Blogs from around the state

St. Petersburg Will Weatherford determined to reform state’s pension system

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford will have a tough road ahead in his attempt to shut down the state’s pension fund to new hires, according to TBO.com.

PolitiJax Scott's numbers improving, still trails Crist by double-digits

@Mdixon55

It’s not yet great news for Gov. Rick Scott, but it’s a big improvement.

Scott’s approval rating is at 43 percent, up 7-points since March 20, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll out Tuesday

St. Petersburg Miami Republican Carlos Curbelo eyes Congressional run in 2014

U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia from Miami is having a tough time recently. In the past couple weeks, accusations of fraudulent absentee ballots forced Garcia to fire his chief of staff as well as suspend his communications director.

St. Petersburg New Q-poll: Rick Scott “only” down ten points to Charlie Crist, Bill Nelson

Florida Gov. Rick Scott trails former Gov. Charlie Crist 47 – 37 percent in his 2014 reelection bid, compared to his 16-point deficit in March, and gets his best job approval rating so far, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Crist, the Republican-turned independent-turned Democrat, was up 50 – 34 percent in a March 20 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University.

PolitiJax Florida Morning: Citizens CFO resigns - AFL-CIO lays out immigration priorities - scandal makes Garcia vulnerable

Below is a brief look at today's Florida Morning. Here's the full version.

Florida

Bringing Amazon to Florida: Retailers Seek Laws To Resolve Tax Issue

Political Pulse Poll: Rick Scott gains steam after session wins

TALLAHASSEE -- With a growing economy and legislative wins in the bank, Gov.

Florida Politics Poll: Rick Scott gains steam after session wins

TALLAHASSEE -- With a growing economy and legislative wins in the bank, Gov.

Naked Politics Gov. Scott gains ground in new statewide poll, but still trails Crist

Gov. Rick Scott's poll numbers show modest improvement in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, but he still trails former Gov. Charlie Crist by 10 points in a hypothetical head-to-head 2014 matchup.

Scott trails Crist 47 percent to 37 percent in that face-off between the Republican governor and his possible now-Democratic rival. 

St. Petersburg Sunburn for 6/18 — A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics

A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.

St. Petersburg Gun bill, public speaking measure reach Gov. Scott

All of the bills approved by the state Legislature this year have now gone to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott, reports Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida.

Included in the final two batches of mostly technical measures is a bill (SB 50) to ensure the public is given time to speak at government meetings and a gun proposal (HB 1355) that has grown more controversial since the end of session.

Naked Politics Poll: Absentee-ballot scandal makes Miami Rep. Joe Garcia vulnerable in reelection

@PatriciaMazzei & @MarcACaputo

A leading rival of U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia released a new poll Monday that shows the incumbent has a double-digit lead but a major vulnerability: the absentee-ballot fraud scandal haunting his campaign.

The poll shows Garcia, a Miami Democrat, leading 46 percent to 34 percent in a potential 2014 matchup against Republican Carlos Curbelo, the Miami-Dade School Board member who commissioned the survey.

St. Petersburg Congressman Dennis Ross welcomes Ben Cantrell to his staff

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross welcomes Ben Cantrell to his Washington, D.C. office. Ben will serve as a legislative correspondent/staff assistant. 

“Ben’s commitment to constituent services will greatly benefit Floridians of the 15th Congressional District,” said Ross. “I’m glad that he’s joining our wonderful staff team.” 

Ben Cantrell previously served as a staff assistant for U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-06) and as a legislative intern for U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (GA-14). 

St. Petersburg ‘Stop the Lens’ organizer Lorraine Margeson to challenge incumbent Jim Kennedy for City Council seat

Lorraine Margeson, a prominent environmental activist and an outspoken member of  the ‘Stop the Lens’ movement, has filed to challenge District 2 incumbent Jim Kennedy, setting the stage for a high-profile referendum on the popularity of the St. Petersburg City Council. 

Florida Politics Postal talks: Will U.S. and Cuba exchange mail?

 

TBO - Fresh Squeezed Politics Lawmakers have sent all of this year’s bills to governor

The ‘bill train’ has stopped.

As of Monday, the Florida Legislature’s website showed no more bills to send to Gov. Rick Scott.

July 2 is Scott’s final deadline to review and act on the last of the 56 bills left on his desk.

