Gary Siplin

From casino gambling to mutant animals, we're covering a lot of ground in today's Friday Files — including an offer from the Maxwell family to share one of our more coveted possessions: our "Celebrate plate." •We start with Florida's troubling...

Today we've got all kinds of serious and infuriating items. But first, let's start with something fun — news that Magic coach Stan Van Gundy wants to be a politician. Yep, he told the Orlando Sentinel's Zach McCann as much this week. Now, Coach...

Mike Ertel, the ever-helpful elections supervisor in Seminole County, has looked at the proposed congressional and Senate redistricting maps put out today by the Senate Reapportionment Committee and produced a quick look at how his home county would be...

Former Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart this week joined a notable field of female Democrats vying for the elected state post being vacated by Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando. She joins  state House Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, and Siplin's...

TALLAHASSEE — After a few weeks of national vitriol and chest-thumping, Florida made it official Friday and moved it's 2012 presidential primary to Jan. 31 — a move that could place it fifth in the country. The decision wasn't unanimous. Two...

Besides the Dorothy Hukill-Frank Bruno Senate race in Senate District 7 in Volusia County, Central Florida voters can expect a few more competitive contests around the region. In District 20, in Lake and Volusia counties, first-term Sen. Alan Hayes, R-...

State Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando filed a bill recently that would allow Florida's undocumented students to pay lower college tuition. This bill — as did a similar bill that Siplin filed during the last legislative session — doesn't have a...

TALLAHASSEE — As the politically cantankerous redistricting process cranks up, Senate lawmakers are starting to quarrel over the publicly drawn maps the chamber is reviewing — and they haven't even drawn any lawmaker-submitted maps yet. During...

State Sen. Gary Siplin is term-limited next year, and we keep hearing he's likely to run for Congress. But for the moment, the Orlando Democrat seems more focused on trying to help his wife, Victoria, win election to his Senate seat. He's taking advantage...

The American Conservative Union, which has long ranked the most and least conservative members of Congress, has set its sights on the Florida Legislature. You can read the full report here. The group based its ranking on how legislators voted on nearly...

Former Gov. Jeb Bush's annual Florida Legislature report card holds few surprises. Most Republican state lawmakers earned A's, and most Democrat's earned F's (which I'm thinking some will view as a merit badge rather than an embarrassing bad grade). The...

TALLAHASSEE — Three grassroots groups — Progress Florida, Florida Watch Action and America Votes — named 21 Democrats as “Champions of Florida's Middle Class,” Thursday. “In an environment where virtually every issue of...