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Jeff Brandes - page 9

Capitol Reax: Visit Florida funding, Uber, high-speed rail

in Statewide by

The Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee voted 5-1 to approve a proposal (SB 596) that would allow telecommunications companies to put small wireless communications infrastructure in public rights-of-way. Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida: “AIF supports legislation to bring technology of the future to Florida, allowing our communities to be a part of the smart cities revolution.  Florida’s economic environment will greatly benefit from this good legislation, allowing new technologically advanced companies to locate here…

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Senate Judiciary Committee gives big win for ridesharing regulation

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Momentum remains strong in Tallahassee for the first bill in Florida to regulate ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the proposal (SB 340) unanimously without debate. The bill, sponsored by St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes, would require ride-sharing companies to carry $100,000 of insurance for bodily injury or death and $25,000 for property damage while a driver is logged onto their app but hasn’t secured a passenger. While with a rider, drivers would be required to have $1…

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Senate begins discussion of medical marijuana implementing legislation

in 2017 by

Sen. Rob Bradley indicated he is willing to support opening up the medical marijuana market more than he first proposed, but continues to believe vertical integration is the right system for Florida. Bradley, an Orange Park Republican, filed one of five medical marijuana implementing bills this Legislative Session. His proposal (SB 406) would, among other things, allow for the growth of the industry once the number of registered patients hits certain thresholds. Under his proposal, the Department of Health would…

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Ben Pollara: Medical marijuana implementation for the 29, 48 … or 71 percent?

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues claims to have polled Floridians on whether they want marijuana legalized. They do not. Undisclosed interests hired a political consultant, who then hired Donald Trump‘s pollster to ask the same question. They got the same answer: 48 percent oppose legalization, while 46 percent support it. I have two questions that don’t necessitate public opinion research to answer: – Who cares? – Why are we even talking about this? Medical marijuana has now twice been before Florida…

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Here’s where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay politics — the ‘this place is the best’ edition

in Peter by

Besides, maybe, New York City or Washington, D.C., there really is no better place from which to write about politics than Tampa Bay. One reason is that there are so many competitive congressional and legislative seats in the region. And what’s spent to win those seats is oftentimes as much as the amount spent to win other state’s U.S. Senate seats. These seats are competitive because Hillsborough and Pinellas remain “purple” seats in an era when more and more counties…

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Ray Rodrigues stance on medical marijuana angers Amendment 2 advocates

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Because polling in 2016 showed less than half of all Floridians want to legalize marijuana outright, Ray Rodrigues believes he is doing the right thing by pushing regulations that ban people from smoking cannabis or using edible pot. “Here’s what we know,” the Fort Myers House Republican told former Congressman David Jolly on AM 820 WWBA Thursday afternoon. “Amendment 2 passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. And for those of us who were polling this issue during the course…

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Florida prison chief: State losing corrections staff to ‘Wal-Mart,’ creating insecurity in system

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

More than three-quarters of Florida’s corrections officers have less than two years’ experience. In some state prisons, a single CO will be left alone to supervise 150-200 inmates in a jail block. Contraband has become so bad, one random search of (just half) a Dade facility turned up $15,000 in street value of cocaine, seven knives, 46 cellphones and an array of other drugs and illicit materials, said Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones Thursday. The state’s prisons chief was in…

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