Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Tag archive

Jose Javier Rodriguez - page 2

Hillsborough County Commission opts to reject controversial scoring plan for medical marijuana applicants

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Although medical marijuana became the law of the land after Floridians overwhelmingly supported it in 2016, there remains considerable angst among its supporters on how state and local leaders will implement the legislation. Medical marijuana supporters (and some opponents) filled the County Center in downtown Tampa Tuesday night, with many of them blasting the county’s proposed licensing rules on who can run medical marijuana dispensaries in the county. The ordinance would offer points to applicants on a 100-point scale under…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Controversial public records bill clears second Senate panel

in 2017 by

A bill giving judges some discretion over whether to award attorney’s fees in public records cases cleared its second committee hearing Monday, but not before being amended in an attempt to alleviate opponents concerns. The bill (SB 80), sponsored by Sen. Greg Steube, aims to give judges discretion in whether they should award fees to the plaintiff and requires request be made in writing in order to be eligible to collect attorney fees. The committee amended the bill Tuesday to…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Legislative committee week cancelled

Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran have cancelled next week’s legislative committee week because of Hurricane Irma, they

More legislative hopefuls file to run in 2018, 2020

in Statewide by

The list of incumbents eyeing re-election just keeps getting longer. State elections records show dozens of members of the state House and Senate have filed to run for re-election in 2018, and several more are looking ahead to 2020. Sen. Gary Farmer is one of those lawmakers thinking about his next race. He filed to run for re-election in Senate District 34 on Jan. 24. Farmer won his seat in 2016, beating out two well-known South Florida Democrats for the…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Jose Javier Rodriguez files Enterprise Florida reform legislation

in Statewide/Top Headlines by
Enterprise Florida business incentives

Enterprise Florida (EFI) would have to hire outside auditors “to verify compliance” of businesses getting incentive money under legislation filed Tuesday. New state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, a Miami-Dade Democrat, filed the bill (SB 216) on the state’s public-private economic development organization. The legislation, which does not yet have a House companion, would require the organization to then “publish on its website the results of each audit performed by the independent third party within 48 hours after receiving the results,” it says. The…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Greg Steube picked to chair Senate Judiciary Committee

in Statewide by

Proposals to expand the rights of gun owners could fare better in the Florida Senate in the coming years. Senate President Joe Negron announced Tuesday that Sen. Greg Steube will serve as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the 2016-18 legislative term. The appointment now puts Steube in charge of the same committee that blocked gun bills. In 2016, Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz del la Portilla refused hear a bill to allow Floridians with concealed weapons permits to…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Senate Democrats elect Oscar Braynon as Democratic Leader

in Statewide by

Senate Democrats have a new leader, voting unanimously Monday to name Sen. Oscar Braynon as the Minority Leader for the 2016-2018 term. “I want you, and others, to know that my greatest joy of being leader was the fact that you were the leader pro tempore and the leader designate,” said former Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner. “There was not one day during the two years that I served as leader that I had any doubt that you did not…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Money flow shows teamwork between former rivals Jack Latvala, Joe Negron

in Peter/Top Headlines by

Clearwater Republican Sen. Jack Latvala and incoming Senate President Joe Negron buried the hatchet long ago and, according to the most recent numbers from Latvala’s political committee, the two are very much playing on the same team. On Nov. 2, the Florida Leadership Committee, which served as Latvala’s war chest during the race for the Senate presidency, put $300,000 into the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee chaired by Negron. FRSCC has not updated its financials to reflect that, though at that point it had raised more than $16.6…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

1 2 3 4 5
Go to Top