The conflict reflects a deep split within Flagler County Republicans, some aligned with incumbent Mayor Milissa Holland, some with challenger Alan Lowe. Both are Republicans in a supposedly non-partisan race that has turned into the single-most partisan race in Flagler aside from the top of the ticket.
travis hutson
Sen. Hutson Joins 3-2 Party-Line Vote to Further Advance Short-Term Rental Bill Ending Local Control
A long-running dispute over vacation rentals is heating up, as a Senate panel Tuesday approved a proposal that would give the state — not local officials — control over regulation of short-term rentals.
Palm Coast Unveils UNF’s Futuristic MedNex Foothold in Town Center as Officials Lobby Lawmakers
Renderings of UNF’s MedNex project in Palm Coast’s Town Center, along with a new infographic about the innovative plan, are part of a lobbying offensive planned for next week by Palm Coast officials to advocate for the initiative.
It’s All About Landing UNF as Palm Coast Rallies Cities and County in Show of Unity Before Legislative Delegation
Local cities and the county joined Palm Coast in an unprecedented show of unity and common goals at Thursday’s annual legislative delegation meeting, to press Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson for support in bringing the University of North Florida to Palm Coast’s Town center.
Eyes on the 2022 Senate Presidency:
Five Questions For Travis Hutson
The St. Augustine Republican, who also represents all of Flagler, is the Senate’s top economic development budget writer and sits on other major committees, including the Appropriations Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Rules Committee.
Sen. Hutson Pauses on His Bill Banning Local Regulations of Straws, Opting For a ‘Study’ For Now
The study would look into the environmental impact as well as the quality of life of people with disabilities who “may rely on single-use plastic straws for feeding and hydration,” but opponents of the measure say the matter has been studied enough.
Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Is Taking Requests: Hutson and Renner Hear Wish Lists Dec. 7
House Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson, who represent Flagler in Tallahassee, are holding their annual legislative meeting for Flagler governments and residents on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in Bunnell.
Vacation Rentals Would Be Protected Class in Residential Neighborhoods In Bill Flagler Calls “Extreme”
One proposed bill would eliminate local regulation of vacation rentals and make it difficult for home-owner associations and towns like Flagler Beach to prevent short-term rentals anywhere.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Renner and Hutson Call For State Audit of Free-Spending Flagler Mosquito Control District
It is the first indication that the tax-supported district, which has itself so far refused to conduct an audit in the wake of the crisis, will be examined independently.
Hutson and Renner Try To Push Back Against Criticism on Home Rule, Taxes and Education
Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner took credit for–and defended–several controversial bills that passed in the last session of the Legislature as they spoke to Flagler’s political and business leaders this morning.
Vacation-Rental Bills Die Only to Return in 2018, Forcing Flagler to Defend Regulations Again
The Legislature’s attempt to roll back local governments’ regulatory authority of vacation rentals barely fell short, so the fight is not over for counties at the forefront of the issue like Flagler.
At Vacation-Rental Town Hall, Renner Hears Unanimity Against Impairing Local Control
A standing-room-only crowd at Saturday’s Hammock Town Hall urged Rep. Paul Renner to battle a legislative attempt to scale back local regulatory control of vacation rentals won through a 2014 law.
Renner Seizes Reins for Flagler After Hutson’s Striking Disregard on Vacation Rentals
Rep. Paul Renner and County Commissioner Greg Hansen are organizing a town hall meeting in the Hammock Saturday, hoping to rally support against a proposed legislative retreat on vacation-rental regulations.
7-3 Vote Loses Flagler Another Round on Vacation Rentals In Hurried Senate Hearing
Flagler County government’s attempt to protect its vacation-rental regulations took another turn for the worse as a Senate committee today voted to advance a bill that would wipe out those regulations.
Flagler’s Hutson Files Amendment to Vacation-Rental Bill That Would “Eviscerate” Regulations
Sen. Travis Hutson had supported the 2014 law enabling Flagler County to regulate vacation rentals. His amendment, which he calls a “compromise,” would scale that back even though he sees no problems with local regulations or short-term rentals.
Senate Committee Kills Recovery Centers Palm Coast Opposes, But Approves Expanded Surgical Centers
A Senate committee today killed a proposal to create the sort of “recovery care centers” Palm Coast government and Florida Hospital Flagler oppose, but it agreed to expanded ambulatory care centers.
Help With Beach Recovery and an Additional County Judge Dominate Requests to Flagler’s Lawmakers
Post-Hurricane Matthew recovery occupied almost half the requests at the annual legislative delegation meeting Wednesday, when Flagler’s governments, non-profits, private associations and citizens submit wish lists to state lawmakers.
