Florida Politics

As Minnesota reels from the murder of one state lawmaker and the shooting of another, Florida could shield from public disclosure the home addresses of legislators, other elected officials and their family members.

Oral arguments are June 4 in a long-running case involving a Florida bar complaint before the Florida Supreme Court against former Fort Myers attorney Christopher Crowley alleging bar rules violations.The Florida bar's complaint is that Crowley, during the 2018 political campaign for state attorney of the 20th Judicial Circuit "publicly disparaged his opponent through various political campaign materials, advertisements, and social media postings" among other rules violations.

The race to become the governor of Florida is beginning to bubble, with U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leading what is becoming a crowded field of hopefuls, all jockeying to assume the mantle.It’s way too early to divine who will win the open governor’s seat next November, but Donalds, who is Black and represents Florida’s 19th Congressional district, is bumping up against the reality that in its 180-year history, Florida has never elected a Black governor, man or woman, Democrat or Republican.

The Legislative Session has hit a pause as the State House and Senate still need more time to figure out a budget. Legislators were still able to agree on a plethora of new proposed laws.

After asserting the Democratic Party in Florida is “dead,” Sen. Jason Pizzo says he’s running for governor as an independent and will make that official in a couple of months.Orlando attorney John Morgan, describing the Democratic Party as “broken,” believes Pizzo is making a mistake if he runs without party affiliation.

Legislative budget talks blew up Friday, as the House, the Senate and Gov. Ron DeSantis tangle over tax cuts.House Speaker Daniel Perez accused Senate President Ben Albritton of backing out of a “historic tax proposal” that the leaders outlined last week as they extended the annual legislative session to reach a budget deal. DeSantis, who wants to reduce property taxes, threatened this week to veto Perez’ priority of cutting sales taxes.

Florida state agency head Pedro Allende, whose six-figure salary is being targeted for suspension due to an unsatisfactory job performance, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to fill a high-ranking position at the Department of Homeland Security.

A non-profit organization tied to the Florida Chamber of Commerce now at the center of the governor’s Hope Florida controversy involving the diversion of millions of dollars in state Medicaid settlement funds for political purposes, has a history of funneling money to political operatives attempting to sway election outcomes in Florida.

The newly elected vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida was convicted in 2019 as part of a state felony investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with an inmate when he was a jail guard. Details of the court case and its outcome haven’t previously been reported.

The Democratic Party of Lee County is hosting a Listening Tour for Lee County voters to share concerns, ideas, and feedback directly with the local Democratic Party.