The Florida Legislature concluded its 2026 session without passing a state budget. Lawmakers prioritized symbolic resolutions and voter suppression over insurance costs, housing affordability, or the climate crisis. Wasted money in the school voucher program and environmental protection were ignored as partisan infighting and petty distractions defined the two-month period.
florida politics
Florida House Passes Contentious Legislation To Ban Local Government Funding For Diversity And Equity Initiatives
The Florida House approved SB 1134, a bill banning local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Passing 77-37, the measure allows citizens to sue officials and empowers the governor to remove those in violation. GOP legislators claim DEI wastes taxpayer funds. Critics warn the vague language threatens cultural celebrations and marginalized communities. The bill now awaits Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature.
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Legal Petition To Block DeSantis From Redrawing Congressional Districts
The Florida Supreme Court unanimously rejected a petition from voters seeking to block Governor Ron DeSantis’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts. The ruling confirms the governor’s authority to call a special session and the Secretary of State’s power to adjust election qualifying dates. DeSantis aims to reshape districts ahead of potential federal rulings regarding the Voting Rights Act and race-based mapping.
Randy Fine’s Bigotry and the Silent Complicity of Florida Republicans
Congressman Randy Fine’s long history of deploying bigoted, dehumanizing language against Palestinians and Muslims reflects a broader political decay. Condemnations have been rare except by his rivals, and what outrage there’s been frequently feels performative. Otherwise, silence. This widespread complicity from elected officials actively normalizes hateful rhetoric, rewarding fascist behavior and degrading the fundamental standards of our national civil discourse.
Florida Senate Passes Bill Mandating Washington and Lincoln Portraits in Public Schools
The Senate voted 36-2 on Thursday in support of a proposal that directs county school districts to place portraits of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in every public school.
Florida House Votes to End All Non-School Homestead Property Taxes, But Senate Odds Remain Slim
The Republican-controlled Florida House passed a joint resolution to ask voters to eliminate non-school property taxes for homesteaded properties by 2027. The sweeping measure faces doubtful success. The Florida Senate has not introduced companion legislation and Governor Ron DeSantis prefers a special session. Democrats heavily criticized the proposal, warning that it would bankrupt local governments and defund essential local public services.
Flagler and Florida Democrats Face a Reckoning After Dismal Showing at Every Level
Trump’s Florida victory aside, Republicans upset two incumbent South Florida congresswomen, flipped five state House seats and could pick up a seat in the state Senate, making a mockery of Democrats’ hopes to cut into the GOP’s legislative dominance.
Citing Police Role and Trust, South Miami Will Challenge New Law Banning Sanctuary Cities
“As soon as [police] are seen as somebody who might turn you in if you called for assistance, they’re no longer trusted and they can no longer do their primary job,” the South Miami mayor says.
Some People Wouldn’t Count: How Citizenship Question Could Reshape State Politics
Some districts could get more in-state political power if Florida decides to use voting-age citizens as the basis for drawing districts, rather than total population, including children and immigrants who aren’t citizens.
Voters, In a Constitutional Amendment, May Be Asked Whether To Abolish Constitutional Revision Commission
Proposals moved forward Thursday in the House and Senate, as lawmakers continue to vent frustration with the commission that last year put seven constitutional amendments before voters. All of the amendments passed.
Florida Democrats Speak of Margaret Good’s Victory as a Sign of a Coming “Blue Wave”
Margaret Good’s victory on Tuesday, winning a Florida House seat in Sarasota County, represents the 36th time a Republican seat has flipped Democratic since the 2016 election.
Proposal To Create Open Primaries in Florida Moves Forward, But With Issues
All candidates seeking the same office would run in a single primary regardless of party affiliation. The top two vote-getters would run in the general election.
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State: Full Text
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State address, his last, as prepared for delivery today at the Florida Capitol, before a joint session of the House and Senate.
From All-Women Field, Florida Democrats Pick Palm Beach’s Terrie Rizzo As New Leader
Seeking unity, Democrats are trying to reclaim the governor’s office and defend U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s seat next year as well as contend for state Cabinet seats.
In Startling Avowal, Rep. Renner Says State Will Attack Home Rule to Discipline “Rogue,” Leftist Cities
“The reason we think they’re going rogue is because it’s Bernie Sanders in charge of your local city government or county government in some cases,” Rep. Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, says.
