Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has violated Florida law every year since he purchased the team by not registering the out-of-state corporation that owns the team with the State of Florida. In doing so, Vinik has escaped paying annual fees and avoided meeting required disclosures.
Vinik is the chairman and sole individual controlling the corporation.
A Florida congressman is doubling down on his proposal to have the U.S. Commerce Department “issue regulations prohibiting the use of sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in a National Marine Sanctuary in which coral is present, and for other purposes.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is taking aim at freshman U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., who is expected to be a top target for the GOP in 2020.
In weekend budget talks, lawmakers slashed funding for a key land and water conservation program vital to restoring Florida’s waterways.
The end is near.
Florida lawmakers are slated to finish their 60-day legislative session Friday after what will be a frenzy of activity. Like every other legislative session, lawmakers have left resolution of most major issues to the last week.
That will mean finishing negotiations in the coming days on a roughly $90 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Because of a constitutionally required 72-hour “cooling off” period, the budget will have to be done Tuesday for lawmakers to vote on it Friday.
A session-long drama over a top priority of House Speaker Jose Oliva is coming to an end after the Senate on Friday prepared to pass a far-reaching bill that would eliminate a controversial hospital regulatory program.
With little discussion, the Senate took up a House certificate-of-need bill (HB 21) and modified it to include what Senate sponsor Gayle Harrell said was an agreement between the chambers.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott say the FBI has agreed to brief them within the next few weeks on its contention that Russians hacked “at least one” county in Florida during the 2016 presidential election.
The FBI’s claim first surfaced last year and has been disputed by state officials, who cite no evidence of tampering and note federal officials have offered no information elaborating on the specifics of the assertion.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desire to look at the effectiveness of the state’s tourism-marketing arm could save Visit Florida for at least a year.
House Speaker Jose Oliva, a Miami Lakes Republican who is among the leading critics of the tourism agency, signaled Friday he may be willing to go along with the governor’s request as time runs down on the legislative session.
From her perch on the U.S. House State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., is leading the charge on Capitol Hill to defeat a State Department nominee.
Frankel teamed with three congresswomen from California -- Democrat U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Norma Torres to round up 45 other members of the House to write U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling on him to “withdraw Ronald Mortensen’s nomination to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration.”
Last week, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., unveiled a report on the “high prices of diabetes drugs for seniors and the uninsured and the adverse impact on Florida’s Ninth District.”
