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Lawmakers finally pass medical marijuana implementation bill

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After a false start during the regular Legislative Session, lawmakers Friday passed a medical marijuana implementation bill on the last day of the Special Session, sending it to Gov. Rick Scott. The wide-ranging legislation (SB 8-A) will give guidance to state regulators as they put the state’s constitutional amendment medical marijuana into effect. Gov. Rick Scott said later on Friday he will sign the bill into law. According to the bill analysis’ summary, the measure among other things: — Grandfathers in seven existing…

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After a seemingly rule-less meeting, constitution panel adopts rules

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The Florida Constitution Revision Commission now has a set of rules for how it might go about writing major changes to Florida’s Constitution. Those rules — addressing such matters as who will appoint committees, how proposals will move through committees, whether Florida’s Sunshine laws will cover everything — emerged from a sometimes chaotic debate in Orlando Tuesday morning at a meeting that Chair Carlos Beruff adjourned suddenly after he got what he apparently wanted. By a 20-11 vote, the commission adopted a proposal…

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Associated Industries releases 2017 Voting Record report

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The voting record report is out. Associated Industries of Florida released its 2017 Voting Record report. Published for more than four decades, the annual report is considered one of the definitive legislative scorecards for the business community. This year, the organization calculated more than 208,966 votes on 1,955 bills with 848 legislators. “This session, AIF faced a variety of tough issues on behalf of Florida’s business community, including opposing any measure that would have made it more expensive for businesses…

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Joe Henderson: We already term limits. They’re called ‘elections’

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I am not a fan of term limits. I understand the argument from those who say we need a law that limits the power of incumbency. They say the longer a politician stays in office, the more likely they are to accumulate so much recognition and money that it becomes almost impossible to beat them. What they’re really saying is that voters need protection from themselves. I have a problem with that because it still comes down to this basic…

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Hillsborough lawmakers clash during Tampa Chamber’s Session look-back

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

As House Minority Leader Janet Cruz notes, the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation works “as a united front” when representing their community in Tallahassee. That’s true on issues like the eleventh-hour move by the Florida Senate to push the University of South Florida out of pre-eminent status under a conformity education budget bill that passed in the waning hours of the legislative session two weeks ago. Over that matter, members acted in unison, denouncing what they said was a fundamental unfairness, leading…

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Ken Hagan doesn’t understand why Tallahassee Republicans seemingly ‘loathe’ local government’

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Republicans in Tallahassee have left Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan scratching his head. Plenty of city and county government officials have recently disparaged members of the Florida Legislature for passing a measure to expand the homestead exemption, which could ultimately deprive them of millions of dollars of revenues in the coming years. As for Hagan, a lifelong Hillsborough County Republican, he doesn’t have that big of an issue with his fellow GOP state lawmakers over that matter. But Hagan certainly does have a problem with…

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

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Brandon-based state Sen. Tom Lee enjoys a solid reputation on both sides of the aisle, while speculation about his political future continues to be fodder for local political junkies. The 55-year-old Republican flirted with ditching Tallahassee for the Hillsborough County Commission last year after redistricting eliminated his Senate District 16 seat. Instead, he ran for the newly drawn and uncontested District 20 seat. Lee has an extensive amount of experience in the Legislature, having initially served in the Senate from…

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