Gary Fineout

Tallahassee

Reporter at POLITICO

Writer at Florida Playbook Newsletter

Reporter with POLITICO covering Florida who also tweets and functions in an evolving multimedia world.

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Articles

Reading the tea leaves on Florida’s next LG

2 days ago | politico.com | Kimberly Leonard |Gary Fineout

Collins is a former Green Beret and decorated combat veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 23 years in the military. | Phil Sears/AP Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Gov. RON DESANTIS has been able to shuffle personnel around the top levels of state government this year. One opening that still remains, though, is the No. 2 job in Tallahassee: lieutenant governor. The most likely contender is Republican state Sen.
Florida’s GOP skirmish has been dominated by lawmakers. It’s DeSantis’ turn now.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Gary Fineout

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — It was a bumpy six months, filled with open intra-GOP feuds with Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature crawled to the finish line of their annual session late Monday night, closing out a new state budget after plenty of policy and personal squabbles. Now it’s the governor's turn to have a say on the matter. DeSantis’ firm control over the Legislature has clearly ended after years of nearly total domination.
A gerrymandering fight, state-style

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Kimberly Leonard |Gary Fineout

Good morning and welcome to Monday. A panel of three federal judges in Tampa this morning will kick off the next round of litigation involving redistricting. But this isn’t your garden variety lawsuit. This case doesn’t involve the congressional map pushed into law by Gov. RON DESANTIS that sparked lawsuits, but instead focuses on a state Senate district in the Tampa Bay area and whether it constitutes an illegal racial gerrymander. Senate District 16 — represented now by Democratic state Sen.
Ruby-red Florida is still preparing for a financial storm from DC

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Gary Fineout

Lawmakers in Tallahassee got to this point following a protracted and bumpy session, during which legislative leaders clashed over spending levels and tax cuts. Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature is about to wrap up work on the state’s budget with a series of significant steps designed to shore up reserves and curtail spending.
Ruby-red Florida is still preparing for a financial storm from DC

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Gary Fineout

Miss Manners: The wedding dinner is for couples only, but I can’t invite a dead manPlus: The hosts will show a video lauding our son’s cousin. What are our polite options? DEAR MISS MANNERS: My youngest son is getting married this …
Inside Ron DeSantis’ tough year in Florida

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gary Fineout

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — It’s shaping up to be the year from hell for Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor has been in a war of words and blame with the Republican state House speaker. A drawn-out budget dispute has left him frozen on filling key positions. Allies are streaming out the door, and it’s unclear whether a successor in the governor’s mansion will continue his legacy initiatives.
With time running out, Florida's GOP-led Legislature forges budget deal

4 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gary Fineout

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal that will guarantee $2.25 billion shifted into tax cuts and reserves while also establishing a path for legislators to avoid a potential shutdown of state government this summer. The agreement does not include a permanent reduction in the overall sales tax rate, which at one point had been a top priority of state House Speaker Daniel Perez but had come under fire by Gov.
University of Florida picks Michigan's leader as new president despite pushback

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Gary Fineout

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — University of Florida trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to hire University of Michigan President Santa Ono, despite sharp criticism from conservative activists and some state Republicans. Ono’s hiring must still be confirmed by the board that oversees the state university system, normally a perfunctory decision.
Giving it multiple college tries

1 month ago | politico.com | Kimberly Leonard |Gary Fineout

Ono was named as the only finalist for the position after UF conducted its entire search in the shadows due to a law put in place three years ago by the Florida Legislature. | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Today will provide quite the split-screen on the future of Florida’s higher education system Gov. RON DESANTIS has worked to enact.
Not spotted: Florida's budget

1 month ago | politico.com | Gary Fineout |Isa Dominguez

Senate President Ben Albritton was in Las Vegas this week for a fundraiser | Francis Chung/POLITICO Hello and welcome to Friday. It’s almost Memorial Day. Do you know where Florida’s budget is? And do you know where the state’s legislative leaders are? Normally by this time of the year, the new state budget would have been pushed out by the Legislature, and legislators and lobbyists would be waiting for the governor’s line-item budget vetoes. Gov.