By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 15, 2010 4:05 PM
Despite opposition from a handful from each party, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday on a tax deal that extends tax cuts initially backed by George W. Bush for all Americans. The measure passed 81 to 19 with both of Florida’s senators -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican George LeMieux -- voting in favor.
A supporter of Gov.-elect Rick Scott, who is so on the outs with legislative leaders that speculation has mounted she might end up in his administration, may hold the key to the future of a high-speed rail connecting Tampa and Orlando.
By: Lane Wright
| Posted: December 14, 2010 4:05 AM
If anyone has a chance of surviving a Mexican gang kidnapping, it might be Felix Batista. Then, again, if anyone should have been able to avoid getting kidnapped in the first place, he was at the top of the list.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 10, 2010 4:05 AM
With the newly elected Republican governors of Ohio and Wisconsin rejecting federal funds for high-speed rail projects, the Sunshine State looks to gain, as both Democrats and Republicans in the Florida congressional delegation are happy about the additional money.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 7, 2010 4:05 AM
Rick Scott vowed to meet with as many state legislators as possible before becoming governor in January and he continued that effort this weekend. Scott met with members of the Panhandle delegation in Shalimar on Sunday before heading down to Melbourne on Monday to meet with six members of the House.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 6, 2010 4:05 AM
While the jury may be out on whether U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan will enter what could be an increasingly crowded Republican primary field to take on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, the Florida congressman has raised his profile significantly in recent weeks.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 4, 2010 4:05 AM
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent for November, an increase from October’s 9.6 percent figure -- and congressional Republicans have opened fire on the Obama team.
Campaigning for governor, Rick Scott wasn’t particularly courteous when talking about President Barack Obama, whose policies he slammed on the campaign trail. But somehow the incoming governor was surprised this week to be left waiting for a courtesy call from Obama that never came: a heads-up about a ban on new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
By: Kenric Ward
| Posted: December 2, 2010 4:05 AM
The DREAM Act would cost Florida taxpayers an estimated $472 million more a year in college tuition subsidies while potentially crowding out citizens, according to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: December 1, 2010 3:30 PM
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico would be closed to new offshore drilling until at least 2017.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 25, 2010 4:05 AM
Republicans from Florida are taking aim at new search techniques being employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on airline passengers -- even as a poll shows most Americans accept these measures as necessary for greater security.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 18, 2010 4:05 AM
U.S. Rep. Connie Mack dropped his bid to move up to the fifth-ranking position in the newly controlled Republican Congress Wednesday, but he took a big step toward challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 18, 2010 4:05 AM
Former Senate president and incoming state CFO Jeff Atwater named his transition team Tuesday. He chose Tom Petway from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission as his chairman.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 13, 2010 4:05 AM
Karen Thurman announced Friday that she is stepping down as chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, following the route of her Party’s candidates at the polls last week.
Florida's citrus industry didn't get much help from the Legislature or Gov. Charlie Crist this year. Growers are hoping for better results in Washington, D.C.
Outgoing House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands will seek to replace Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman if she resigns, as some have encouraged her to do in the wake of brutal losses last week.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 10, 2010 4:05 AM
While some Republican governors have hinted that they would reject federal funds for transportation projects, Rick Scott has not stated that he would turn down more than $2 billion to help with high-speed rail projects.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: November 2, 2010 4:05 AM
With a flurry of new polls showing the gubernatorial race extremely close, state CFO and Democratic candidate Alex Sink and Republican nominee businessman Rick Scott crossed the state Monday, beating the drums to rally their supporters to the polls.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: October 29, 2010 4:05 AM
With news emerging Thursday that he would appear on the cover of Time magazine, former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the Republican and leading candidate in the race for the U.S. Senate, continued reaching out to voters in North Florida. He attended events in the Panhandle on Wednesday and headed to Orange Park, Lake City and Ocala on Thursday. Rubio will focus on Central Florida during the weekend …
On Monday, Florida pulled within $300 million of reaching the $2.6 billion necessary for a long-proposed bullet train connecting Tampa and Orlando to leave the station -- a figure opponents once successfully used to derail the train as too expensive, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Monday.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: October 25, 2010 4:05 AM
While he may have a famous name, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla. is still unknown to many Floridians -- but he is looking to change that with his strong stance on foreign policy issues, leading some to wonder if he is gunning for the U.S. Senate in 2012.
By: Kevin Derby
| Posted: October 21, 2010 4:05 AM
Through October, former New York Gov. George Pataki has taken to the airwaves and headed out on the campaign trail -- leading to more speculation that he intends to launch a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
