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

Melissa RossSeptember 21, 2015

Opposition to Florida’s campus carry bill is growing on the state’s college campuses, says one spokesman for Sunshine State academia. “Campuses are exponentially safer places than virtually any other public space, other than municipal and state buildings in which concealed weapons are strictly banned,” said John White, president of the University of North Florida chapter […]

Melissa RossSeptember 18, 2015

New Jacksonville Planning Commission Chairwoman-elect Lisa King took to the radio airwaves Friday to make her case as her seeming showdown with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry enters a new phase. King, as Florida Politics A.G. Gancarski has been reporting, refused to resign from the commission at Curry’s request. (She was joined by Commissioner Joey McKinnon, also asked […]

Melissa RossSeptember 17, 2015

With crime, punishment and juvenile justice very much on the minds of local and regional policymakers, an upcoming resource fair aimed at coordinating ways to keep youngsters out of trouble is an idea that’s being embraced in Jacksonville. The Juvenile Justice and Youth Services Fair will take place Wednesday in the second-floor jury assembly room […]

Melissa RossSeptember 16, 2015

The 2016 presidential candidate that wins Florida will do it by pulling off a nifty hat trick: appealing to both Baby Boomers AND Millennials. “People don’t realize that the millennials as a group are larger in size than the boomers,” says Susan McManus, professor of political science at the University of South Florida. In her […]

Melissa RossSeptember 15, 2015

He’s a man who seems to be everywhere these days. Weighing in on every hot-button issue from Medicaid expansion to Planned Parenthood. Pushing a “cold case” task force. But this month, Jacksonville state Sen. Aaron Bean is also tripping the light fantastic. Yes, Bean is one of the North Florida “stars” who will compete Saturday night […]

Melissa RossSeptember 14, 2015

The League of Women Voters of Florida has sent out an e-blast calling for a stop to Florida’s scheduled bear hunt– a message that includes a plug for the organization’s First Vice President, Chuck O’Neal. The missive, “Stop the Hunt! Vote for Chuck!” asks readers to click on a link that takes you to the […]

Melissa RossSeptember 12, 2015

In the ultimate generational passing of the torch, 35-year-old Ken Babby has assumed control of the Jacksonville Suns from the storied Bragan family, taking ownership after the 2015 season and planning what he says will be a millennial’s approach to freshening up the fun at the ballpark. The divorced dad of a 7-year old son, Babby […]

Melissa RossSeptember 10, 2015

As the war between taxicab companies and app-based transportation services such as Uber and Lyft heats up, it’s always fascinating to get the take of one of the foot soldiers in the conflict. After all, the grunts on the front lines are the ones trudging through mud (actually it’s drunk passengers’ vomit), dodging shrapnel (traffic […]

Melissa RossSeptember 8, 2015

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NASA’s shuttle program may have come in for a final landing in Florida, but dreams of commercial space flight around the state are refusing to stay grounded. The CEO of Space Florida says the demand is growing for a commercial spaceport without the constraints of government bureaucracy. This, even though Senator Bill Nelson seems to be nixing […]

Melissa RossSeptember 7, 2015

In politics, language can make all the difference. For example, famed political consultant/public opinion guru Frank Luntz made his reputation by turning oil drilling into “energy exploration” and changing the estate tax into the “death tax.” “It’s not what you say,” went his famous slogan, “it’s what they hear.” Luntz also advised clients not to […]

Melissa Ross
Orlando Pride

Academic opponents to Florida campus carry bill speak out

Lisa King: “I may have the votes”

Jax Youth Justice Fair brings groups together to “save kids from the system”

Susan McManus: 2016 candidates must appeal to Florida’s two “super-sized generations”

Aaron Bean puts on his dancing shoes

League of Women Voters: Stop the bear hunt

New Jax Suns owner Ken Babby: “I absolutely love what I’m doing”

Uber driver tells all

Will Florida spaceports take flight?

In Florida, to move the needle on climate, talk about “sea level rise”