David Simmons

TALLAHASSEE -- Insurance carriers, sugar growers pushing to lessen their pollution costs, telecommunications giant AT&T, and an Internet cafe software company dominated spending on lobbyists to influence the Florida Legislature over the first three months...

In local public-affairs programming this weekend: Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Wells talks to "Political Connections" at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday on Central Florida News. He talks to Ybeth Bruzual about a book he has written,...

When the controversial overhaul of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. reached the Senate floor for final consideration Thursday, lawmakers simultaneously voted "Yes" to reforming the state-backed insurer and "No" to new increases in premiums. By a 32-1...

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Legislature used its next-to-last day Thursday to pass a watered-down texting-while-driving ban, a plan to slim down the state-run Citizens Property Insurance and legislation that strips local governments of the power to...

Organize Now, the group leading a push for mandatory paid sick time in Orange County, continues to urge Gov. Rick Scott to veto a bill that would block local governments from enacting such local measures, and now they are enlisting moms to convinve him to...

Palm Beach County is home to 23,534 of them. Broward has 25,173. Those figures represent the number of wind-only policies Citizens Property Insurance Corp. sells at "actuarially unsound" premiums, or coverage that is routinely priced more than 60 percent...

A leading group behind the push for mandatory paid sick time in Orange County is starting an online petition to urge Gov. Rick Scott to veto a bill that would block local governments from adopting such measures. Organize Now started the petition over...

TALLAHASSEE -- Backers of a sweeping sports stadium package were working furiously Friday to convince the Florida House to pass tax-breaks for the Miami Dolphins, Orlando soccer boosters, Daytona International Speedway and others. Central Florida Sens....

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida House sent Gov. Rick Scott a sick-leave bill which would block local governments from enacting sick-leave policies like the one slated for a public vote in Orange County. The compromise language passed 76-41 by the House...

TALLAHASSEE -- On the eve of a Senate vote to dramatically overhaul Citizens' Property Insurance by letting rates go up and trying to shift more policies to the private market, consumer advocate came out against the bill essentially saying the bad...

TALLAHASSEE -- House Majority Leader Steve Precourt is refusing to go along with a Senate deal on a local government sick-leave bill, casting some doubt on whether the Orange County-inspired measure can pass the Legislature by Friday. Precourt, R-...

TALLAHASSEE -- Sen. David Simmons said he's cut deal with the House to pass a slimmed down Citizens Property Insurance bill that will mirror the House's less aggressive version -- in exchange for revisiting next year the problems with "wind-only" policies...