Florida lawmakers back abolishing state's Constitution Revision Commission

The House State of Affairs Committee approved a measure to ask voters to nix the state's 37-member Constitution Revision Commission. The unique commision, largely appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders, selects proposed amendments to be placed on the ballot, enabling voters to directly affect changes to the state's constitution. Recently, the commission's practice of "bundling" unrelated issues into single ballot proposals has generated controversy, calling into question the effectiveness of the group's policy decisions.

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Florida's GDP comparable to Mexico's

Florida, the state with the 4th largest GDP in the US, has a GDP comparable to Mexico according to a report by howmuch.net. Using data provided by the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis and the International Monetary Fund, howmuch.net has released a novel map, showing side-by-side comparisons of each state to a similarly-sized national foreign economy. The map "shows the economic power of the United States in a fun, imaginative way." More from howmuch.net and the Orlando Sentinel

Florida Poly unveils plans for state-of-the-art research building

Florida Polytechnic University announced plans to build another iconic building on its campus that will serve as a research hub for the Central Florida region, becoming a magnet for high-tech development around the school. The 85,000 square foot Applied Research Center (ARC) will house research and teaching laboratories, student design spaces, conference rooms, and faculty offices. The building will also provide study areas for graduate students, and a small amount of administrative space. More from Florida Polytechnic.

Acting Florida mayor arrested mere weeks after former mayor's arrest

Port Richey acting Mayor Terrence Rowe was arrested Wednesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate the commission of a crime, Rowe's arrest comes less than a month after his predecessor's arrest for firing at SWAT officers attempting to serve a search warrant. More from the The Hill.

Little-known Florida mayor to announce 2020 exploratory committee

Miramar mayor Wayne Messam is launching a presidential exploratory committee that will make him one of the longest of longshots in the 2020 race. Messam, little known outside of South Florida, is a 44-year-old African American Democrat who has led a town of 140,000 people since 2015. The mayor has a small political operation and enters a crowded field of Democratic rivals, many of whom have far larger profiles and fundraising bases. Messam says he's not afraid of the challenge of running for President as a relative unknown. More from CNN.

 

Florida's Most Influential Business Leaders
Daniel Cane and Michael Sherling founded Modernizing Medicine — practice management software for physicians — at the height of the recession. “We knew we had created a differentiator in the marketplace that could modernize medicine. Every dermatologist that saw our software knew it as well. That helped us secure our first round of funding, and many of our first customers also became our first investors.” Read More.