Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryMay 21, 2015

Donald Trump has flirted with running a serious presidential campaign four times in the past 18 years -in 1988, when he was arguably at the zenith of his popularity as his Art of the Deal memoir topped the New York Times best-seller list, as well as 2000, 2004 and four years ago. So even though he says […]

Daniel TilsonMay 21, 2015

Conservative Florida Republicans of good conscience, unite! Unite in demanding your local state representatives in the Florida House be given the opportunity to publicly vote Aye or Nay on a Senate plan to provide health insurance coverage to more than 800,000 uninsured Floridians stuck in the “Florida Coverage Gap.” Hey, you’ve got nothing to lose […]

Martin DyckmanMay 21, 2015

Of all the differences between the major parties, one is particularly confounding. Why should Republicans appear to be nearly twice as bloodthirsty as Democrats? According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, overall support for the death penalty has fallen to 56 percent, down six points since 2011 and by 22 since 1996 when 78 […]

Guest AuthorMay 21, 2015

“I want you to get genetic testing to determine your risk for cancer,” my mother said. Lunches with her used to be enjoyable. I’d talk about my latest tattoo or piercing. She’d innocently invite me to church. Then I hit middle age and she started eating dinner at 4 p.m.; now our talks often take […]

Guest AuthorMay 21, 2015

As a creative writing instructor who assigns a lot of reading, I have at least a few introductory students each semester who complain about the material. It’s not that it’s too difficult or too dense. It’s that it’s too depressing. “Can’t we read something happy?” someone will invariably ask. And, invariably, I will shake my […]

Ryan RayMay 21, 2015

Commissioner-elect Shelli Freeland Eddie’s historic city commission victory over Stan Zimmerman in Sarasota’s District 3 came after months of comprehensive voter targeting and messaging, according to an analysis released by Keen Campaigning exclusive to FloridaPolitics.com. With the guidance of campaign strategy and coordination of Keen consultants Andre Torkelson and Chris Hawes, Eddie aggressively courted a targeted […]

Mitch PerryMay 21, 2015

She didn’t even make the initial list of finalists, but now Janet Dougherty will soon become only the third executive director of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). The 53-year-old Hillsborough County native comes with 25 years of experience in local and state environmental policy and business management, and she wasn’t even on the short […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 21, 2015

A tide of violence flows through the streets of Jacksonville, and no neighborhood is exempt. From the battlegrounds of the Westside, where two girls were shot in the head on a school bus this month, to Grand Park and Soutel, to Arlington and Mandarin, violence has become a reality. The lead story on the news […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 21, 2015

In beating Alvin Brown in the Jacksonville mayor’s race on Tuesday, Lenny Curry may have shocked the world. But the former Republican Party of Florida chair did not shock the RPOF. according to a memo sent out Wednesday by Florida GOP Executive Director Brad Herold that described Curry’s victory, which was “a result of the right leader supported by a […]

Mitch PerryMay 21, 2015

Although he’s been on the job for nearly two weeks, Eric Ward didn’t officially become the new Tampa police chief until Thursday morning, when the city council unanimously confirmed his appointment. It came while dozens of his fellow TPD officers crammed into the council’s intimate chambers to part of the occasion. Ward, 48, grew up […]

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Image via the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

In Sarasota, Donald Trump says the world is abusing the United States

Daniel Tilson: Can grassroots Republicans help solve Florida’s healthcare crisis?

Martin Dyckman: Why do Republicans favor death penalty so much more than Democrats?

Catherine Durkin Robinson: I have an elevated risk of breast cancer, they told me

Laurie Uttich: In defense of 'depressing' books

Shelli Eddie’s historic commission victory in Sarasota due in part to Keen strategists

Hillsborough County Commission picks Janet Dougherty as next EPC chief

Save Our Sons, Nikolai Vitti make “a call for 1,000 men”

Email insights: RPOF says Dems face a “serious problem” after Lenny Curry win

Eric Ward confirmed by Tampa City Council as new police chief