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Frank Farkas: Senate Prez Fight Far From Over

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From the Buzz: State Rep. Frank Farkas, the St. Petersburg Republican vying with Kim Berfield for the Senate District 16 GOP nomination, taped a “Political Connections” interview yesterday that will air in Tampa Bay Sunday at 11 a.m. on Bay News 9. Afterward, we asked his take on the Alex Villalobos/Jeff Atwater battle over the Senate presidency in 2008. Farkas switched his pledge from Villalobos to Atwater (who has Berfield’s too), but said he couldn’t predict with certainty who would…

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On Martin Dyckman’s retirement

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All at once, it seems so many good people are leaving the Florida political arena. Take for instance the death of Senator Jack Gordon, who passed away before the holidays. Here was the noblest Roman of them all, so to speak. As it is, much of our state is only a few minutes removed from another place in the world and so it’s likey they know little about the enormous contribution Senator Gordon made to this state. Gordon’s death, and…

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Florida’s landmark voucher program struck down

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The bells of victory are ringing throughout Florida with the Florida Supreme Court decision to throw out the state’s voucher system that allows some children to attend private schools at taxpayer expense, saying Thursday that it violates the state constitution’s requirement of a uniform system of free public schools. The 5-2 opinion struck down the Opportunity Scholarship Program, championed by Gov. Jeb Bush, effective at the end of the current school year. It was the nation’s first statewide system of…

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Word has it that Angelo Cappelli raised $15K

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A source inside Angelo Cappelli’s state House campaign reports that he raised another $15K for his bid to represent District 52. With several upcoming fundraisers, including one to be hosted by Ambassador Mel Sembler, Cappelli remains the front-runner in the Republican primary.

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Jeb says tax cuts are his top priority this legisative session

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Florida’s basic infrastructure may be splitting at the seams, but that doesn’t appear to worry Governor Jeb Bush, who said the upcoming spring legislative session will include some of the most dramatic proposals for reform since his first year in office and that substantial tax cuts are at the top of his list since Florida’s hot economy has generated a budget surplus of more than $3 billion for the state. I am not an economist, I only play one on…

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Watchdogs fear lobbyists will devise new ways to undermine gift-ban for legislators

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Secretive fund-raising committees controlled by state legislators and fueled with money from business and special interests are being scrutinized as a likely legal payment method for buying legislators’ lunches and a whole lot more. I don’t even know if I want to comment on this issue other than to say, “Of course.” The gift-ban, however noble, is nothing more than window dressing.

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Steven Geller: I am a lawyer, not a lobbyist!

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A longtime South Broward lawmaker who represents private clients seeking government approvals says his legal degree precludes him from having to register as a lobbyist. Yet, none of the counties nor municipal lobbying ordinances exempt attorneys from rules that require lobbyists to disclose their clients, and even to sign a log when they meet with an elected official or staff member. Steven Geller’s lawyer/lobbyist work also raises questions about whether the longtime legislator and incoming Democratic Senate leader should represent…

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