Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Sally SwartzMay 20, 2015

Every few years, someone who doesn’t know how much Martin County residents love their beaches comes up with a new plan. In 2003, joy-killer bureaucrats wanted to limit beach hours and make swimmers, fishermen and surfers conform to a confusing set of ever-changing rules. They finally figured out lifeguards are too busy guarding beaches to […]

Jac VerSteegMay 20, 2015

An underlying purpose of public education reform is providing a clear-eyed view of student achievement. The system will not cringe from telling students when they need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling parents their kids need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling teachers they need to teach […]

Guest AuthorMay 20, 2015

On June 24 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will vote on a proposal to open a trophy hunt on Florida’s unique subspecies of black bears. They were removed from the list of threatened species just three years ago. The trouble is, the commission does not have enough information to make that decision, and […]

Mitch PerryMay 20, 2015

Tampa public relations firm Tucker/Hall was paid more than $400,000 by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) in 2013 and 2014 to create a public education campaign for the Greenlight Pinellas transit referendum. It was soundly defeated at the polls in November. One of the leading players for Tucker/Hall at the time was Tony Collins, the agency’s […]

Guest AuthorMay 20, 2015

Varius, tortor a porta aliquam, nunc magna convallis dui, fermentum consequat leo urna quis ante. Phasellus bibendum cursus feugiat. Curabitur vitae sapien

Mitch PerryMay 20, 2015

Although every member of the Hillsborough County Commission weighed in this morning regarding their concern about the issue of wage theft in the county, the Republican members prescription of how to alleviate the problem drew the wrath of the measure’s proponent, Democrat Kevin Beckner. Beckner said that his colleagues worries about growing the size of government outweighed […]

Ryan RayMay 20, 2015

Two very different state House seats drew new Democratic challengers last week and on Monday, according to filings with the Florida Division of Elections. State Rep. Rene Plasencia, a Republican from the Orlando area, will face at least one challenger from the other side of the aisle in his quest for a third term representing the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 20, 2015

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election, one Jacksonville party exults while the other one sifts through the wreckage in an attempt to find positives in a disastrous night. The Duval GOP, which won six out of eight races Tuesday night in contested elections, quite naturally celebrated its win, as an email on Wednesday afternoon indicates: In […]

Phil AmmannMay 20, 2015

Former Port Richey City Attorney James Mathieu has resigned as chair of the Republican Party of Pasco. In a brief email to supporters, Mathieu said the move was for personal reasons. “Thank all of you for this opportunity to serve,” he wrote. “Keep the faith and Republicans will prevail in 2016. Thank you all.” Mathieu, […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 20, 2015

With the Mayor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, and eight city council seats up for grabs on Tuesday evening, there’s no shortage of winners and losers emerging from Jacksonville’s elections. In some cases, they’re pretty obvious; in other cases, they bear explanation. Winners Robin Lumb — The Duval GOP chairman, who took over the local party […]

Uncategorized
Image via AP.

Sally Swartz: Preserve free parking and open access to Martin County's beautiful beaches

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: State's 30 percent decision on math tests is 100 percent bad

Jennifer Place and Kate MacFall: Allowing black bear hunting is “bad public policy”

PSTA using consultant Tony Collins, an original architect of Greenlight Pinellas plan

20 Best Smartphones on The Market Today

Hillsborough County Commission meeting gets hot discussing wage ordinance issue

Democratic challengers emerge in HD 49, HD 95

Email insights: Duval GOP celebrates as Duval Dems regroup

Republican Party of Pasco chair James Mathieu resigns

Winners, losers emerge from Jacksonville’s elections