Jack Latvala

Ethics Reform In Florida Called 'A Mixed Bag'

Gina Jordan — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:05:00 +0000

At the WLRN Miami Herald Town Hall meeting last month, Barbara Ricano from Sunrise wanted to know:

“After so many ethics violations and repeated ethical issues involving campaigns and elected officials, why are the consequences so minor? Why is there no real teeth to any of the penalties?”

Democrats In Tallahassee Less Outnumbered Than They Used To Be

Rick Stone — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The election results and new leadership in the Florida legislature have made life a little easier for the state's elected Democrats.

Not that that there's been a substantial change in how the state's laws are made. The elections may have stripped House and Senate Republicans of their super-majorities, but Democrats remain profoundly outvoted and relatively powerless.

Tragic Sinkhole In Tampa Sheds Light On Florida's Geological Predicament

Tricia Woolfenden — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:02:40 +0000

The news last week of a Hillsborough County man who disappeared into a sinkhole that opened up beneath his bedroom has sparked a renewed national interest in the Florida sinkhole phenomenon.

WLRN Town Hall Tackles The State's Tough Issues Before The Legislature's 2013 Session

Tricia Woolfenden — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:57:54 +0000

Education, voting reform, property insurance, and political transparency were among the topics covered during Monday night's Town Hall event on Session 2013 of the Florida Legislature hosted by WLRN and the Miami Herald. The second annual forum marks the beginning of WLRN's coverage of Session 2013, which convenes March 5 and continues through May 3.

Bill Would Give Ethics Commission More Power With Expansive Overhaul

Brandon Larrabee — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

A Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that supporters called the most expansive overhaul in decades of the rules elected officials must follow, even as the measure obscured what could be a battle with the House over campaign finance laws.

Happening Tonight: Help Us Make Tallahassee Accountable At Session 2013 Town Hall

Elaine Chen — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:42:53 +0000

Tallahassee may be hundreds of miles away, but WLRN a

South Florida Elections Officials Blamed For Election's Long Lines, Delayed Count

Rick Stone — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:30:00 +0000

State elections chief Ken Detzner told the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Tuesday that it was five "underperforming" counties that caused the delays in reporting the Florida vote count after the Nov. 6 election.

Chairman Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) said he'll call for the elections supervisors from Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Lee counties to testify before his committee next month. "There's enough blame to go around," Latvala said.