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

Melissa RossMay 9, 2016

Yes, the field is set for the 2016 PLAYERS Championship, and for golf fans, the names on that list are very important. But it’s the game that’s played OFF the putting green that matters most this week for business and political heavyweights across Northeast Florida. As the ultimate see-and-be-seen-slash-networking event, the PLAYERS is a must-attend affair […]

Melissa RossMay 5, 2016

It’s a little-noticed move on Capitol Hill, but one that could negatively impact thousands of Florida children in districts around the state. House lawmakers are proposing legislation that would roll back school lunch laws passed in 2010. These laws guarantee free lunches and after-school meals for children in high-poverty areas. A proposal the House will […]

Melissa RossMay 4, 2016

The Florida GOP media consultant and campaign adviser who founded the #NeverTrump movement says he will continue to oppose Trump to the bitter end — and will support the nascent push for a conservative third-party candidate he says better reflects Republican values. “I am willing to look at a conservative third-party option, even if that candidate can’t pull […]

Melissa RossMay 4, 2016

A construction worker vandalized a prominent pro-LGBT mural in Jacksonville’s 5 Points neighborhood Thursday, and was dismissed. Both the “before” and “after” pictures of the mural are being widely shared on North Florida social media. The sign, which fronted the old Peterson’s 5 & Dime store, reads “You’ve been sharing bathrooms with transgender people your […]

Melissa RossMay 3, 2016

It might be a bit of a stretch to call St. Augustine the Berkeley of Northeast Florida. But increasingly, the Nation’s Oldest City has become a hub for progressive activists in the region. In that tradition, the city’s Environmental Youth Council is organizing a march billed as part of a two-week global action to “keep coal, […]

Melissa RossMay 3, 2016

A representative from the world’s largest Muslim-majority country will appear in Jacksonville this week on the University of North Florida campus to discuss religious extremism, international terrorism, ISIS, and more. Ardian Wicaksono, the counselor for political affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington D.C., will be the featured speaker at the […]

Melissa RossMay 2, 2016

The list of North Florida nonprofits taking part in the grassroots effort #GiveLocalJax is growing, say the effort’s organizers. On May 3rd, a 24-hour online crowdfunding event is set for groups seeking to raise funds for everything from education and social services to LGBT equality, animal welfare, seniors, the homeless, and more. The one-day online […]

Melissa RossApril 29, 2016

Activists opposed to phosphate mining in Union and Bradford Counties got into a videotaped scuffle at a Bradford County Commission meeting that ended with the forcible removal of a local VIP named Dr. Steve Pieczenik, a Republican heavyweight and business partner of bestselling novelist Tom Clancy. Pieczenik, a former State Department official and author, served in the Ford, Carter, […]

Melissa RossApril 27, 2016

Florida continues to have some issues with political corruption. That, according to the new survey from the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Corruption in America. The report is based on responses from hundreds of journalists covering state politics, along with issues related to corruption across all 50 states. Both legal and illegal corruption is measured, […]

Melissa RossApril 25, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry says while he knows making the case to voters will be “a heavy lift,” he’s all in for selling his pension referendum plan to the city. “This has to pass,” Curry told WJCT. “We have $2.7 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Right now we spend $260 million dollars a year in […]

Melissa Ross
Image via AP.

Your guide to THE PLAYERS: networking, politicking, and socializing (with a little golf thrown in)

Proposed changes to nation’s school lunch program could impact thousands of Florida children

#NeverTrump founder Rick Wilson: ‘Never means never’

Pro-LGBT mural in Jacksonville vandalized

St. Augustine activists to take part in global action event against fossil fuels

Interfaith discussion of religion and extremism set for UNF this week

#GiveLocalJax crowdfunding challenge set for Tuesday

Bradford County phosphate meeting blowup caught on video, snares VIP Steve Pieczenik

Survey says Florida has political corruption, but it’s legal

Lenny Curry on Jax pension referendum: “It has to pass”