Joe Gibbons, D-Pembroke Park, is seeking a fourth term in the Florida House but faces a serious opponent in the Democratic primary come Aug. 14. But Gibbons has kept his money in the bank, giving him a healthy war chest as the primary battle enters its final days.
As she continues to run for a fourth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., is a heavy favorite to keep her seat in the Tampa Bay area.
An easy winner over architect Eddie Adams, the Republican who faced her in 2006 and 2008, Castor had a harder time with Mike Prendergast, a veteran and businessman who emerged out of the GOP primary to challenge her in 2010. While Adams took 30 percent in 2006 and 29 percent in 2008 against Castor, Prendergast pulled 40 percent -- but Castor still won handily.
A start-up, nonprofit group focused on statewide ethics reform is calling on Florida lawmakers to follow Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindals push for increased financial disclosure.
Integrity Florida released a 26-page report Monday that highlighted the potential risks in Floridas current personal financial disclosure rules for state lawmakers.
Among Integritys findings:
During the 2012 session, 11 legislators worked for lobbying firms.
A total of 33 potential voting conflicts in 2012 were disclosed by 12 legislators.
On Aug. 14, two Democrats serving together in the Florida House of Representatives -- Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth and Mack Bernard of West Palm Beach -- will clash in a primary for the SD 27 open seat in the state Senate that represents parts of Palm Beach County.
Both Democratic hopefuls have done well fundraising, but Clemens has the edge in the money chase. As of July 20, he had raised more than $119,500 and relied on more than $23,000 in loans. Of that, he had spent more than $83,000, giving him just under $60,000 in the final weeks before the primary.
While absentee ballots are already being cast across the state for the Aug. 14 primary, citizens in five counties began showing up at designated early voting locations Monday due to long-unchanged federal preclearance rules.
Early voting is under way in Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe counties, five counties with a history of civil rights voting infractions.
Who knows why it took an investigative reporter 1,200 miles away in Boston to discover and expose the drumbeat of abuse going on at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation.
Does the 2012 campaign look a lot like the 2004 campaign? Many Democrats think so.
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam released the agenda for his second energy summit, the first since the legislators approved his modest energy package.
John Hofmeister, founder and chief executive of Citizens for Affordable Energy and former president of Shell Oil Co., is the keynote speaker for the Aug. 15-17 summit at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.
