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Ryan Ray - page 82

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].

Florida credit unions name Steve Crisafulli 2014 ‘Lawmaker of the Year’

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The Florida Credit Union Association today announced the recipient of its 2014 best-legislator award: House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. “Today, we recognize Speaker Crisafulli as our 2014 Lawmaker of the Year and thank him for his support of the Florida Credit Union Association,” said Patrick La Pine, the group’s president and CEO in a statement on Tuesday. “Speaker Crisafulli recognizes the importance of credit unions and has been a longtime friend to the industry,” continued the statement. “His dedication and leadership in the Florida House…

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House red-light cameras bill rolls through committee stop

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State Rep. Bryan Avila faced pointed scrutiny in the House Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee on Monday, as he played shepherd to a bill that would circumscribe the way cities and local governments can use controversial devices to detect traffic infractions known as red-light cameras. HB 7071 sought to limit the amount of infraction-based revenue cities get to spend on matters unrelated to public safety — many have referred to the cameras as “cash cows” for municipalities — require citations…

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Florida Justice Association braces consumers for ‘trifecta of terrible’ today

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The Florida Justice Association put out an advisory warning that Tuesday’s legislative action could include an “anti-consumer onslaught,” as bills on the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement agreement, medical malpractice litigation and insurance company misconduct are all taken up in committee. “These pieces of legislation all have the direct effect of benefiting narrow industries at the expense of fairness and victims’ rights,” said Troy Rafferty, president of the trial lawyers’ group, in a statement.  “As the President of an organization with plenty of conservative Republicans who…

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Finale of ‘Glee’ foreshadows Jeb Bush presidency

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The FOX musical comedy-drama “Glee” dabbled in politics here and there, but never broke the fourth wall as directly than when it foretold an upcoming Jeb Bush presidency in its finale on Friday. In the show’s 121st and final episode events flash forward five years, finding Sue Sylvester (portrayed deftly by Jane Lynch across the show’s six-season run) as the vice president in a third Bush administration. Vice President Sylvester leads a ceremony in an auditorium at the fictional McKinley High School auditorium,…

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Local government labor contracts bill narrowly cheats death

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State Sen. Jeff Brandes‘ SB 934, which preempts local governments from creating labor agreements with contractors containing certain wage, residency or diversity requirements, found an unlikely “No” vote in Senate Community Affairs this afternoon: Brandes himself. The vote was part of a legislative maneuver undertaken by Brandes to bring his bill back from the dead. After the bill was voted down by the committee on a 6-1 vote — state Sen. Rob Bradley casting the lone “Yea” — Brandes asked for…

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Uber, Airbnb insurance requirements approved by Senate panel

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A bill creating insurance requirements for short-term rental and transportation network companies — bywords for industry leaders Airbnb and Uber, respectively — passed the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee this afternoon, though not without an airing of grievances about some practices within the “disruptive” ridesharing business. Altamonte state Sen. David Simmons, an influential member of the Republican majority known for his policy chops, introduced the bill back in late February, which aims to clarify one of the murkiest issues of the sharing…

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Gov. Scott signs presidential primary push-back into law

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Gov. Rick Scott today signed into law legislation that will move Florida’s 2016 presidential primaries back two weeks, from March 1 to March 15. Scott’s approval of HB 7035, shepherded by state Rep. Ritch Workman and state Sen. Garrett Richter in their respective legislative chambers, puts Florida in position to take advantage of new Republican National Convention rules allowing states to adopt a winner-take-all primary in which all delegates are awarded to the winner, as opposed to meted out piecemeal according to proportion…

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