Melissa Ross, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossNovember 10, 2015

State Attorney Angela Corey celebrated 34 years as a prosecutor in Florida’s 4th Judicial Circuit this week (excepting, of course, the short span when she was fired from the office by her predecessor, Harry Shorstein.) Corey triumphantly returned when she beat Shorstein’s protege, Jay Plotkin, in the 2008 state attorney’s race. “Ed Austin hired me […]

Melissa RossNovember 9, 2015

They didn’t make their original goal of electing NINE in ’15. Instead, only four women currently sit on the Jacksonville City Council in the year 2015 – Lori Boyer, Joyce Morgan, Anna Brosche, and Katrina Brown. But the “9 in 15“ movement isn’t going away. Not by a long shot. That was the message sent by powerful North Florida philanthropist Pam Paul at a weekend luncheon […]

Melissa RossNovember 6, 2015

A bipartisan summit on criminal justice reform is expected to draw local and national thought leaders to Jacksonville this month. Operation Reform, sponsored by #Cut50, the Ford Foundation and Operation New Hope, will focus on re-entry solutions for people leaving incarceration, and reducing recidivism through employment. This was a major focus of the Jacksonville Journey, […]

Melissa RossNovember 4, 2015

In the wake of last night’s defeat of an anti-discrimination ordinance in Houston, activists with the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality say they’re going to work overtime to educate the public – and prepare to do battle against any potential scare tactics that could be mounted to defeat an expanded HRO in Duval County. Prop. 1, known […]

Melissa RossNovember 4, 2015

The operatives on the ground in tax-averse St. Johns County are celebrating sweet, sweet victory. For the first time in 40 years, the residents of this upscale area have approved a tax increase. Voting 61 percent to 39 percent, voters approved a 10-year, half-cent sales tax to pay for new and improved school construction. With […]

Melissa RossNovember 3, 2015

Airline passengers in Naples took their first direct flight in decades to Havana on Monday. It’s just the latest example of a Florida city jumping on opportunities to do business in Cuba. The fast-changing relationship between the U.S. and the Communist island nation follows up on December’s announcement by President Barack Obama and Cuban President […]

Melissa RossNovember 2, 2015

St. Johns County, Florida is known far and wide for its great schools. They’re so great, in fact, that everyone is moving to the county. That’s become something of a problem. Total K-12 student enrollment in St. Johns is up about 45 percent during the past decade. In that time, the district has built 11 […]

Melissa RossOctober 30, 2015

The Florida GOP says its RPOF Statesman Dinner, with keynote by former Vice President Dick Cheney, is now sold out. The November 12th event is at capacity with more than 950 tickets sold. The dinner takes place the night before the Sunshine Summit in Orlando, billed as a two-day event bringing together presidential candidates along with Florida’s state […]

Melissa RossOctober 30, 2015

We think of Halloween as a very orange-colored holiday, between the pumpkins and the candy corn. But this year, you may spot a few teal-colored pumpkins in your neighborhood. The Teal Pumpkin Project is a growing part of Halloween, and it’s a visual way to encourage families to hand out some non-food items to children with food allergies. One in 13 […]

Melissa RossOctober 29, 2015

Reports of Jeb Bush’s demise are premature, says the man who wrote the book on his tenure as Florida governor. “As someone who has written about him, what I will say is, he is not a quitter. He is a fierce competitor. I think he’ll fight to the end,” author and University of North Florida […]

Melissa Ross

Angela Corey: “What we’re doing is working”

Jax “9 in 15” women’s leadership movement gears up for round two

Operation Reform Summit seeks bipartisan approach to criminal justice reform

After Houston, Jax LGBT activists say they’ve got their work cut out

A Better St. Johns PAC savors victory: “We’re ecstatic”

Is Jacksonville missing opportunities in Cuba?

St. Johns County votes Tuesday on taxing explosive growth

RPOF annual dinner with Dick Cheney speech now sold-out

The Teal Pumpkin Project comes to Florida this Halloween

Matt Corrigan on Jeb Bush: “I think he’ll fight to the end”