GAY MARRIAGE APPEAL Attorney General Pam Bondi formally appealed several recent court decisions in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties that ruled Florida’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. In 2008, Florida voters approved an amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage, which is her basis for the appeals. Bondi has asked judges to delay their rulings Read more about Legal Updates[…]
FLORIDA LOTTERY TO JOIN NEW MULTI-STATE GAME The Florida Lottery has joined twenty-two states offering a new “Monopoly Millionaire’s Club” lottery based on the popular Monopoly board game. Tickets cost $5 and the top prize is $25 million. The number of $1 million prizes up for grabs will grow each week, and the creators say the idea Read more about Items of Interest[…]
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONERS On September 18th, Governor Scott announced his selections for the two vacancies on the Public Service Commission. Chosen from a list of seven applicants, Julie Brown will retain her seat and State Representative Jimmy Patronis will join the Commission. Their terms will end January, 1, 2019.NEW REGIONAL DCF DIRECTOR Bronwyn Stanford, deputy Read more about Movers and Shakers[…]
THRASHER NAMED FSU PRESIDENT After a contentious seven month search, Senator John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine) was selected as the next president of Florida State University on an 11-2 vote of the Board of Trustees. Thrasher was one of four finalists interviewed by the Board and the only finalist without an academic background. He did not enjoy Read more about Items of Interest[…]
BUDGET FORECAST The Legislative Budget Commission released an annual report detailing the long-range economic forecast for fiscal years 2015-2016 through 2017-2018. Projected revenue for 2015-2016 is estimated to be $28.25 billion, which is a slight reduction from previous forecasts. However, revenues will be back to pre-recession levels. Estimates indicate a budget surplus of $336 million, Read more about Florida Economy[…]