Sen. Travis Hutson Qualifies By Petition for His 4th Election in 4 Years
Sen. Travis Hutson so far faces just one opponent, Democrat Curtis Ceballos of Palm Coast, though qualifying does not end until June 24.
Renner Out-raising Morley 32-1, Ceballos Yet to Take In First $1,000 Against Hutson
Democrats Adam Morley and Curtis Ceballos face enormous financial hurdles in their campaigns challenging Republicans Paul Renner and Travis Hutson in November’s legislative elections.
Sen. Travis Hutson Draws a Democratic Opponent in Palm Coast’s Curtis Ceballos
Curtis Ceballos, 54, launched two technology startups in the past two years and intends to focus on technology jobs and vocational education in his campaign. He unsuccessfully ran for county commission in 2006.
Rookies Hutson and Renner Sum Up Legislative Session as Veterans of Policy and Reforms
First-year Sen. Travis Hutson and Rep. Paul Renner, whose districts include all of Flagler, spoke at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast this morning in a celebration of of the session they just completed, and promises to keep cutting taxes and reducing government regulation.
Flagler on “Budget-Signing Watch” as 4 Local Items Totaling $3 Million Await Scott Signature
Pending appropriations include $2 million for improvements to the Plantation Bay utility, $200,000 for the Malacompra drainage fix, and $200,000 for Flagler Beach’s stormwater improvements.
Full Funding Restored to Flagler’s Adults With Disabilities Program, a Big Victory for District
Intense lobbying by local school officials and their legislators helped restore the full $545,000 appropriation they’d lost last year, enabling the district to again double enrollment in the Adults with Disabilities’ Step Up program starting July 1.
Hunting Undocumented Immigrants,
Travis Hutson Discovers His Inner Jim Crow
Sen. Travis Hutson filed a pair of bills that would criminalize undocumented immigrants in Florida. The bills are unconstitutional, bigoted and unnecessary.
House Pitches New Redistricting Senate Map, But Hutson’s District Would Still Shift South
Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said in a memo to House members that his proposal for the 40 state Senate districts was inspired in part by a plan floated by the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause Florida.
Hutson’s District Boundaries Would Shed Putnam for Daytona But Leave Flagler and St. Johns Whole
Even Senate supporters of the map say they aren’t sure whether House leaders will accept the proposal before a redistricting special session ends next week.
House Committee Approves District Joining Flagler, Volusia, Drips of Lake and St. Johns
The shift may be reflective of the weakness of the region’s legislative delegation: neither Sen. Travis Hutson nor Paul Renner, rookies both, has pull in his respective house, neither has bargaining chips to deal with.
New Congressional Maps Proposed in Face of Criticism, One Restoring Flagler’s Right Tilt
Changes to a proposed map of Florida’s 27 congressional districts emerged Wednesday, a day before key hearings in the House and Senate about how to comply with a court order finding the current map violates the anti-gerrymandering “Fair Districts” requirements.
Sen. Travis Hutson Joins Chorus of Opposition to New Congressional Map, Objecting to Split
Sen. Travis Hutson opposes changes to the congressional district that include Flagler because they would split St. Johns, Hutson’s base, while taking in all of Volusia.
Travis Hutson Wins Senate Seat, Paul Renner Wins House in Special Election
Republicans Travis Hutson and Paul Renner have won the special election for Florida Senate District 6 and House District 24, respectively. Hutson defeated Democrat David Cox. Renner defeated Adam Morley.
As Expected, GOP’s Renner and Hutson Reel In Big Dollars, Opponents Don’t
In all, Paul Renner raised $294,340 and had spent $261,748 for the election Tuesday in a district that includes Flagler County and parts of St. Johns and Volusia counties.
Special Election Candidates Slog Through Only Local Forum, Except When Talk Turns to Guns
The largely plodding Q&A forum organized by three Flagler business groups held few surprises and featured Senate candidates David Cox and Travis Hutson and House candidates Adam Morley and Paul Renner.
Special Election’s Final Four: Cox, Hutson, Morley and Renner in Tuesday Forum
This time the forum, at the Realtors building on SR100, will feature audience questions. All four candidates are scheduled to appear at the 6 p.m. event.
For Democrat Adam Morley, Steep Challenges In Bid For State House Against Paul Renner
Lack of money aside, Adam Morley’s candidacy appears to lack coherence and strategy, neither of which he could formulate when he met with Flagler County’s leading Democrats Monday.
