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Larry Metz

Northeast Florida’s Paul Renner wins vote to put him in line to be House Speaker in 2022-24

in 2017 by

Rep. Paul Renner has won the support of his Republican classmates, grabbing the title of class leader and likely House Speaker beginning in 2022. The GOP freshmen class met in Orlando on Friday to vote on their class leader. The much-anticipated election pitted Renner against Byron Donalds, Erin Grall and Jamie Grant, who was seen as Renner’s main competition. Both Renner and Grant had been elected in a special election to a partial term before the general election last year. Renner was first…

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Final rules set for House Speaker’s race voting

in Statewide by

With just one week until freshman House Republicans are scheduled to vote for their leader, it appears lawmakers have agreed upon rules governing the election. According to a copy of the rules obtained by FloridaPolitics.com, members will not be allowed to abstain from the vote; discussion between members between the announcement of the eliminated candidate and the next vote will be prohibited; and “the vote count will not be disclosed under any circumstances prior to the final vote.” The 27-member…

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Bob Buckhorn, Andrew Gillum among the 100 mayors calling on Congress to fix immigration system

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Reacting to the Donald Trump administration’s hardline policy on immigration — which has included threats to withhold federal grants from jurisdictions that act as “sanctuaries” — more than 100 mayors from around the country signed onto a letter to Congress calling on it to revisit and pass comprehensive reform legislation. Among those signing the letter are Tallahassee Mayor and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. The letter calls on Congress to enact legislation that would strengthen the…

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Bill would require city officials to file state financial disclosures

in Statewide by

A bill that would require elected city officials to file detailed financial disclosures got thumbs up Wednesday morning from the Florida House Government Accountability Committee. House Bill 7021, introduced by Republican state Rep. Larry Metz of Groveland, would require mayors, city council members and other municipal elected officials in perhaps half of Florida’s cities to file full and public disclosure of their public interests on the same forms now used by state and county elected officials. The bill, which the…

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Bill to eliminate sanctuary cities in Florida moves through another House committee

in Statewide by

Legislation banning sanctuary city policies moved through another Florida House committee Tuesday. Yalaha Republican Rep. Larry Metz‘s bill (HB 697) would force any “sanctuary city” or county in Florida to remove all formal or informal policies shielding undocumented immigrants from federal custody. It passed the House Subcommittee on Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs on a 9-5 vote on Tuesday. The legislation would fine local governments that don’t comply with immigration officers between $1,000 to $5,000 a day. It requires local officials to report violations, but exempts…

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Supreme Court suspends judge considered by House impeachment panel

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

A North Florida judge used as an example by a House panel looking into impeachment of public officials has been suspended for six months by the Florida Supreme Court. The court’s 46-page decision, released Thursday, also orders 3rd Circuit Judge Andrew Decker to get a public reprimand and pay investigative costs. A judicial misconduct hearing panel had recommended the same, but only a 90-day suspension. Decker had been under investigation for three years for alleged attorney-ethical lapses before he was elected a judge in 2012. State…

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Judicial ethics watchdog could suffer in fight for independent Florida courts

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Is Florida’s judicial ethics commission about to become collateral damage in a battle over the independence of the courts? House Speaker Richard Corcoran, the Land O’Lakes Republican, appears to have targeted the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) along with the courts themselves in his campaign to curb the independence of the judiciary. The JQC and the Supreme Court had not concluded an ethics case against Circuit Judge Mark Hulsey III of Jacksonville when Corcoran scheduled an impeachment hearing a month ago.…

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