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Sayfie Review Roundup - April 18, 2015

Florida's top headlines that attracted the most
readers on Sayfie Review this week

Blaise Ingoglia and continued GOP infighting in the Fla House

Mary Ellen Klas - Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau - April 16, 2015
 

...Imagine electing one of the three most powerful people in the state based on a resume, a handshake and promise.

   

There’s no audition for the job. You don’t get a chance to see how the prospective leader performs under stress, how he resolves conflicts, or even how he feels about many issues. But you do know his political pedigree and which lobbyists and fundraisers back him.

 

That’s how Florida legislators designate their House speaker - six years before they take the official vote. It’s a precarious way to run a democracy and that’s part of the reason why Rep. Eric Eisnaugle and Rep. Blaise Ingoglia are scrambling for cover this week.

 

Eisnaugle, an Orlando Republican, had reportedly sewn up pledges from 17 of the 19 House freshmen to become their speaker designee for 2020-2022 term -- until this week, when word got out that he’s being targeted in an attempted coup.

   


 

Michael Van Sickler and Kathleen McGrory - Tampa Bay Times - April 15, 2015
 

...Republican leaders said Wednesday that they won't approve a budget by the scheduled end of the legislative session in 15 days because of a showdown over Medicaid expansion.  

   

Asked by reporters if he agreed that it was already too late to meet their deadline, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said he did.

 

"I would assume most likely we're looking at a special session," Crisafulli said.

 

Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, also said he thought it was too late to end on time and that a special session, rather than extending the regular session, was likely.   

 

"The sand is running out of the hourglass as we speak," Lee said. "Until there's some remedy, some breakthrough, some epiphany, we're at an impasse."

 


 

The power players behind Rubio's campaign

   

Katie Glueck - Politico - April 13, 2015

  

...Marco Rubio is keeping his staffing operation small, for the time being. The Florida senator and 2016 presidential hopeful lacks the vast political and fundraising network enjoyed by the likes of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been on the political scene for decades. And he hasn’t invested as much time in staffing up as fellow senator and 2016 rival Rand Paul.

 

Instead, Rubio plans to focus his resources on introducing himself in places like Iowa and New Hampshire. To help him do that, Rubio is tapping into a close-knit, fiercely loyal circle of advisers, many of whom are expected to take on influential key roles in the campaign. Several of the most prominent voices in Rubio’s orbit have been with him since his long-shot 2010 Senate bid, or even earlier, and like Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, several staffers have ties to Miami and the Cuban-American community.

 

Here’s a look at Rubio’s most influential operatives and how early staffing moves are shaping up.