MICHAEL PELTIER

• Peltier column: Buckle up for legislative session's frenzied final week Published 03/04/2012 at 5:24 p.m. 3 Comments

  Well, it all comes down to this. Florida lawmakers return today for what is scheduled to be final act of the 2012 legislation.

• Peltier column: Do Florida's new freshwater standards go far enough? Published 12/11/2011 at 3:38 p.m. 1 Comment

  Long touted as the Sunshine State, Florida is increasingly being looked at for how it balances protecting its environment, most notably freshwater resources, while dealing with inevitable population growth.

• Peltier column: Florida growing but some still left behind Published 11/20/2011 at 3 p.m. 2 Comments

  TALLAHASSEE — With Thanksgiving just days away, a few more Floridians will have something to be thankful for as the state's economy continues to rumble, albeit slowly, back to life.

• Peltier column: Insurance issues resurface Published 11/13/2011 at 2 p.m. 3 Comments

  TALLAHASSEE — Confronting an industry costing motorists $1 billion a year in higher premiums, lawmakers this week will turn their attention to reining in costs for an increasingly controversial coverage that was supposed to save money by keeping people out ...

• Peltier column: International intrigue hits museum in state capital Published 11/06/2011 at 3:15 p.m. 1 Comment

  TALLAHASSEE — It was a scene out of some Hollywood movie: Dark-suited federal agents in equally dark sunglasses converge on a small regional art museum a stone's throw from the state capitol building to retrieve a $2.5 million painting stolen ...

• Peltier column: Gov. Scott says Florida still on track for 700,000 jobs Published 10/23/2011 at 1:02 p.m. 4 Comments

  The campaign slogan has become a mantra: 700,000 jobs in seven years.

• Michael Peltier: State lawmakers return to work with many obstacles ahead Published 10/16/2011 at 4:52 p.m. 2 Comments

  lready complicated by election year politics, lawmakers return again this week in preparation for an election year special session now less than three months away.

• Peltier column: State spending will be set this week Published 10/09/2011 at 1:35 p.m.

  With the 2012 legislative session pushed up two months to accommodate an expected fight over redrawing political boundaries, lawmakers will likely get another piece of contentious news this week that will not make their job any easier.

• Peltier column: Florida wants to be early bird in primary process Published 10/02/2011 at 1:12 p.m.

  Florida political leaders have struck their claim in the presidential primary land grab as they pushed the state’s contest to Jan. 31 and forced traditionally early primary venues to also move their contests earlier.

• Peltier column: Tom Grady wants more flexibility over bank oversight Published 09/25/2011 at 2:45 p.m. 3 Comments

  Former state lawmaker and long-time securities fraud litigator Tom Grady has taken little time to promote changes in his newest endeavor as the state top banking regulator.

• Citizens' committee to review dramatic rate hike Published 05/16/2012 at 8:29 p.m. 8 Comments

  Coastal homeowners who seek Citizens coverage after Jan. 1 would see premiums averaging 41.7 percent higher than those imposed on similar properties in 2010. The rates would add roughly $100 million in new p

• Florida high court hears arguments in foreclosure "robo-signing" case Updated 05/10/2012 at 7:56 p.m. 15 Comments

  Pino’s attorneys found the bank’s law firm handling the case had backdated documents and had them signed by an employee of the firm. Some refer to this process as “robo-signing,” where banks and their law fi

• Florida GOP hauls in $3.1 million during quarter, Dems reel in $1.2 million Published 04/11/2012 at 9 p.m.

  Players in the ongoing fight over casino gambling and one of the state’s biggest medical insurance providers led the list of heavy donors to the Republican Party of Florida, which raked in more than $3.1 mi

• Session wrap-up: Environmental issues Published 03/15/2012 at 8:31 p.m. 1 Comment

  Septic tank legislation, state permitting changes and millions of dollars for Everglades restoration and land-buying capped off a relatively under-the-radar session for environmental issues.

• PIP bill poised for final vote in Florida House Published 03/01/2012 at 8:50 p.m. 6 Comments

  “It’s going to be a heavy lift in the Senate,” said Richter, R-Naples, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. Richter said he favors the House approach, which addresses a number of issues su

• House bill aimed at reducing auto insurance costs heads to floor Published 02/24/2012 at 10:16 p.m. 8 Comments

  The measure, backers say, is an attempt to rein in costs of personal injury protection insurance, a fraud-riddled system that is costing policyholders $1 billion a year in higher premiums.

• Florida bill to speed drilling appears dead in Senate Published 02/21/2012 at 10:18 p.m. 31 Comments

  Facing multiple questions and concerns from environmental groups, state regulators and the governor’s office, the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee adjourned without taking action

• Michael Peltier: Everglades/environmental funding could dry up in budget talks Published 02/12/2012 at 2 p.m. 2 Comments

  Funding for environmental programs including Everglades restoration efforts appear tied up in the budget end game, according to budget documents that show a huge gulf in the position of House and Senate negotiators.

• Senate panel: New slot machines don't threaten Seminole Tribe agreement Published 02/07/2012 at 10:03 p.m. 1 Comment

  An effort to prevent the introduction of next generation slot machines — which look more like casino games — at racetracks around the state was shot down in a Senate committee Tuesday. It failed despite fear

• Capital Column: At midpoint, will session be a meal or a snack? Published 02/05/2012 at 4:52 p.m. 1 Comment

  The next five weeks will determine — in the parlance of the Bravo cooking TV series “Top Chef” — if lawmakers will succeed or be asked to pack their knives and go home.

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