A federal judge on Tuesday blocked enforcement of a strict new Florida law that prohibits elected officials from paid lobbying on behalf of clients before any other government. The judge let stand, for now, another significant part of the new law that imposes a six-year ban on certain lobbying activities by former government officials once they leave office.
After Florida Democrats suffered massive setbacks in November even worse than their usual election losses they're trying to find a new state party chair who who can work through multiple priorities for a party that many believe is facing years of election losses and an exhausting struggle to escape the political quicksand.
Our panel of leaders in business, politics, health care, the arts and elsewhere look at the news of the week and predict what will make news in the week to come.
Though there is precedent for removing elected officials who haven’t been criminally charged including controversial, high-profile suspensions of two successive Broward supervisors of elections it had been highly unusual. That is, until Ron DeSantis became governor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has pursued an expansive view of his executive authority, ordering high-profile removals of local elected officials who haven’t been charged with crimes. Governors routinely have used their power under the Florida Constitution to suspend elected officials from office – when they’ve been charged with crimes. Though there is precedent for the DeSantis approach of removing elected officials who haven’t been criminally charged, it had been highly unusual. A review of state records shows a change when DeSantis took office in January 2019.