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Mitch Perry Report for 10.20.15 -Friction begins immediately between House and Senate in special session

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Last week in Tallahassee, we heard Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli say sort of a remarkable thing. Referring to the conflict between his House of Representatives and the Senate that has dominated Florida politics in 2015, he said it was a  “extraordinary” that anything gets passed between the two bodies. The latest fissure between the House and Senate began immediately after the gavel dropped for the beginning of Special Session C, the third special session of the year, and this was geared exclusively towards…

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An angry Tom Lee questions Senate base maps

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

A fiery state Sen. Tom Lee lashed out at the Senate’s outside attorney Monday, questioning why he didn’t object to specific allegations of unconstitutionality over the chamber’s current districts. The Legislature began a scheduled three-week Special Session to redraw the state’s 40 districts after the Senate settled a court challenge by admitting its current map was gerrymandered to benefit Republicans and incumbents. Lee, a Brandon Republican, also asked why all of the replacement maps contain districts that cross Tampa Bay when the Supreme Court, in…

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Senate Republican committees post major fundraising numbers

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Republican state Sens. Jack Latvala and Joe Negron may have posted big-time fundraising numbers last month, but they weren’t the only Senate Republicans raking in contributions. The political committee supporting Bradenton Republican state Sen. Bill Galvano for Senate president brought in $207,500, its best fundraising performance since February, and it only took 10 contributions to hit that mark. Innovate Florida’s biggest contributions came from the U.S. Sugar Corp. and Florida Power & Light topped the list, each giving $50,000, with…

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Redistricting summons forces Tom Lee to cancel Polk Tiger Bay appearance

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Florida Senate Appropriations Chair Tom Lee missed his speaking engagement with the Polk County Tiger Bay Club on Thursday. The Brandon Republican had received a summons to Tallahassee, which Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis wouldn’t allow him to postpone. He was a witness for the judge’s hearings to decide from perhaps as many as seven maps of redistricting for Florida’s congressional districts. Tiger Bay members had their own questions on redistricting on which they had hoped to hear answers from Lee, particularly…

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Next House speaker: Legislators the enemy, promises change

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Florida state Rep. Richard Corcoran, soon to become one of the most powerful people in state government, delivered a fiery speech on Wednesday where he promised to usher in sweeping changes in everything from schools to legislative ethics and how long judges can stay on the bench. Corcoran, an attorney and one-time top aide to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio when Rubio led the Florida House, told his fellow House Republicans that legislators were the “enemy” because they turn their back…

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Judge gives redistricting parties extra time for maps

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has given parties in the ongoing congressional redistricting case until Monday to submit their final versions of how to draw boundary lines for those districts. At a brief hearing on Friday, Lewis set the date for all competing maps to be submitted. A final hearing on the matter still is set for Sept. 24, court dockets show. Time is of the essence: Candidate qualifying for congressional office is set for next June 20-24, according to the state’s elections website. Just…

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Tom Lee will try again to overhaul alimony, custody laws

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

State Sen. Tom Lee won’t give up on trying to amend Florida law on alimony and child custody.   On Thursday, Lee filed a bill (SB 250) to change the way divorces are handled in state courts. This marks at least the third time since 2013 that Lee, a Brandon Republican, has supported such an overhaul bill. It will be considered in the 2016 regular session.  The latest legislation – 41 pages long – would enact a raft of provisions, including:…

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