Making Democrats Great Again: It’s Going To Take A While
No wonder Republican leaders think they can get away with almost anything. They do because they can, argues Nancy Smith, and because Democrats’ absent strategy lets them.
Another Emblem of Disarray for Florida Democrats: 12 Counties Have No Organizational Structure
In a state where presidential votes have decided by 1 percent margins, Democrats’ absence even in small counties point to a fatal weakness for the party.
Effort to Get Electoral College Away From Trump Fizzles as Florida’s 29 Votes Go All In
In Florida, the votes for Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, were never really in doubt. The slate of electors was made up of GOP stalwarts, from fundraisers to activists to elected officials.
Black and White: 11 Florida Supreme Court Applicants Contrast Starkly With Retiring James Perry
The exit of the liberal Perry — one of five jurists who make up a liberal-leaning majority — gives Gov. Rick Scott his first opportunity to shape a bench that has repeatedly vexed the Republican chief executive and the GOP-dominated Legislature.
Democrats Try to Stay Relevant After Barely Adding to Their Diminished Numbers in Florida Legislature
Democrats’ 41-member caucus faces a 79-member Republican majority in the Florida House, with 15 Democrats facing 25 Republicans in the Senate.
Races Lost Across the State Again, Florida Democrats Look for Answers, and a Leader
After losing the state’s presidential and U.S. Senate races and failing to make major gains in the Legislature, Florida Democrats are groping for a way forward as the 2018 elections loom with battles for governor and all three state Cabinet seats.
Swinging Through Florida, Trump Paints Election as Apocalyptic Choice
Speaking to thousands of cheering supporters at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach, Trump painted Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton as a pawn of a global establishment who would usher in the destruction of the nation.
Post-Debate, Clinton, Clinton and Trump Are Invading Florida in Hunt for 29 Electoral Votes
While Clinton works Southeast Florida, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will campaign Friday and Saturday across the top of the state, and Trump begins his visits Tuesday in solidly-Republican Melbourne.
An $18,400 Raise for Supervisor of Elections And Other New Laws Go Into Effect This Week
County elections supervisors are up for pay raises, while penalties increase for trafficking in the modern version of food stamps and for stealing credit-card information at gas pumps, under new laws that go into effect Saturday.
Florida’s GOP Sen. Keith Perry Defends Himself After Hitting Another Man Over Campaign Sign
Perry, a contractor first elected to the House in 2010, is going up against former state Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, for the open Senate District 8 seat. Smith is also a former Florida Democratic Party chairman and a former state attorney in the Gainesville area.
Justice Perry Will Retire, Giving Gov. Scott 1st Chance to Appoint a Conservative to High Court
Perry is among five jurists who make up a liberal-leaning majority of the seven-member court, which has drawn the wrath of the Republican governor and the GOP-dominated Legislature.
One Solar Amendment Passed, Backers and Opponents of November Measure Square Off
The November proposal is more controversial than the one voters approved Tuesday, drawing opposition from groups such as the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy that argue the measure is intended to benefit utilities.
Publix Campaign Politics
Publix contributed at least $306,000 from Aug. 1 to Aug. 12, the latest information posted on the state Division of Elections website. Of that amount, $250,000 went to Florida Chamber of Commerce political committees.
Undone in White House Bid at Trump’s Hands, Rubio Retreats to Battle Beruff
Rubio is running again for a Senate seat that he was ready to vacate, a seat some critics say he had already vacated, a seat that at times seems almost as much like a form of captivity for Rubio as it does a prize.
Clinton Erases Trump’s Brief, Slim Lead in Florida, Up in Ohio, Surging in Pennsylvania
Hillary Clinton has regained the lead–barely–she relinquished last month to Donald Trump in Florida, turning a three-point deficit into a one-point advantage (46-45) in the latest Quinnipiac University poll of three battleground states.
Saying Trump Panders to Fear and Hostility, Joe Biden Plans Florida Swings for Clinton
During a stop Friday in Tallahassee, Biden said he intends to spend more time campaigning in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and congressional candidates.
Dena Minning Grayson Hopes to Keep Alan’s Central Florida Congressional Seat In Family
The marriage in late May between Alan Grayson and Dena Minning reshuffled a Democratic primary for a Central Florida congressional seat being vacated by Grayson, one of the party’s most progressive provocateurs.
