Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonOctober 11, 2018

Utility company Gulf Power said Thursday that it’s already restored power to 25,000 customers affected by Hurricane Michael, but nearly a quarter of its 457,000 customers are still waiting for their lights to come back on. Gulf Power said between its own workers and personnel flying in from across the country, it has 3,000 boots […]

Jacob OglesOctober 11, 2018

Verizon Wireless customers remain largely without service in Bay County and the Panhandle, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. “Citizens with family and friends in the Bay County and other areas severely impacted by the storm should not panic if they can’t reach their loved ones,” Patronis said. “Verizon Wireless has massive outages. […]

Scott PowersOctober 11, 2018

The numbers of homes and businesses without power dipped only slightly overnight from a peak of 388,000 early Wednesday evening to 366,000 late Wednesday night to 359,000 early Thursday morning as the Florida Panhandle and other parts of the state awake from Hurricane Michael’s fury. Bay County, where the storm came ashore mid-afternoon Thursday with […]

Scott PowersOctober 10, 2018

More than 388,000 homes and businesses lost power in the onslaught of Michael, with Bay County taking the brunt, according to the first power-outage release issued shortly before 6 p.m. by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In Bay County, where Michael came ashore, more than 99,000 of the 108,000 homes and businesses were without […]

Michael MolineMay 17, 2018

A state task force on Thursday approved grants worth nearly $1.33 million for projects designed to support military installations and preserve Florida’s reputation as the most military-friendly state. They included land and easement buys neighboring the Avon Park Air Force Range and Camp Blanding; development of a Bay County innovation center to advance amphibious warfare; […]

Scott PowersOctober 18, 2016

Former President Bill Clinton will run a bus tour from Orlando to Pensacola on Friday and Saturday. The tour, promoting his wife Hillary Clinton‘s Democratic run for president, will have RSVP-only public events in Jacksonville on Friday and in Bay County and Pensacola on Saturday. Exact times and locations have not yet been announced. Though the bus tour begins […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 28, 2016

People renting scooters when they visit Northwest Florida’s beaches may be saying goodbye to those florescent “safety vests.” An appellate court on Wednesday struck down local ordinances in Bay County and Panama City Beach imposing safety and insurance requirements on businesses that rent motor-scooters or mopeds, usually to tourists. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal […]

Peter SchorschMay 22, 2016

“The bed in which the child slept was peppered with bed bugs, and his sheets were dotted with blood spots from where his open bug bites had bled in the night.” Read that sentence as many times as it takes for you to imagine in your mind what a hellhole like that must look like. Now […]

Staff ReportsMay 16, 2016

From the Baxley campaign: Today, the Dennis Baxley campaign announced the support of Allan Bense, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Bense served the Panama City area in the Florida House beginning in 1996 and was Speaker during his final term from 2004 to 2006. Baxley is seeking the District 12 seat in the Florida […]

Associated PressApril 3, 2016

Being able to drink alcohol on Panama City Beach is legal again after the month-long ban ended on Friday. The decision to ban beer, wine and liquor during Spring Break for the first time was controversial. Bay County officials did it after many alcohol-related incidents the past couple years. While law enforcement officials saw a […]

Tag: Bay County
Image via David Silvers.

Gulf Power restores power to 25K customers, but there’s a long way to go

Jimmy Patronis reports major Verizon outages in Bay County, Panhandle

359,000 awakening without electricity after Hurricane Michael

Power outages now affecting 388,000 customers after Hurricane Michael

Task force OKs $1.3 million in grants to advance military

Bill Clinton to run bus tour in Florida later this week

Court says local gov’t can’t regulate vacation scooters

What the f*ck does it take for DCF to save a child?

Dennis Baxley picks up endorsement from former Speaker Allan Bense

Alcohol returns to Panama City Beach after Spring Break ban