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lobbyists

Tallahassee lobbyists have a learning moment about ethics reform

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House ethics guru Don Rubottom wrote a poem to explain what the chamber’s new ethics regime is all about: “If you propose it, it should be disclosed before you discuss it, “Before it shows up in any draft of a bill or amendment, “Long before it is filed in the House. “If others propose, disclose by number.” OK, it’s not for the ages, but it captures the spirit of the thing. Rubottom, staff director of the Public Integrity and Ethics…

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How to get around Richard Corcoran’s new rules — Volume 2

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Second in a series. Most people are familiar with this joke about lawyers. Q: What do you call 2,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: A good start. Well, to newly installed House Speaker Richard Corcoran, if you substitute “lobbyists” for “lawyers” in that joke, it’d be twice as funny. Despite his brother being a lobbyist, Corcoran does not think highly of the profession and that is part of the reason why he has instituted a series of reforms which attempt to diminish…

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Senate and House not that different, Joe Negron says

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Senate President Joe Negron said his approach to budgeting isn’t that different from fellow Republican and House Speaker Richard Corcoran. Negron met with reporters Tuesday after he officially became president during the Legislature’s biennial Organization Session. In sweeping changes to the House’s traditional way of doing business, Corcoran said senators would need House sponsors for special spending requests, such as hometown projects, often derided as “turkeys.” But Negron, who along with Corcoran is a former Appropriations chair, said he “would encourage senators…

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Richard Corcoran blazing his own leadership trail

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House Speaker-designate Richard Corcoran grins widely when you suggest he’s stealing a page from the “progressive” politics playbook. The Land O’ Lakes Republican held an impromptu press conference Tuesday after he welcomed new members at their two-day orientation session, another Corcoran innovation. He was asked: Prohibiting state representatives from flying in lobbyists’ airplanes? Increasing the ban on former members lobbying their colleagues from two years to six years? Aren’t these usually — dare we say — proposals that come from the other…

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Richard Corcoran to lobbyists: Cool your jets

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Florida House members better get used to flying commercial. House Speaker-designate Richard Corcoran is expected to announce new rules Thursday, including one that would prohibit members from flying on planes owned, leased, or paid for by lobbyists. The proposed rule change is meant to end a common practice among lawmakers and the influence industry, according to a sources close to the incoming House speaker. The practice of hopping a ride on a lobbyist’s plane is considered fairly common. Lawmakers often…

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Luke Russert to address Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists convention in Tampa

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Former NBC News correspondent Luke Russert will deliver the keynote address during the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists annual conference next month. “The FAPL Foundation thrives on offering educational opportunities for Florida’s lobbyists and showcasing new avenues for learning,” foundation chairwoman Keyna Cory said. “Luke’s accomplished career and valuable insight will give our lobbyists the freedom to enhance their education and understanding of the political process.” Russert joined NBC News in 2008, at 22, shortly following the death of his father, Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press.…

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Diane Roberts: Charm and grace again flow downhill from Capitol

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Another Special Session! Why, it’s just like Christmas – minus the joy. Minus the presents, too. While the members of the Florida Legislature rake in lobbyist largesse during committee weeks and every other hour that God sends, trawling for dollars during a Session is verboten. This makes them surly. Surlier. They aren’t exactly enjoying being forced to revisit redistricting for about the 400th time since the spring. No one expects the Special Session, which is supposed to…

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