American Pharaoh, who became the first horse in 37 years to win thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown, spent his early training days at Florida's McKathan Brothers Training Center near Ocala.
The Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA) staked the Sunshine State's claim soon after the colt's acclaimed victory in the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes Saturday evening.
In the wake of a near-four-hour debate and rejection of the Senate Medicaid expansion alternative, the House on Friday approved its scaled-back, 18-item tax-cut package. The vote was 97-10.
Lawmakers were forced to cut Finance and Tax Chair Matt Gaetz's work to cover health-care costs in the overall budget. The bill now offers a savings of $273.2 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, increasing to $436 million the following year.
Gaetz rattled off reductions included in HB 33A:
FHIX 3.0, the Senate's amended Medicaid expansion alternative, went nowhere fast Thursday, as one by one majority House members picked it apart.
Jacksonville's Mia Jones, House minority leader pro tempore, drew the short straw for the Democrats by having to present the Senate's case for FHIX, explaining it -- and trying to sell the package. She made it plain that she personally favored full Medicaid expansion as required under the Affordable Care Act.
Ten days to go and still no sellout for the Florida Democratic Party's lonely hearts club night out -- its annual Who-Dat Dinner, aka Leadership Blue Gala.
While Florida legislators were debating federally mandated Medicaid expansion, some 1,000 miles to the north the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday opted to repeal two pieces of the president's signature health-care act.
The committee advanced measures that would unload Obamacare of the medical device tax and a cost-cutting panel known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Both bills are scheduled to go to the House floor the week of June 15.
Surprisingly, the vote on these bills wasn't a party-line affair -- a rarity these days inside the Beltway.
At Sunshine State News, we decided to celebrate the Special Session with a complete overhaul of our news site! Or so it would seem.
... Fortunately for us, we had already started working on it months ago in anticipation of what we thought would be a prolonged timeline for legislative stories.
You wouldn't know it by the noise over Amendment 1 this week. But there are other issues besides land for water storage roiling up Floridians who live in and around the Everglades. Besides even Burmese pythons.
Believe it or not, the debate of the day in Glades County and neighborhoods around the Big Cypress National Preserve involves the iconic Florida panther -- the official state animal and star of Florida's fifth most popular license plate.
If you're waiting for the Florida House to hoist the white flag, pull up a comfortable chair. You'll be awhile.
The new FHIX Senate Plan is still unacceptable to the bulk of the House majority. It's still Medicaid expansion, it still doesn't address cost drivers and Speaker Steve Crisafulli still doesn't see much in it to like.
There might be 10 House Republicans feeling the heat from their purple districts -- maybe -- making a show of taking a closer look at the Senate revision. But in the end, don't expect many of these guys to vote against House resistance.
Carole designs the clothes and Charlie hustles the clientele at Goddessey Boutique, the new business venture for Florida's former first couple.
Certainly the former governor gave Goddessey a flying start.
The Crists set up shop right where they feel comfortable, right where their friends could find them, at 300 Beach Drive, St. Petersburg -- in the same space that housed Charlie Crist's campaign headquarters when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2010.
And guess who the store manager is? Why, it's Katie Bohnett, Charlie's former director of scheduling.
