Tom's Big Day

Recall the hoopla about Gallagher making a big announcement Friday; the speculation was immediate - Jeez, maybe Gallagher's dropping out to run against Harris! Turns out it was much ado about nothing: "Gallagher Announcement: He's Conservative!".




McKinney

"The Sarasota Democratic Party is pulling out of a rally with U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Georgia, that was supposed to take place on Saturday afternoon." "Democrats Pull Out Of McKinney Rally".




"Gallagher Goes on the Attack"

"The Republican primary for governor just took a sharp turn for the nastier. In a rally [Friday] afternoon on the steps of the state Capitol touting endorsements from social conservatives across the state, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and his allies spent much of their time attacking his opponent in the GOP primary, Attorney General Charlie Crist." "Gallagher Goes on the Attack". See also "GOP candidates get into attack mode".




Remember Florida

"With three provisions of the civil-rights era Voting Rights Act up for renewal next year, a left-leaning coalition is shining the spotlight on several states, including Florida, as proof that the anti-discriminatory measures are still needed." "Groups want voting-rights renewal". See also "Advocates push for voting rights renewal as lawsuit resumes".




Session News

- "Legislature 2006: Developments from day 32, April 7".

- "The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Friday finished crafting a massive property insurance bill that will raise rates for some consumers." "Senate committee clears insurance bill". See also "Bill targets property-insurance problems", "Insurance Reform At A Glance" and "Insurance Fix May Add Surcharge".




Slots

"Seminoles, state break off slot machine talks".




Smith

"Old Issue Haunts Governor Candidate".




Embarassing

"State legislators have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the biomedical giant Scripps Research Institute to the state, a big player in the world of stem-cell research." Yet,

With four weeks remaining this session, bills in both chambers that would dedicate $150 million over 10 years to embryonic stem-cell research haven't cleared a single committee. Gov. Jeb Bush, Senate President Tom Lee and House Speaker Allan Bense have all come out against the practice.

But a small group of lawmakers has successfully forced the leadership to at least engage in the debate in the controversial issue, causing a small but growing rift in the Republican party while giving Democrats an issue they believe is a sure-fire winner at the polls come November.

"'Embryonic' stalls stem-cell research bills".




Speaking of "Terrible"

"Martinez says waving Mexican flags 'terrible'".




Did You Know ...

that "one-third of Florida's part-time lawmakers who list net worths of $1 million to $12 million on state records"? "Pay Might Be Barrier To 'Citizen Legislature'".




Prez Primary

"Floridians Deserve An Earlier Presidential Primary".




And Then There's Florida

"In the absence of national leadership, Massachusetts' governor and Legislature are taking on the health insurance crisis." "One state's solution".




"527 reform sorely needed"

On 527 reform:

Only cynics would wonder how a proposed very good bill to stifle the financial influence of big contributors on lawmakers will eventually be gotten around.

Maybe it will take a while.

"Stanching the flow".




"The Swamp"

The first chapter of Michael Grunwald's "The Swamp" is in the NYT's today: "'The Swamp'".




Tedious

"A day after teeing off on Katherine Harris' erratic performance in the U.S. Senate race, Gov. Jeb Bush again insisted Friday that he had no interest in entering that campaign." "Governor No". See also "Governor says he wouldn't take Harris' place vs. Sen. Nelson".