Joe Henderson, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonMarch 9, 2017

Bob Buckhorn is a gregarious, ambitious and determined man, and I think he would have made a fine governor for the state of Florida. He certainly ranks among the best mayors the city of Tampa has ever had. But I also believe he made the right call when he announced in an email to supporters Thursday […]

Joe HendersonMarch 7, 2017

The Hillsborough County public school district has straightforward rules in its student handbook about religion. It says students can talk about religion, practice their religion, can be excused to observe a religious holiday, and – most important for the context of our discussion today – decide for themselves whether they want to participate in things […]

Joe HendersonMarch 6, 2017

We already know the 2017 Legislative Session that opens Tuesday in Tallahassee is likely to be contentious, but aren’t they all? Big-league politics is a contact sport. No one will deny the battle between Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran over spending priorities makes for good political theater (not to mention headlines). When […]

Joe HendersonMarch 1, 2017

If all issues before the St. Petersburg City Council were as easy as the once members will consider Thursday morning, anyone could do the job. The Council has a vote scheduled to set a referendum on a plan to privately renovate Al Lang Stadium. That’s so a bid by Tampa Bay Rowdies’ owner Bill Edwards […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 27, 2017

As we saw during the last campaign, Marco Rubio can be awfully good at not showing up. His latest no-show has nothing to do with his attendance in the U.S. Senate, though. Now, he doesn’t want to show up at town hall meetings because people might be rude. “They’re not town halls anymore, and I […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 24, 2017

Of the many wonderful things the late University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt said and did in her life, perhaps none echoes with more relevance today than these simple words: Toughen up, buttercup. Sally Jenkins, the terrific Washington Post columnist, reported that’s how Summitt dealt with an assistant coach who was upset almost […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 23, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott has added a new title to his resume in the last few weeks – lame duck. Sure, he officially retains the job of Florida governor until a successor takes over in 2019, but for all intents, it appears a majority of state House members aren’t waiting until then to stop listening to […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 20, 2017

In case Democrats haven’t figured it out yet, they are in a position of increasing irrelevance for a couple of big reasons: They consistently have been outworked, and they apparently can’t understand what’s actually happening in Florida and this country. The election of Donald Trump is just the latest in what has been a series […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 17, 2017

I was watching the fascinating video from the Florida House of Representatives in its escalating war with Gov. Rick Scott over state subsidies for private businesses and tourism when an image caught my eye as it streaked by quickly. It was the logo for Enterprise Florida, the public-private partnership that is supposed to create jobs. […]

Joe HendersonFebruary 15, 2017

I will give state Rep. Chris Latvala, a Clearwater Republican, the benefit of the doubt that he believes he is doing the right thing by filing HB 661 – a measure that prohibits the public release of video and audio recordings of someone’s death. Latvala originally filed the measure last October to cover only the […]

Joe Henderson
A snippet of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party fundraising email Finance Chair Sue Whitman-Helfgot sent Monday.

Joe Henderson: Bob Buckhorn made the right call not to run for Governor

Just imagine huge can of worms opened by religious liberty bill

Joe Henderson: This Legislative Session has the chance to be one of the most significant in Florida’s history

Easy call: St. Pete Cty Council to set Al Lang referendum

Marco Rubio wimps out on town halls. Are we surprised?

Legislating free speech? Toughen up, buttercup

Rick Scott’s newest title – lame duck

For ‘Dem-witted’ Florida Democrats, stop arguing and get to work

Subliminal message no help in Enterprise Florida fight

Bill blocking public release of death recordings a slippery slope for transparency, truth