Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 20, 2015

Fifty years after the passage of the federal Voting Right Act, speakers at today’s 35th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Breakfast in Tampa said it’s time to allow the hundreds of thousands of ex-felons in Florida get their right to vote restored. “This modern-day disenfranchisement and discrimination is our modern-day challenge,” said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, […]

Dan GelberJanuary 19, 2015

Baileygate took a foul turn Sunday from bad political optics to something much more ominous. And the Florida Cabinet and Legislature need to respond accordingly. Longtime cop and FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey was fired by Gov. Rick Scott staffers last month. Initially it was reported that during his reelection campaign, Scott political campaign staffers had […]

Daniel TilsonJanuary 19, 2015

Our worst worries about Florida Gov. Rick Scott were well-founded. The bombshell of BS he unintentionally dropped in a press conference early last week has exploded in his face, revealing just what a bloody mess his governorship really is. By repeatedly pressuring highly esteemed, veteran Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Commissioner Gerald Bailey to […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 19, 2015

In his commentary this week for Context Florida, the Rev. H.K. Matthews draws parallels between the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama and the current effort, including a march Rev. Matthews led, in support of Florida’s corporate tax credit scholarships – also known as school vouchers. Rev. Matthews’ parallel is unseemly and […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 19, 2015

I have a confession to make: I annoy people. I know. You’re totally surprised. I don’t annoy people on purpose, but that doesn’t really matter. Intent is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, I annoy people…simply being me. This isn’t something I’m necessarily proud of or take any joy in – it simply is. […]

Ryan RayJanuary 19, 2015

As U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio both reach for a political advantage with their State of the Union “plus ones,” one savvy Florida freshman is doing things the old-fashioned way, playing it safe and burnishing friendships. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum will accompany Gwen Graham to Tuesday’s SOTU address in Washington. Gillum will be an invited guest […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 19, 2015

Tommy Castellano has made a living in the air-conditioning business for the past 39 years, so it makes sense that he disdains the hot air that can be expended during a political campaign. And to him that includes the notion that based on her prodigious fundraising success, engineer Jackie Toledo is the front-runner in the […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 19, 2015

During his inauguration last January, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman said he wanted to make his office more accessible. However, according to a memo obtained by SaintPetersBlog, Kriseman may be taking a slight step back from that – at least as it pertains to City Council. On January 9, Kriseman sent a revised copy of […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 19, 2015

During his inauguration last January, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman said he wanted to make his office more accessible. However, according to a memo obtained by SaintPetersBlog, Kriseman may be taking a slight step back from that – at least as it pertains to City Council. On January 9, Kriseman sent a revised copy of […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 19, 2015

On his HBO Show Realtime, Bill Maher joked on Friday night that while the rest of America was celebrating a three-day holiday weekend commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Hollywood they simply call today “Monday.” That was a reference, of course, to the complaints that last week’s Oscar nominations were a “whiteout,” […]

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Tim Weisheyer was appointed to the Florida State University Board of Trustees. Image via FloridaRealtors.com.

Restoring voting rights for ex-felons major theme at Tampa MLK breakfast

Dan Gelber: Baileygate takes an ominous turn

Daniel Tilson: Independent counsel needs to probe Scott administration

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Parallel between Selma, school vouchers is strained

Catherine Durkin Robinson: I annoy people. You might be annoying, too

Andrew Gillum to attend State of the Union with Gwen Graham

Tommy Castellano says HE is the front-runner in the Tampa District 6 City Council contest

In new guidelines, Rick Kriseman narrows City Council’s access to Mayor’s Office

In new guidelines, Rick Kriseman narrows City Council's access to Mayor's Office

Mitch Perry Report for 1.19.15 — Happy MLK Day, the quasi-federal holiday