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#6 on list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians — Tom Lee

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Tom Lee remains one of the Senate’s most powerful Republicans in Tallahassee and keeps the same ranking from 2015. The Brandon Republican, who returned to the chamber in 2012 after a six-year hiatus, holds one of the Legislature’s most powerful positions as the Senate’s budget chief. “The guy is not only cool under pressure but he’s been to this dance before,” Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist close to Lee, told the News Service of Florida last year. “He’s incredibly intelligent, methodical…

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Ed Narain proud of his accomplishments in the House, ready to advance in the Senate

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Like may people in the Tampa Heights community that he represents, House District 61 Democrat Ed Narain was holding his breath when news broke on Tuesday that Governor Rick Scott had vetoed $256 million in projects from the just concluded legislative session. The good news is that Narain’s request for $1.2 million to move what has become a beloved community center to another part of the area will go through. The facility,  the former Faith Temple Missionary Baptist Church on Palm Avenue, appeared to be slated for demolition…

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State police radios funds spared from veto list

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Gov. Rick Scott declared his plan to lay waste to nearly 300 projects amounting to some $256 million with a preemptive announcement on Tuesday. Among the roughly $82 billion in funding items left standing: a controversial appropriation of $7 million to refresh the state’s stock of radio equipment for state law enforcement agents. The radio money making the cut is a big win for Brevard-based Harris Corporation, who argued the funds are needed to replace outdated models. A representative involved in pursuing the item described…

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Unlike 2015, Florida lawmakers go home happy and on time

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Florida lawmakers went home when they were supposed to this year. That alone made the 2016 Legislative Session more successful than last year. In an often contentious process where far more bills die than go to the governor, it was a rare year in Tallahassee. How so? Lawmakers passed restrictions on abortion and killed a measure that would have provided civil rights to gays and lesbians, and Democrats said it was a great session. Tax cuts for businesses died, along…

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Lawmakers close out budget with $123 million in new, sprinkle projects

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

The Budget Conference Chairs held their final meeting Monday night, finalizing all remaining differences between House and Senate proposals and approving “supplemental funding issues” paid for with money from what is informally known as the “bill pot” or more informally still as — sprinkle money. Chair Rep. Richard Corcoran and Vice Chair Sen. Tom Lee wrote into the budget a mixture of fixes for projects unintentionally not funded until now and last-minute items favored by legislative leadership, though too controversial to make it in otherwise. An…

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Funds for police radios nixed in budget conference? Not so fast

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that budget conferees effectively killed a line item to “refresh” the state’s inventory of law enforcement radios furnished by the Brevard County vendor Harris Corporation. The issue has been the subject of what Senate budget chief Tom Lee called a “vendor fist fight” between Harris – which holds a lucrative 20-year state contract set to expire in 2021 – and Motorola Solutions, another major radio equipment vendor looking to take the contract over via a planned competitive bidding…

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Budget writers settle up on school construction funding

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

A key budget committee met for the second time on Sunday and hashed out previously unresolved conflicts on education funding, including some $700 million in cash and bonding for construction for K-12 and higher education institutions. The inclusion of money from bonds is something Gov. Rick Scott – a budget hawk who loathes debt – opposes.  But Conference Committee Chair Rep. Richard Corcoran said it just makes sense. “Any time you have rates that are this low, you’re getting money for much cheaper, ”…

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