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

Melissa RossSeptember 4, 2015

$3-31-15-ban-fracking-sign-1024x1024.jpg$

The fight over fracking is heating up again in Florida. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is an oil and gas drilling technique that involves pumping fluids and chemicals at high pressure deep underground to break up rock formations. Last month, Democratic Sens. Darren Soto of Orlando and Dwight Bullard of Miami filed legislation that aims to ban fracking in […]

Melissa RossSeptember 3, 2015

Amidst all the celebration and revelry of St. Augustine’s 450th commemorations this week, some are planning to protest the way the nation’s oldest city was founded. A coalition of Native American groups is calling for a boycott of the 450th, saying it “shamefully celebrates and honors the Doctrine of Discovery and Spain’s crimes against humanity.” The […]

Melissa RossSeptember 2, 2015

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, whose inauguration motto was “One City, One Jacksonville,” recently made a very high-profile and symbolic hire to drive that point home when he appointed Marsha Oliver as his new spokesperson. Oliver is not only a registered Democrat, she’s also the first African-American female to hold the spox job at City Hall. […]

Melissa RossSeptember 1, 2015

Ousted Atlantic Beach Commissioner Maria Mark had a run-in with the police Monday night. As The Florida Times-Union reported, police say Mark tried to confront a resident who supported Mark’s opponent, new Commissioner-elect John Stinson. Mark told the T-U the last straw was a “hateful sign” in the homeowner’s yard that “stated Mark should have […]

Melissa RossAugust 31, 2015

WireAP_ba6e917865eb4a25ad120ace7aa3d259_16x9_9921-1024x1024.jpg

The Florida attorney representing a Kentucky court clerk in a standoff over same-sex marriage says it’s a matter of religious liberty. “It’s getting to the question of, if you hold an elected office, how far do your constitutional rights go?” attorney Roger Gannam of the Orlando-based firm Liberty Counsel told FloridaPolitics.com. Kentucky’s Attorney General may […]

Melissa RossAugust 28, 2015

Animal advocates from across Florida say they’ve organized a statewide protest against a bear hunt that officials have scheduled for Oct. 24 to 30. “We think there are other ways to solve this problem,” says Adam Sugalski, the campaign’s director. “Killing is not conservation. We need to protect these animals and find other nonlethal solutions,” he said. Sugalski […]

Melissa RossAugust 27, 2015

Honestly, the main thing I can remember was the color of the news car. It was burgundy, inside and out. Merlot. When we heard the shots, we jumped inside and sped off. I threw my purse onto the floor and it stood out against the winy carpet. Then it pressed onto the simple two-way radios […]

Melissa RossAugust 25, 2015

One of the state’s leading pollsters says Republican legislators may live to regret seeing Florida’s redistricting mess turned over to the courts. “There is absolute risk,” says Mike Binder, University of North Florida political science professor and lead pollster at the school’s Public Opinion Research Laboratory. “While the Senate is willing to compromise, the House is […]

Melissa RossAugust 24, 2015

Presiding over a new City Council of fresh faces, bullish on job growth and downtown development, and pushing infrastructure improvements in rapidly fraying corners of the city, Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson says it’s a new era at City Hall, as his goals align with new mayor Lenny Curry. “I think the communication level has […]

Melissa RossAugust 21, 2015

WireAP_ba6e917865eb4a25ad120ace7aa3d259_16x9_992-1024x1024.jpg

Florida attorney Roger Gannam, who spoke out against adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Atlantic Beach human rights ordinance in 2014, is now involved with the defense of a Kentucky county clerk who has religious objections to marrying same-sex couples. On Monday, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis to issue […]

Melissa Ross
Gabrielle Russon

Will Florida see fracking?

Native Americans protest St. Augustine’s 450th bash

New Lenny Curry spox Marsha Oliver: “This is a fun, interesting time for our city”

LGBT equality movement stirs cross-currents in Florida

Orlando-based Liberty Counsel takes same-sex marriage fight to U.S. Supreme Court

“Stop the Hunt” activists plan statewide protests against black bear hunt

I can’t remember his name …

UNF pollster on redistricting: “absolute risk” for GOP leadership

Jax Council Prez Greg Anderson: “We can’t damage our river”

Florida’s Liberty Counsel reps Kentucky clerk in same-sex marriage standoff