Of the 283 bills…

Naked Politics Supreme Court agrees to expedite briefs in redistricting case

The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to partly expedite the review of the redistricting challenge brought by the League of Women Voters and a coalition of  individuals and voter groups this month by giving the parties until June 21 to file their briefs.

The court did not say whether it would also conduct an expedited hearing in the case, thereby interrupting the court's traditional summer break, but it did not deny the request for the fast-track hearing either.

PolitiJax Bipartisan - yet controversial - gun bill among final batch headed to Scott's desk

By JIM TURNER
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

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Florida Politics Citizens' CFO resigns

TALLAHASSEE -- Citizens’ Property Insurance Chief Financial Officer Sharon Binnun resigned Monday from the state-run property insurer.

Political Pulse Citizens' CFO resigns

TALLAHASSEE -- Citizens’ Property Insurance Chief Financial Officer Sharon Binnun resigned Monday from the state-run property insurer.

St. Petersburg Marco Rubio’s book out in paperback

US Senator Marco Rubio’s book, An American Son, has just been released in paperback, following the June 2012 release of the book’s hardcover edition.

Rubio’s memoir has been well received by Amazon readers — earning 4.5 out of 5 stars by 103 reviewers. The book is a tribute to Rubio’s family, particularly his parents and grandfather, who “came to this country as hard-working immigrants, and they loved their new home with all their heart.”

St. Petersburg How Senator Wilton Simpson is spending his Summer “vacation”

Editor’s note: This post marks the second in an occasional series in which Florida’s lawmakers discuss how they are spending their time away from Tallahassee, or if you will, their Summer “vacation.” Featured today is Senator Wilton Simpson.

TBO - Fresh Squeezed Politics Scott next targets Kentucky to entice businesses, jobs

Kentucky has joined Gov. Rick Scott’s list of states where he’s asking business leaders to relocate to the Sunshine State.

What do they all have in common? Kentucky—as does Minnesota, Illinois, California, Connecticut, New York and Maryland—has a Democratic governor.

“Kentucky’s formula of higher taxes and more spending…

St. Petersburg Tampa Bay Times, Plant City Observer launch new weekly newspaper

The Tampa Bay Times and the Plant City Observer have created a partnership to publish a weekly newspaper – the Plant City Times & Observer. 

Naked Politics Citizen's top defender, long-time CFO Sharon Binnun, resigns

A top official at Citizens Property Insurance, chief financial officer Sharon Binnun, resigned Monday, the company president Barry Gilway announced Monday in a note to employees.

Binnun served the company as a steadfast defender of some of Citizen's most controversial policies and faced withering criticism from lawmakers and consumer advocates over those ideas as well as over travel expenses racked up by Citizens executives.

St. Petersburg Darden Rice gains Dwight Dudley support for City Council campaign

Another day, another big supporter lines up for Darden Rice in her bid for St. Petersburg City Council District 4.

Today, the endorsement comes from House District 68 Rep. Dwight Dudley. Dudley, a Democrat, represents northern St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, which overlaps a majority of St. Petersburg District 4.

PolitiJax Scott expands letter-writing campaign to lure out-of-state jobs; target list resembles Texas Gov. Perry's

 @Mdixon55

Echoing letters sent to five other states, Gov. Rick Scott has penned a letter to Kentucky business leaders urging them to move to Florida.

Naked Politics Remembering this day in (Rick Scott) history

Florida Republicans are having a lot of fun pointing out the contradictions in Charlie Crist's record with a feature called "This Day in CRIST-ory," with a logo that resembles the History Channel. But this day, June 17, is historic for a very different reason.

St. Petersburg Citizens CFO Sharon Binnun stepping down July 5

Following a successful six-year tenure as Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer, Sharon Binnun has accepted a position in the private sector and will resign her post effective July 5, Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway announced Monday. 

Naked Politics New GOP web ad attacks Rep. Joe Garcia over absentee-ballot fraud investigation

@PatriciaMazzei

National Republicans, who have seized on the fraudulent absentee-ballot request investigation engulfing Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia's campaign, plan to attack the Miami congressman in a new online ad.

St. Petersburg Blaise Ingoglia earns endorsement from Rep. Jimmie Smith for HD 35 campaign

Blaise Ingoglia, candidate for State House District 35, is collecting endorsements from local and state leaders, adding State Rep. Jimmie Smith to the list on Monday.