The Week Ahead in Florida Politics – October 26, 2015

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, OCTOBER 23, 2015…..Prompted by legal battles, the Florida Senate during the coming week is expected to approve a Senate redistricting plan. But that won't end the wrangling that has forced lawmakers into a special session. The Senate still needs to reach agreement with the House on the plan --- and ultimately would need approval from the state Supreme Court. Also during the coming week, Florida is scheduled to execute Death Row inmate Jerry Correll, who was convicted of murdering four people in 1985 in Orlando.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015

SOTO, PLASENCIA HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE: State Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, and Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, will hold a news conference about legislation aimed at protecting Floridians from tragic accidents. (Monday, 10 a.m., Orange County Courthouse, 425 North Orange Ave., Orlando.)

SCOTT VISITS HARRIS CORP: Gov. Rick Scott is expected to visit Harris Corp. to discuss issues such as the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, commonly known as STEM. (Monday, 2 p.m., Harris Corp., 1395 Troutman Blvd., Palm Bay.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Orange County. (Monday, 2 p.m., Jessie Brock Community Center, 310 North Dillard St., Winter Garden.)

ATWATER ATTENDS INSURANCE SUMMIT: State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater is expected to take part in a reception at the Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit. (Monday, 5:30 p.m., Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, 4401 Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista.)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

Legislature:

SENATE DEMOCRATS MEET: The Senate Democratic Caucus is scheduled to meet. (Tuesday, 11 a.m., 228 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

SENATE CONSIDERS REDISTRICTING PLAN: The Senate is expected to take up a plan (SJR 2-C) that would redraw the state's Senate districts. (Tuesday, noon, Senate chamber, the Capitol.)

Also:

CITIZENS, CAT FUND OFFICIALS AT INSURANCE SUMMIT: Barry Gilway, president and CEO of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., and Jack Nicholson, chief operating officer of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, are expected to be among the speakers at the Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit. Other scheduled speakers include Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. (Tuesday, 8:30 a.m., Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, 4401 Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista.)

CABINET CONSIDERS LAND ISSUES: Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet will consider a series of land-related issues, including a purchase that is part of a state effort to provide additional buffer areas around military bases. The purchase involves land near Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER BOARD MEETS: The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board will meet. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., district headquarters, 2379 Broad St., Brooksville.)

ST. JOHNS WATER BOARD HOLDS WORKSHOP: The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board is scheduled to hold a workshop about issues such as strategic planning. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., district headquarters, 4049 Reid St., Palatka.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in St. Lucie, Union, Columbia and Broward counties. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., Port St. Lucie City Hall, 121 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie. Also, 10:30 a.m., Union County Courthouse, 55 West Main St., Lake Butler. Also, 12:30 p.m., Columbia County Commission conference room, 135 N.E. Hernando Ave., Lake City. Also, 4 p.m., Miramar Branch Library & Education Center, 2050 Civic Center Place, Miramar.)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Legislature:

REDISTRICTING AT ISSUE: The Senate could vote on a plan (SJR 2-C) that would redraw the state's Senate districts. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., Senate chamber, the Capitol.)

Also:

FAMU TRUSTEES HOLD SERIES OF MEETINGS: The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will hold a series of meetings, including a meeting of the Special Committee on Presidential Evaluation. The meetings come amid high-profile clashes between several trustees and university President Elmira Mangum. (Wednesday, first meeting starts at 8:30 a.m., Florida A&M University, Band Rehearsal Hall, Tallahassee.)

MCCARTY SPEAKS AT INSURANCE SUMMIT: Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is expected to be among the speakers at the Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit. (Wednesday, 8:30 a.m., Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, 4401 Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista.)

