Scott Powers, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJuly 20, 2016

The home-sharing tourism company Airbnb reported Tuesday morning that its service arranged for 754,000 visitors to stay in 16,100 private homes in Florida in 2015. The most popular place for the home-based lodging program was the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market, which accounted for almost half of all the private homes participating and more than half of the visitors. […]

Scott PowersJuly 20, 2016

Democrat Bob Poe is releasing his first television commercial in the Orlando-based Florida’s 10th Congressional District with a declaration of outrage over assault rifles and a promise to seek to ban them and to require universal background checks for gun purchases. Poe, an Orlando businessman and former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, is pushing the […]

Scott PowersJuly 19, 2016

House District 47 Democratic candidate Henry Lim is expressing his long professional and personal support for Orlando’s LGBT community in a new campaign video released Tuesday called, “What It Means To Be An Ally.” Lim is in a tough three-way contest for the Aug. 30 Democratic primary with Elizabeth Tuura and Clinton Curtis. The winner would […]

Scott PowersJuly 18, 2016

BusinessForce, the political action arm of Central Florida’s chambers of commerce, has voted unanimously to support all three proposed charter amendments Orange County voters will consider in the November election. Two of the amendments are the Orange County Charter Review Commission’s reaction to a recent judge’s ruling that threw out an earlier charter amendment, approved […]

Scott PowersJuly 18, 2016

When Rollins College professor and investment executive Stephanie Murphy came out of almost nowhere in late June to become the Democratic nominee in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, she had three groups ready to support her. Support her they did, as Murphy raised more than $126,000 in the first nine days of her campaign to show […]

Scott PowersJuly 18, 2016

In the brutal Democratic primary for Florida’s Congressional District 10, Val Demings raised nearly $300,000 in the second quarter of 2016, but rival Bob Poe countered by lending another $500,000 to his campaign. Poe is burning money fast with television commercials and a large, paid ground staff, and reported spending almost $1.4 million in the three […]

Scott PowersJuly 18, 2016

Shortly after midnight Monday a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, lifting a spacecraft full of supplies, including a new spacecraft docking hatch for the International Space Station. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:45 a.m. with almost 5,000 pounds of cargo, including scientific supplies to […]

Scott PowersJuly 18, 2016

The three major Democratic candidates for Congressional District 9 head into the stretch run for the Aug. 30 primary with money flowing, as Darren Soto reported he had raised and spent the most money, and Susannah Randolph reported she still had the most in the bank for a big final push. Those two and Dena […]

Scott PowersJuly 15, 2016

Have voters anywhere in Florida ever elected an African-American state attorney? Aramis Ayala suspects she has a chance to be first, which would be late-coming, trailblazing history in Florida if she were to upset incumbent Jeff Ashton for the 9th Judicial Circuit post serving Orange and Osceola Counties. Ayala, 41, a former prosecutor in the […]

Scott PowersJuly 15, 2016

Whose fault was it that Orlando did not qualify for federal funding to shore up anti-terrorism efforts the past few years? U.S. Rep. John Mica called a congressional hearing Friday to see, and several officials concluded it was at least partly because of Congress. Mica was not entirely convinced and countered with several reasons why he is […]

Scott Powers
Anna Maria Island home after Hurricane Milton.

Airbnb reports 16,000 Florida homes rented for 750K visitors

Bob Poe’s first TV commercial in CD 10 race takes on assault weapons

HD 47 Democratic candidate Henry Lim releases support-LGBT video

BusinessForce backs Orange County charter amendments

ActBlue, Democrats’ PACS, Full Sail leaders kick-start Stephanie Murphy’s CD 7 campaign

Val Demings raises big money but Bob Poe lends his campaign another half-million in CD 10

SpaceX cargo shipment headed to space station

Stretch run for CD 9 Democrats sees 3 big fundraisers; Darren Soto raises most, Susannah Randolph has most

Aramis Ayala’s 9th Judicial Circuit state attorney run could be historic

John Mica congressional hearing on Orlando’s lost federal anti-terrorism money aims some blame at Congress