In Newest Poll, Clinton Leads Trump in Florida, Rubio Narrowly Ahead of Murphy
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll released Friday showed Clinton leading Trump by a margin of 44 percent to 37 percent in a head-to-head matchup in Florida, one of the most closely watched states in the country.
Corrine Brown, Representing Northeast Florida in Congress for 23 Years, Indicted Over Sham Charity
Longtime Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown was indicted Friday on charges that she and a top aide used a sham education charity to pay for personal expenses and luxurious events, allegations that pose the most serious challenge yet to her 23-year congressional career.
Florida’s Political Landscape Riven By Orlando Massacre Even as Lasting Effects or Consequences Are Doubted
Politicians and consultants are as divided as the electorate about how candidates should treat the tragedy, and the split carries over to those who think the tragedy will have dissipated by November as opposed to those who think it will impact the election.
Marco Rubio Says He’s Out For Good: No Senate Run, No Plans For Governor in 2018
Rubio said he has heard from colleagues and Florida activists “in the last day or so” who want him to re-up for six more years in the Senate, but he ruled that out in favor of eventually endorsing Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera for Senate.
Democrats Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy Borrow From Trump Playbook in Foul Duels
Murphy is the Democratic establishment pick for U.S. Senate. Grayson has churned out the descriptions “lickspittle pillock” and “sock puppet” to deride his fellow congressman.
At Florida GOP Gathering, Opposition To Clinton Congeals Support for Trump
Florida Republican leaders are girding themselves for a must-win battle this fall as opposition to Clinton proves more unifying than Donald Trump.
No, Florida, You May Not Count Prisoners Who Can’t Vote in Redistricting Tallies
A federal judge has struck down county commission districts in a rural North Florida county — a potentially precedent-setting decision that could play into a challenge of the state’s congressional lines.
Senator, Governor, President, Nothing: For Marco Rubio, a Fuzzy Florida Future
For essentially the first time since he won a city commission seat in 1998, Rubio will soon be without a government office and without a campaign. What office Rubio seeks next, if any, isn’t clear.
Gov. Rick Scott, Likening Himself to “Businessman Outsider,” Endorses Donald Trump
The endorsement was as much a plea for party unity as another signal from Trump that he is open to Trump’s invitation as his vice president nominee.
But Can He Win?
Helping to rally Florida Republican leaders behind Rubio is the fear that real-estate tycoon Donald Trump could win the nomination. But it’s a long way to the 1,236 delegates needed for nomination.
Florida’s “Pastor Protection Act” Seen as Defense of Clergy or Latest Bias Against LGBT
The proposal, which was approved this week by a Senate committee, would prevent clergy members from being forced to perform marriage ceremonies contrary to their beliefs.
Florida House Wants to Prohibit Immigrants’ “Sanctuary” Communities
Despite emotional pleas from immigrant advocates, state House members Wednesday moved forward with measures aimed at cracking down on cities and counties that provide “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and increasing penalties for people who defy deportation orders.
2016: A Year of Political Games in the Making
After a strange and at times exhausting 2015, Florida’s government and political establishment is bracing for what could be another intriguing year with another election is on tap in the biggest swing state in the nation.
At Florida’s GOP Summit, 2nd-String Candidates Focus on Paris Attacks and Blame Obama
Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and Bobby Jindal spoke on the second day of the Sunshine Summit and criticized current policy regarding ISIS as they sought to distinguish themselves and lift their sagging place in polls.
3rd Special Session Implodes as Senate Kills Redistricting Plan and Blames Fair Law
This time, instead of blaming each other, GOP leaders blamed a pair of voter-approved constitutional amendments that ban political gerrymandering in legislative and congressional redistricting.
Angry With Liberal Court, Florida Lawmakers Propose Judicial Term Limits
The proposal comes after years of rising anger in the Legislature at members of the Supreme Court. With its more-liberal majority, the state’s highest court has emerged as the only major hurdle in Tallahassee to Republicans’ conservative agenda.
Battered and Bewildered, Bush Seeks Florida Reboot in “Jeb Can Fix It” Campaign
Bush debuted the “Jeb Can Fix It” tour while acknowledging criticism that he’d given his advisers too much control and failed to gain traction on the national level.
At Disney, Florida Democrats’ Big Bash Draws Snubs from Clinton and Sanders
The candidates have “other fish to fry,” noted U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, when asked why Clinton and Sanders would ignore the convention in a winner-take-all primary state — and its 99 delegates.