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETS IN ORLANDO: The State Board of Education will take up a series of issues, including an issue related to Florida Standards Assessment cut scores and school accountability. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, 9300 Jeff Fuqua Blvd., Orlando.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Santa Rosa, Orange, Clay and Osceola counties. (Wednesday, 9 a.m. Central time, Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce, 409 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze. Also, 10 a.m., Renaissance Senior Community Center, 3800 South Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando. Also, 1:30 p.m., Orange Park Town Hall, 2042 Park Ave., Orange Park. Also, 4 p.m., Poinciana Community Center, 395 Marigold Ave., Kissimmee.)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES ANALYZED: The Criminal Justice Estimating Conference will hold what is known as an "impact" conference. (Wednesday, 2 p.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

DOT PERFORMANCE REVIEWED: The Florida Transportation Commission will consider a series of issues, including a performance and production review of the state Department of Transportation. (Thursday, 8:30 a.m., The Birchwood, 340 Beach Dr. N.E. St., St. Petersburg.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Escambia and Broward counties. (Thursday, 10 a.m. Central time, Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Ave., Pensacola. Also, 11 a.m., Northwest Regional Library, 3151 North University Dr., Coral Springs.)

SUPREME COURT TO RELEASE OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to release its weekly opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AT ISSUE: The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, which is chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi, is scheduled to hold a conference call. (Thursday, 1 p.m. Call-in number: 1-888-670-3525. Code: 2057836401.)

INGRAHAM SPEAKS AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TIGER BAY: Conservative radio-show host Laura Ingraham will speak at the Tiger Bay Club of Southwest Florida. (Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Harborside Event Center, 1375 Monroe St., Fort Myers.)

CORRELL SLATED TO BE EXECUTED: Death Row inmate Jerry Correll, who was convicted in the 1985 stabbing deaths of four people, including his ex-wife and their 5-year-old daughter, is scheduled to be executed. (Thursday, 6 p.m., Florida State Prison, near Starke.)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

CHILDREN'S MEDICAL SERVICES AT ISSUE: The Florida Department of Health will host a meeting of the Children's Medical Services Managed Care Plan Technical Advisory Panel. The meeting comes amid changes in the Children's Medical Services program, which serves children who need specialized health-care services. (Friday, 8 a.m., 4042 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee.)

HOUSING ISSUES ON THE TABLE: The Florida Housing Finance Corp. Board of Directors will meet. (Friday, 8:30 a.m., Tallahassee City Hall, 300 South Adams St., Tallahassee.)

AGENCY BUDGET REQUESTS DETAILED: State agency leaders will discuss their 2016-2017 legislative budget requests during a series of meetings. The requests will be grouped by subject areas in the budget. (Friday, public safety, 9 a.m., 110 Senate Office Building. Also, general government, 9 a.m., 216 Capitol. Also, education, noon, 110 Senate Office Building. Also, environment, noon, 216 Capitol. Also, health and human services, 2 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building. Also, transportation and economic development, 2 p.m., 216 Capitol.)

CENTRAL FLORIDA WATER AT ISSUE: The Central Florida Water Initiative Steering Committee will meet in Kissimmee. The committee includes representatives of the St. Johns River Water Management District, the South Florida Water Management District, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Tohopekaliga Water Authority. (Friday, 9:30 a.m., TOHO Water Authority, 951 Martin Luther King Blvd., Kissimmee.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Miami-Dade, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. (Friday, 10 a.m., Victoria Senior Center, 250 S.W. 114th Ave., Sweetwater. Also, 10 a.m., St. Petersburg Public Library, North Branch, 861 70th Ave. North, St. Petersburg. Also, 2 p.m., Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Dr., Brandon.)

FLORIDA HEALTH CHOICES MEETS: The Board of Directors of Florida Health Choices, which was created to serve as an online health-care marketplace, will meet. (Friday, 11 a.m., 200 West College Ave., Tallahassee.)

PHARMACY BOARD DISCUSSES CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES: The Florida Board of Pharmacy will hold a conference call to discuss a proposed rule dealing with dispensing controlled substances. The discussion comes amid complaints from many patients that they have a hard time filling legitimate prescriptions for pain medications. (Friday, 12:30 p.m. Call-in number: 1-888-670-3525. Code: 5134896685.)

CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR SPEAKS AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: The Florida Democratic Party will begin its 2015 convention, with the first day including a speech by Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy. (Friday, Disney's Yacht and Beach Club, Lake Buena Vista.)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2015

MCCASKILL SPEAKS AT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: The Florida Democratic Party will continue its 2015 convention with events including a speech by Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill. (Saturday, Disney's Yacht and Beach Club, Lake Buena Vista.)