Mitch Perry, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 30, 2018

Legislation that would provide transparency and accountability provisions for publicly-funded economic development agencies and tourism promotion agencies advanced in a Florida Senate committee Monday afternoon, thanks to an amendment added to the bill (SB 1714) by the sponsor, Gainesville Republican Keith Perry. The transparency bill would would require local tourism agencies that receive more than $30 million […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2018

Victor Crist is hitting back hard at comments from Democrat Mariella Smith and her campaign over his intention to extend his career on the Hillsborough County Commission by running for the District 5 countywide seat. Smith is one of five Democrats seeking an opportunity this year to take on the GOP incumbent this fall. The Smith […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2018

Democrat Ryan Torrens knows he’s the underdog in the race for Florida Attorney General. The 32-year-old Hillsborough County lawyer undeniably has the least amount of name recognition of any of the six major-party candidates running in the race to succeed term-limited Attorney General Pam Bondi. And that challenge has only been heightened with the entry of Tampa […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2018

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo in Florida’s 26th Congressional District, raised nearly $240,000 during the final months of 2017. All told, Murcasel-Powell has raised more than $417,000 since entering the contest in August. “I am extremely grateful for the ongoing support we’ve received from the 26th district and across Florida,” said […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 26, 2018

For more than half a year, Jeremy Ring has been on the campaign stump, where he frequently talked about his business roots working at Yahoo when it was just a startup in the 1990s before it became an internet colossus that crashed and burned a decade later. Now, the former South Florida Democratic lawmaker and […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 26, 2018

The perception that Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were close was shattered during the 2015-16 race for President. The two Miami-area GOP heavyweights clashed in debates and on the campaign trail as they vastly underperformed to expectations in losing the Republican nomination to Donald Trump. The former Florida Governor took a verbal shot at the […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 26, 2018

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After nearly three decades, Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced her retirement from Florida’s 27th Congressional District. A number of prospective Democratic replacements quickly pounced on the opportunity, taking advantage of the district’s demographics, which make it friendly for one of them to win in the fall. In 2016, Donald Trump lost CD 27 by more than […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 26, 2018

UPDATED Jeff Garcia, a once respected South Florida political operative who spent 65 days in jail after being convicted in an absentee-ballot case in 2014, is apparently back in the political game. Garcia is listed as the campaign manager for House District 114 GOP Democratic candidate Javier Fernandez in a fundraising email sent Thursday afternoon. […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 25, 2018

Vern Buchanan has fired off a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, urging the agency to preserve offshore drilling safety regulations adopted after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Longboat Key Republican’s letter is a formal protest to the proposed weakening of federal rules requiring better emergency shutdown systems, new guidelines regulating acceptable drilling […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 25, 2018

Five Democrats have already filed for the Hillsborough County Commission District 5 seat, but there’s no doubt the Party establishment is putting all their chips behind community activist Mariella Smith. Congresswoman Kathy Castor, former Education Commissioner Betty Castor and current County Commissioner Pat Kemp were part of Smith’s kickoff event Tuesday night. An audience of around […]

Mitch Perry

Accountability measure advances in Senate

Victor Crist calls Mariella Smith a ‘political wannabe’ with little to show for herself

Attorney General candidate Ryan Torrens, recognizing his underdog status, makes staff changes

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell adds nearly $240K during Q4 for CD 26 bid

Jeremy Ring subtly touts CFO bid while promoting Yahoo memoir in Tampa

Jeb Bush: Marco Rubio needs to lead on immigration

Calls for impeachment playing key role in South Florida congressional race

Twice convicted for election mischief, Jeff Garcia tries getting back into South Florida politics

Vern Buchanan (again) protests drilling regulation rollbacks

Mariella Smith says facing Victor Crist is like ‘David and Goliath’