Lawmakers doled out the largest number of budget “turkeys” since 2007 in the spending plan for the coming fiscal year, Florida TaxWatch said, even as the amount of money dedicated to the pet projects declined slightly from the current budget.
Florida Legislature
Flagler Mulls Joining Lawsuit Against
Florida Over Reduction in Medicaid Payments
Flagler County commissioners will decide Monday whether to join a Florida Association of Counties lawsuit challenging the state’s decision to try to tap counties for tens of millions of dollars in disputed Medicaid money.
Caylee’s Law Now In Effect, Making Lying About a Missing Child a Felony
Prompted by the death of Orlando two-year-old Caylee Anthony in 2008, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a measure to bolster penalties for lying to police when a child goes missing.
Post-Trayvon, Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law Won’t Be Repealed But May Be Revised
As the 2005 Stand Your Ground law has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the shooting of the unarmed Trayvon Martin, veteran lawmakers haven’t been able to agree even on what the measure allows but point to a need for clarification.
Scott Signs a Series of Tax Cut Bills, Including Expansion of Corporate Tax Exemption
While supporters insisted that the legislation signed Wednesday will help provide a better business climate, they were quick to say that a variety of factors were at work in the economy, and it would be difficult to accurately figure out how many jobs the measures might create.
Trayvon Martin Ripples: Attorneys Take On Profiling As NRA Defends Stand Your Ground
A group of Tallahassee criminal defense lawyers called Roundtable for Justice is moving to shed more light on racial profiling in Florida while the NRA’s lead lobbyist on Florida’s Stand Your Ground law defends the measure.
No Zebras Here: Florida Audubon Wants Gov. Scott to Veto Exotic Breeding-Ground Bill
Citing limited land for existing species, Audubon Florida is urging Gov. Rick Scott to veto a measure that would allow zoos and aquariums to lease state land to create breeding and research facilities for exotic birds or hooved animals like zebras, rhinos and giraffes.
Gov. Scott, Veto the School Prayer Bill
Today, several Florida and national leaders of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, including Palm Coast’s Merrill Shapiro, sent the following letter to Gov. Rick Scott, urging him to veto a school-prayer bill that cleared the Legislature.
Flagler’s and Florida’s Economic Development Hoax
Florida lawmakers and their local replicas seem hypnotized by the buzz of economic development, nattering about it with great stamina. But it’s a hoax, and a costly one. The assault on public and higher education of the last few years proves it.
Senate’s New Redistricting Map: Flagler District Whole Again, With St. Johns and Putnam
The chairman of the Senate Reapportionment Committee unveiled a new proposal for legislative districts Saturday to answer criticisms from the Florida Supreme Court. The plan creates a much more cohesive district for Flagler.