With Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending $18.5 million to Bay County at the end of last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., noted that more federal help will be on the way as the area recovers from Hurricane Michael.
With Florida considered one of the lynchpin states to any candidate's presidential bid, it stands to reason a native politician would become a fixture in the looming campaign season. Wouldn't you think? Most would expect that to mean a major politician with either name recognition, or an established history in the state would rise to the fore to leverage at least some influence.
Not Wayne Messam.
Buckle up. The 2019 legislative session is about ready to pick up speed.
When lawmakers come back from the holiday weekend, they will be poised to start budget negotiations and to try to resolve a laundry list of major --- and controversial --- issues. That means a sprint toward the scheduled May 3 end of the 60-day session.
Red tide off Florida is virtually gone now, showing up at near-undetectable levels. Nevertheless, at the University of South Florida, serious work on Karenia brevis, the harmful algae that causes red tide, is ongoing and producing studies of some significance.
On Jan. 4, just days before the start of a makeover of the Florida Supreme Court, justices issued two 4-3 decisions.
The cases drew relatively little attention across the state --- one dealt with Orange County elections, the other with attorney fees in a foreclosure battle. But on the losing end of the decisions were Chief Justice Charles Canady and his frequent allies Ricky Polston and Alan Lawson.
A gambling deal may or may not happen, but lawmakers are racing toward the finish line in the 2019 legislative session.
As in previous years, Republican leaders are horse-trading over their priorities in the lead-up to budget negotiations, expected to kick off when lawmakers return to Tallahassee following the holiday weekend.
Armed teachers, immigration and abortion were among the high-profile issues that prompted party-line schisms this week, as lawmakers took up issues considered GOP “red meat” while also setting the stage to finalize the leaders’ priorities.
Bay County is getting $18.5 million in federal funds as Northwest Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Michael which slammed into the region back in October.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the federal government is sending the funds to Bay County as reimbursements for debris cleared in the 45 days after the hurricane hit.
