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House Speaker replies to Times water bill editorial

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Benjamin Franklin delivered the memorable line, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Were he alive today, I believe Franklin would amend his short list of inevitabilities with a declaration that Florida Republicans can solidly count on negative editorials from the Tampa Bay Times. Such is the case with the Feb. 22 editorial, “Water plan is a step backward.” It was written with a lack of understanding of the complexities of Florida law…

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Marco Rubio criticizes FCC net neutrality vote

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U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio today weighed in on net neutrality, panning the Federal Communications Commission decision to implement rules ensuring Internet service providers handle all legal content equally. In a vote Thursday morning, the FCC elected to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications utility under Title II of the Communications Act, which consider ISPs as public utilities, like phone companies. This means they will be subject to regulations designed to make sure consumers get fair access to services. The Florida Senator…

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Jeff Brandes files bill to amend civil forfeiture law in Florida

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Six weeks after he said he was considering filing such legislation, St. Petersburg Republican state Senator Jeff Brandes today filed a bill that prohibits law enforcement agencies from retaining property and assets seized from individuals who are not convicted of a crime. Civil forfeiture is a controversial legal process in which police take assets from persons suspected of involvement with crime or illegal activity without necessarily charging the owners with wrongdoing. The legislation amends the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act to prevent law…

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Catcher in the Right: Jeb Bush’s grown-up campaign

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Amid the spectacle of 2016 GOP presidential candidates Twitter trolling and stumbling over one another to out-firebrand the field, Florida’s Jeb Bush is attempting to stand out among the crowd by playing the part of the adult in the room. What’s more, according to Joe Klein in Time — it’s working: In a week during which Rudolph Giuliani went crusader-ballistic questioning President Obama’s patriotism – indeed, questioning his upbringing – Jeb Bush gave a speech about foreign affairs, the third serious policy speech he’s given…

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PSTA in small crowd of prestigious award winners

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pinellas County’s public transportation agency is one of only three in the nation to receive the Transportation Security Administration’s Gold Standard award more than once. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority also won the award last year. “It takes a lot of hard work to win this award and it’s reflective of the dedication of your agency,” said TSA Director of Surface Transportation Division Sonia Proctor during a PSTA board meeting Wednesday. PSTA was one of 137 agencies to apply for…

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Florida advocates warn of dire consequences if Supreme Court rules against ACA

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Next Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear King v. Burwell, with the fate of millions of Americans access to health care through the Affordable Care Act at stake. At issue is whether the law’s language allows the government to help middle-income people buy insurance everywhere in the country — or only in states that have set up their own insurance marketplaces. If the court rules for the plaintiffs, nearly a million residents in Florida could become uninsured in 2016.…

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“House of Cards” Season 3 sags (a little), bogs down in wonkiness

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As the third season of House of Cards launches this week, the delightfully devilish take on Washington and insider politics starts to sag, ever so slightly. While the hit Netflix series may not be entirely realistic, the first few episodes of Season 3 does reflect the burdens of real politicians when they assume office: After machinations and intrigue of a political campaign, now comes time for nuts-and-bolts governing. As such, the first three episodes appear mired in policy wonkiness, something…

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