. Special elections are slated to be held in Senate District 6 — Thrasher’s old seat — as well as House Districts 24 and 17, which Reps. Travis Hutson and “Doc” Renuart were enticed to leave in order to pursue Thrasher’s spot in the upper chamber, respectively. Though somewhat more votes are expected to be cast…

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Gwen Graham hauls in $525,000+ in first quarter fundraising

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Newly minted U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham is set to be a major target of the National Republican Congressional Committee in her bid for re-election to Florida’s notoriously difficult-to-hold District 2, but according to figures released on Monday, she won’t be outgunned by the GOP House money machine: She raised more than half a million in her first three months in Congress. A good deal of that money came from sources outside traditional Democratic sources like trial lawyers and teachers, which are crucial for Graham’s chances…

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