GOP Primary: Paul Renner Wins For House, Travis Hutson Wins For Senate
Paul Renner beat REonald Sanchez and Danielle Anderson in the House race, Hutson beat Ronald Doc Renuart and Dennis McDonald in the Senate race.
An Election For Republicans Only That Will Likely Decide Flagler’s House and Senate Seats
The election is nevertheless likely to decide Flagler’s representation in both chambers of the Legislature, as the winners are facing relatively weak candidates in the April 7 general election.
Candidates In Special House and Senate Election Strain to Distinguish Themselves
Five Republican candidates in the Jan. 27 special primary for House and Senate fielded questions from three Flagler County business groups in an open forum with few surprises Tuesday evening at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Special Election for House: Renner Hauls In $76,500. His Three Opponents Combined: $355
Renner’s $76,500 dwarfed amounts not exceeding $180 raised by three other candidates in the District 24 race — Republicans Sheamus McNeeley and Ron Sanchez and Democrat Adam Morley. Republican Danielle Anderson filed a waiver, as she had not posted a report on the state Division of Elections website by week’s end.
Serious Flagler Candidates All Out of Special House Election; Dennis McDonald Qualifies for Senate
Howard Holley pulled out of the House election race Monday, leaving no serious Flagler candidate in the running, though newcomer Danielle Anderson has qualified. In the Senate race, Dennis McDonald will be challenging Hutson, Renuart and Sweeny in a four-way Republican primary.
Howard Holley Will Run for Flagler’s House Seat Against Paul Renner, Sullivan, O’Brien Teetering Out
The special election to fill Travis Hutson’s Florida House seat in District 24, made up mostly of Flagler County, is turning into a combination of musical chairs band feeding frenzy.
Dave Sullivan Won’t Give Way to Trevor Tucker in Race for House as Hankerson Joins It; Democrats Are No-Shows
Flagler School Board member Trevor Tucker said he was seriously thinking of running for an open Florida House seat in the Jan. 27 primary, but only if REC Chairman Dave Sullivan chose not to run, as Tucker doesn’t want to split the vote., Sullivan says he’s in it to stay.
UF and FSU Get New Presidents, Flagler Loses Sen. Thrasher, Special Election Next
The Board of Governors unanimously ratified Thrasher’s and Kent Fuchs’s appointments. Thrasher’s resignation is expected to set off a feeding frenzy in a special election for what may turn into a Senate seat and two House seats.
Gail Wadsworth Will Not Seek to Resume Family Dynasty in Florida Legislature–For Now
Despite getting ready to retire in two years and having three Wadsworths behind her who served in Tallahassee, Gail Wadsworth said the timing is not right for her to run in the special election soon to be announced for either a House or Senate seat representing Flagler.
Flagler GOP Chief Dave Sullivan Plans to Run for Hutson’s House Seat in Special Election
Dave Sullivan, chairman of the Flagler County Republican Executive Committee, said he will make a run for the seat to ensure that it has a chance to be filled by someone from Flagler.
John Thrasher Is Named FSU’s Next President, Opening Big Void in Flagler’s Legislative Pull; Hutson Considering Run
For Flagler County, Thrasher’s move is the second major blow to the county’s political pull, after losing John Mica in Congress to redistricting two years ago. Flagler had specific needs that may now go unfilled in Tallahassee.
Flagler’s Vacation Rental Reform Bill Advances Through 2 Committees, Buoying Chances
The proposed reform of a law that would return control of short-term rental regulations to counties and cities gained additional support at the Legislature Tuesday as it cleared a second Senate committee and its first House committee with solid backing.
Fulfilling Pledge, Rep. Travis Hutson Files Animal Cruelty Bill Inspired By FPC Student
Animal abuse may cost abusers far more in penalties and punishment if a bi-partisan bill inspired by Flagler Palm Coast High School student Morgan Purtlebaugh and filed by Rep. Travis Hutson last week becomes law.
Rep. Travis Hutson Will File a Bill on Animal Abuse Reporting Proposed by Flagler Students
Florida Rep. Travis Hutson worked for weeks with FPC and Matanzas High students on a mock legislative process that culminated today in a student vote choosing actual bill Hutson will file at the Legislature in the coming session. The exercise gave students direct insights into the legislative process.
Bowing to Hammock, Thrasher and Hutson Will File Bills to Restore Vacation-Rental Regulations
Sen. John Thrasher and Rep. Travis Hutson made their pledge to repeal the vacation-rental law during the annual legislative delegation meeting in Flagler Wednesday, which drew more than a full house because of that controversial issue. But repeal is unlikely as the 2011 law, which makes it easier to operate a house as a mini-hotel, passed the Senate unanimously, and the House overwhelmingly.