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Kratom ban moves through Senate panel after close vote

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The Senate Criminal Justice Committee approved a bill that adds kratom to the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances. Before the committee passed SB 764 early Tuesday morning it tagged on an amendment that lessens the criminal penalties in the initial bill from a felony to a misdemeanor. The amendment was offered by state Sen. Jeff Clemens, who said he had concerns with the stiff penalty laid out in the original bill. Clemens said he also had concerns that the…

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DHSMV review of red-light cameras failed to include crash increases

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Red-light cameras appear to have little or no effect on safety in many areas in Florida, according to a new report by WTSP 10 Investigates. But the state failed to include that information in its annual review of the program. Most of Florida cities and counties with the controversial RLC-monitored intersections have reported crash statistics that have remained either steady or increased since putting in cameras. Although the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) compiled the unflattering…

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Jeff Brandes’ renewable bills pass first stop, group opposes solar amendment

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A bill that would place a renewable energy tax exemption amendment on the ballot in 2016 passed their its committee stop on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity-Florida held a press conference to its opposition to a different proposed amendment dealing with solar energy. SB 400, from St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes, would extend a residential property tax exemption for renewable energy devices, as already is provided in the state Constitution, to commercial property. Similar bills last year died in Senate…

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Uber bill greenlighted by House transportation panel

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State Rep. Matt Gaetz successfully steered legislation to formally legalize “transportation network services” like Uber through the House Transportation & Ports Subcommittee on Tuesday. Debate on the bill — heated at times — lasted about an hour and featured an unusual aspect identified by committee Chairman Tom Rooney: “This has got to be the first bill in five years that I’ve seen where every member debated the bill,” he said, just before putting the bill to a question. The bill passed by a 9-4 vote, with…

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Red light cameras, with $105M in revenue last year, remain controversial

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Red-light Cameras (RLC) caught violations by nearly one million Floridians last year, creating quite the revenue stream for municipalities across the state, according to a new report Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. As reported by Lloyd Dunkelberger of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, of 941,000 violations issued to motorists, a majority of them (648,000) pay the $158 penalty, which is then split between local governments ($75) and the state ($83). Of those 37,000 who challenged the citations, 12,000 wound…

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The week that was in Florida politics

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At the end of the first week of the 2015 legislative session, the capital city’s newspaper printed an editorial cartoon that compared lobbyists to great white sharks. The cartoon asks which species pose a greater threat to Floridians; paid advocates or jaws. Psychologists tell us we see what we know and what we know influences how we think, which affects what we see. It wouldn’t be fair to say the cartoonist provided insight to his view of the world when…

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#4 on list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians — Jeff Brandes

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If Rand Paul is the most interesting man in politics (as he was labeled last fall by Time magazine), then Jeff Brandes is definitely on the short list for the most interesting lawmaker in Tallahassee. Though he skews right (sometimes extreme right, as when he was the only state senator who opposed the Joe Negron “hybrid” proposal on Medicaid expansion in 2013), he’s also got a strong libertarian bent that distinguishes himself from the majority of his GOP brethren. He…

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