A proposed constitutional amendment to end greyhound racing in the state unanimously cleared its first committee Thursday. That was right after its sponsor, Commissioner Tom Lee, delivered a fiery speech on the power of—and oncoming peril to—his proposal. Mira, a 7-year-old greyhound and former racing dog, lay a few feet away. “You haven’t heard from…

“There’s a lot of inhumanity and cruelty going on in that industry,” Lee says. Sen. Tom Lee wants to eliminate greyhound races over the next three years, which would shutter the 92-year-old landmark Derby Lane in Pinellas County. The Thonotosassa Republican filed a constitutional amendment that would prohibit wagering on greyhound or other dog races….

State Sen. Tom Lee‘s office announced he had again filed legislation to add financial protections for residents of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). The Thonotosassa Republican, a former Senate president, filed the 70-page bill (SB 438) on Thursday; he filed similar legislation last session. “Part independent living, part assisted living and part skilled nursing home,…

Republican state Sen. Tom Lee of Thonotosassa doesn’t give up easily. He has filed two bills that for the 2018 session that are essentially repeats of proposals that didn’t pass this year. If enacted, SB 150 would eliminate the state requirement that would require motorists to carry $10,000 in personal injury protection. The 131-page measure…

Fifty legislators received top marks from Americans for Prosperity-Florida, the largest number of A+ legislators since the organization began issuing its annual legislative scorecard. The organization released its 2017 Economic Freedom Scorecard, which graded 5,500 votes on 96 issues, on Tuesday. The scorecard showed 50 legislators — 11 senators and 39 representatives — received an…