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Race to succeed John Wood heating up in Polk County House district

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A battle between two Republicans is shaping up in Polk County-based House District 41, where Winter Haven state Rep. John Wood will not stand for re-election in 2016 due to term limits. To date, the open seat has attracted Polk County Commissioner Ed Smith as well as Sam Killebrew, a retired contractor who threw his hat into the ring — a la Dick Cheney — after recruiting and fundraising for other prospective candidates, according to Bill Rufty in the Lakeland Ledger. “I couldn’t get it out of my…

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Important week ahead for medical marijuana advocates

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Florida is poised to take a significant step in making medicinal cannabis available to people who need it. This week, decisions by lawmakers at the Florida Capitol and an administrative court judge could determine when and how. Frustrated by legal challenges preventing implementation of the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014, lawmakers are pursuing a legislative fix allowing doctors to treat a select group of patients with low-THC cannabis oil. Patient advocates see SPB 7066, by state Sen. Rob Bradley, as an opportunity…

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Property rights bill clears final House stop with fewer local government concerns

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A House property rights bill prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court case involving a Florida landowner was amended Wednesday to resolve many concerns raised by local governments. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 overturned a Florida Supreme Court ruling against the late Coy A. Koontz Sr., who sought to build on 3.7 of his 15 acres in Orange County. He refused when told by the St. Johns River Water Management District to reduce the development size or pay to restore wetlands…

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‘Assignment of benefits’ a bonanza for trial lawyers and vendors, bad for consumers

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Bills are gaining momentum in both the House and Senate and to rein in a rapidly growing insurance scam in which sketchy trial lawyers and remediation firms are getting stressed-out homeowners to sign over their policy benefits and rights after a burst water pipe or similar home emergency. Assignment of Benefits (AOB) is a long-used legal tool meant to allow vendors to get paid promptly for emergency repairs to a home without having to get the policyholder directly involved. But in…

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John Wood says ‘God gave us CO2’ to Dems questioning his bill

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State Rep. John Wood told House subcommittee members on Thursday that he doesn’t consider carbon dioxide to be a pollutant and if they think it is, “then everybody zip up their mouths and don’t exhale the rest of the meeting.” Wood, a Republican from Winter Haven, was answering questions on his bill that would require legislative ratification of a possible future plan by the state to reduce carbon emission from power plants in response to proposed federal rules. State Rep. Dwight Dudley of St.…

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