Tag Archives: Rick Scott

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill that would give Florida Daylight Saving Time year round. It was one of 74 bills Scott signed into law on Friday but the “Sunshine Protection Act” won’t take effect unless Congress also changes federal law. If that happens, Florida would join Hawaii and most of Arizona. …

Politico reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott is set to make a “major announcement” on April 9 amid long-running rumors he will run for U.S. Senate, according to Jackie Schutz Zeckman, Scott’s outgoing chief of staff. If Scott runs for Senate, it will set up what will be a nationally-watched race in a state with notoriously razor thin statewide election results. …

USA Today reports: The National Rifle Association filed a federal lawsuit this afternoon against the state to block a law that had just been signed by Gov. Rick Scott that prohibits gun sales to anyone between the ages of 18 and 21. “We filed a lawsuit against the state for violating the constitutional rights of 18 to 21 year olds,” …

UPDATE: Scott has signed the bill. The Associated Press reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to meet Friday afternoon with families of the 17 people killed in a school shooting and sign a $400 million school safety bill with new gun controls opposed by the NRA and a plan to arm staff that teachers don’t want. State Rep. Jared …

Tallahassee.com reports: The Florida House sent the state’s first gun control measures in 22 years to Gov. Rick Scott on a 67-50 vote. The measure that also creates a school marshal program to arm classroom teachers comes three weeks after 17 were slain at a Parkland high school. Scott said he will read the bill and talk with family members …

The Hill reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Sunday said he doesn’t support President Trump’s proposal to arm teachers. “I disagree with him,” Scott said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “I believe you have to focus on people that are well-trained, law enforcement that are trained to do this. I want to make sure we have significant …

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott revealed a $500 million plan Friday to boost school security that would, among other things, bar “violent or mentally ill” persons from purchasing weapons. Persons under the age of 21 would also be prohibited from buying guns and so-called bump stocks would be outlawed, Scott said. Scott did not call for arming teachers …

The Hill reports: Student protesters delivered a petition and chanted slogans in the office of Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Wednesday ahead of meetings between the governor and students from the Parkland high school affected by last week’s school shooting. A spokeswoman for Scott’s office confirmed to The Hill that protesters delivered a petition and demanded an audience from …

CBS News reports: Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott is calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign, after the FBI admitted it received a tip about the suspect in the Parkland shooting as recently as January, but failed to follow through on it. “The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” Scott said. “The FBI has admitted …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: The state of Florida routinely violates the constitutional rights of its citizens by permanently revoking the right to vote for anyone convicted of a felony, a federal judge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said Florida’s system unfairly relies on the personal support of the governor for citizens to regain “this fundamental right.” In …

Miami’s CBS affiliate reports: Could “Hulkamania” be making its way to the U.S. Senate? If one high profile supporter of President Donald Trump has his way, that might just be the case. In an interview with GOP communications consultant Patrick Slevin on his online blog, Roger Stone – a long-time Republican consultant, lobbyist and strategist who has spent decades working …

“If this report is true, it is absolutely wrong to say or think this. I do not think this way, nor do I agree with this kind of sentiment. I represent Florida, and we are an amazing melting pot where over 250 languages are spoken. I work every day to make this the most welcoming state for everyone — Haitians, …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration’s decision to exempt Florida from expanded offshore drilling kicked off a frenzy Wednesday in other coastal states, with governors from both political parties asking: Why not us? “We cannot afford to take a chance with the beauty, the majesty and the economic value and vitality of our wonderful coastline,” South Carolina Gov. Henry …

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in Alachua County, where Nazi leader Richard Spencer is due to give a speech this Thursday on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. The Tampa Bay Times reports: “I find that the threat of a potential emergency is imminent,” Scott said in a seven-page executive order. Scott placed Wes …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump traveled to southwest Florida with a message for the people of Fort Myers, who are recovering from Hurricane Irma: Rick Scott for Senate. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence flew to Florida on Thursday morning to visit Fort Myers and Naples, two Gulf Coast cities that Irma tore through earlier this …

The Hill reports: Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) handling of Hurricane Irma has boosted his profile ahead of an expected Senate bid. Scott is term-limited out of the governor’s mansion, and Republicans, including President Trump, have urged him to consider challenging Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year. His aggressive approach to Irma, which saw him order an extensive evacuation ahead …

The Miami Herald reports: One of the most powerful hurricanes on record continued steaming toward South Florida early Wednesday, with its course after three days still shifting. In their early morning discussion, National Hurricane Center forecasters said the latest model runs have moved Irma’s path slightly to the east, taking the fierce Cat 5 storm over Florida’s east coast or …

The New York Times reports: Florida has agreed to pay $1.1 million in legal fees to lawyers who sued the state over a 2011 law that barred doctors from talking to patients about gun ownership, according to a gun control organization involved in the case. The organization, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said Gov. Rick Scott of Florida …

The Miami Herald reports: Florida’s updated “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law is unconstitutional, a Miami judge ruled on Monday. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch ruled that lawmakers overstepped their authority in modifying the law this year to force prosecutors to disprove a defendant’s self-defense claim at a pre-trial hearing. The judge ruled that under Florida’s constitution, that change should have …

Politico reports: Gov. Rick Scott will be flying to New York on Thursday to meet with President-elect Donald Trump in Trump Tower. “He wants to congratulate [Trump] on his big win and help him reinvent the federal government,” said Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz. Scott was an early supporter of Trump and ran a super PAC that raised $20 million for …