Tag: ron desantis

The Story: The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis (R), has proposed a redistricting plan for the state. As a consequence of the 2020 Census, Florida...

 The Story: Charlie Crist (D), who was the Governor of Florida from January 2007 to January 2011, became last week the first Democrat to declare...

Hurricane Dorian has been downgraded to a Category 4 storm but remains powerful and life-threatening with 155 mph winds. Category 5 storms begin at 156 mph winds. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics…

As Floridians prepare for Hurricane Dorian, which could potentially become a category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall, Ali Velshi breaks down the history of hurricanes in Florida. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth…

Since the summer of 2016, when a campaign to bring a full-fledged medical marijuana market to Florida by constitutional amendment hit high gear, Florida’s licensed cannabis corporations and their executives have given at least $2.5 million in political contributions to state lawmakers and political parties. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald “Their participation goes hand in hand with it being a lawful industry now, or a constitutionally authorized industry, in the state of Florida,” said Senate President Bill Galvano, whose Innovate Florida political committee has received at least $102,000 from marijuana companies and executives since 2016. And in 2019, the three companies have given at least $103,500 to lawmakers’ political committees. All of the donations followed a Jan. 17 press conference DeSantis held in Orlando with marijuana advocate and booster John Morgan to declare that he’d drop the state’s appeals of several lawsuits — including one filed by Morgan — if lawmakers didn’t pass bills by March 15 allowing patients to smoke marijuana. But last month, as Rodrigues’ bill moved through the Health and Human Services committee that he chairs, the Estero lawmaker warned that without legislation to guide smoking marijuana, a federal judge’s ruling striking down Florida’s smoking ban would leave the state with “the law of the wild west.” Ben Pollara, the political consultant who steered the campaign to bring a full-blown marijuana market to Florida, thinks political contributions have helped the industry make its case. Rob Bradley, among the biggest recipients of cannabis donations, was a sponsor of the 2014 Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act long before Costa Farms gave his political committee its first $10,000 contribution from a cannabis company in August 2015. “As is the case with many companies both large and small, we support candidates and elected officials who support our industry,” Curaleaf, the cannabis brand that grew from Costa Farms’ cultivation license, said in a statement. The Democratic politician receiving the most industry money is Nikki Fried, a former marijuana lobbyist who won the race for agriculture commissioner and also happens to date Jake Bergmann, who stepped down as CEO of Surterra the day before the election. Nikki Fried campaign Galvano, the Senate president, says he doesn’t see a link between the campaign money given to lawmakers and the recent change in position on smoking marijuana.

Ron DeSantis: Florida’s new governor gave the Legislature a Friday deadline to pass a bill that allowed smokable medical marijuana, and wouldn’t you know it, both chambers somehow agreed to do it in time. The winning streak continues for DeSantis and the public is noticing. That places the 40-year-old governor above most of his peers across the country and makes him the most popular in Florida in 10 years. Fueling his popularity, according to the poll? His support for popular bipartisan issues like pardoning the Groveland Four and smokable medical marijuana. Loser Port Richey: Okay, okay, we just picked the mayor of this tiny Pasco County city as a loser last month. But c’mon. We couldn’t resist returning to the well. After Dale Massad, who was then Port Richey’s mayor, was arrested last month and charged with practicing medicine without a license and attempted murder, he was replaced by Terrence Rowe — who then gets arrested last week for allegedly conspiring with Massad to intimidate a Port Richey police officer. But the City Council plans to consult with its attorney to decide what’s next.

Soon: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will make an announcement on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political…

Smith’s recommendation, set out in House Bill 1413 which he introduced last year, would have Florida recognize Puerto Rican licenses for two years while workers sought to apply for Florida state licenses, or seek to meet any additional requirements Florida has for licensure. Smith, of Orlando, and Democratic state Rep. John Cortes of Kissimmee met with journalists after DeSantis and others opened the day-long workshop and said that if the governor wants to increase employment in various licensed professions in Florida the licensing boards should start by considering the longterm status of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have come to Florida in the past several years. Others have come seeking a new start in a stronger marketplace as Puerto Rico’s economy withers. “These certification boards should immediately recognize the licensure of professionals moving from the islands to Florida so that we can immediately get Puerto Rican evacuees placed in their professions,” Smith said. The Deregulation event is taking place at Valencia College’s East Campus, which is in Smith’s House District 49. In late 2017 then-Gov. “So giving them an easier avenue, not to lower the standards for certification, but to at least temporarily recognized their certificate from the island, if they’re a barber, if they’re a classroom teacher, if they’re a social worker, if they’re a mental health expert, they could immediately get placed in their profession. “The red tape, the bureaucracy has gotten in the way of their getting to work in their profession as soon as they arrive. “The reality is the standard for many of these licenses is actually higher on the island than it is in the state of Florida,” Smith said. “So we aren’t in any way compromising education, experience, quality, any of that.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - The 2018-19 government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history, and neither side shows signs of budging on their positions. The most obvious compromise is more fencing along the southern border in exchange for a path to citizenship for DACA kids, the nearly 1 million "dreamers" brought to the USA illegally when they were children. However, both sides have previously rejected deals involving DACA. Newly-inaugurated governor Ron DeSantis still has two more justices to appoint to the Florida Supreme Court. Last week, DeSantis picked Barbara Lagoa to fill the first of three open spots on the court. This week the candidates for Tampa mayor will officially qualify to run for the office. The city of Lakeland will hold a special election on Tuesday to fill the seat left open by Michael Dunn, the Lakeland city commissioner who was charged with second-degree murder after shooting a man who tried to leave his store with a stolen hammer. The League of Women Voters of Northern Pinellas County will hold a forum for the candidates for Tarpon Springs mayor and city commissioner #3. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening at the Tarpon Springs City Hall. Watch Politics On Your Side with host Evan Donovan every Sunday morning at 9:30 right before Meet the Press.