Don Gaetz

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Rick Scott vetoed $368 million in lawmaker pet projects Monday and blocked a 3 percent tuition hike for Florida colleges and universities. The tuition increase passed earlier this month was a small piece of the overall $74.1...

TALLAHASSEE – Florida TaxWatch, the business-backed group that calls itself a fiscal watchdog, has targeted $106.8 million worth of budget projects that it says Gov. Rick Scott should veto. Road projects, public safety initiatives and money for...

In her dark-horse campaign to become Florida's next governor, former state Sen. Nan Rich likes to recall the stories of Democratic political legends Reubin Askew, Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham. Each was a little-known state senator when he launched his...

TALLAHASSEE — With the 60-day lawmaking session complete, Florida legislators are wasting no time getting back to what they do the other 10 months of the year: raising copious amounts of cash from wealthy donors and companies. And thanks to a...

Without any debate, the Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a measure that would have allowed small coastal counties to spend some of their hotel taxes on lifeguards and beach patrols. The idea was fiercely opposed by the Florida...

The Senate now has three session days left to get a hefty workload done and Senate President Don Gaetz has started to show his more outspoken side on many topics left to tackle. The Niceville Republican seemed to be in good spirits when he joked with...

With the legislative session over and the dust of lawmakers departing Tallahassee barely settled, Gov. Rick Scott this week took to the campaign trail for a victory lap that was more a display of uninspired leadership than a cause for celebration....

TALLAHASSEE -- The Senate passed its health care plan by a 38-1 vote this morning, possibly a final act in the legislative debate over health care, which now seems doomed. Last night, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said that it appeared "unlikely" that...

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Legislature ended its 2013 session Friday by passing an elections do-over and the largest budget in state history, but without delivering tax subsidies to the Miami Dolphins, Orlando soccer boosters and a cadre of other...

Florida House and Senate leaders banged their gavels at 7:16 Friday evening, bringing the 2013 legislative session to a close. Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, joined each other on the...

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Legislature ended its 2013 session Friday by passing an elections do-over and the largest budget in state history, but without delivering tax subsidies to the Miami Dolphins, Orlando soccer boosters and a cadre of other...

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida House of Representatives embarrassed itself this week by ramming through a tax-cut that turns one of Gov. Rick Scott's top legislative priorities into potential litigation fodder. The last thing the governor and...