Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Drew WilsonNovember 9, 2015

After a six-figure haul in October Republican George Gainer has passed Shalimar Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz in on-hand money in the race for Senate District 1. The Gainer campaign brought in $118,590 last month and spent $46,887, leaving the Bay County Commissioner with just under $573,000 cash on-hand heading into November. Gaetz’s report wasn’t as […]

Phil AmmannNovember 6, 2015

George Gainer doesn’t talk about Northwest Florida values. He lives them. That’s the gist of the latest mailing from the North Florida businessman, who faces state Rep. Matt Gaetz in the Republican Senate District 1 primary. The ad, set to hit area mailboxes next week, strives to heat up the battle for conservatives by hitting […]

Drew WilsonNovember 3, 2015

Shalimar Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz released a new ad Tuesday that trumpets his role in passing tougher penalties on sex offenders in 2014. “I’m Matt Gaetz, and I’ll always fight to protect our kids,” the Senate District 1 candidate said in the video. “The system was broken, so I led the fight to fix it,” […]

Drew WilsonNovember 3, 2015

Last week, Republican SD1 candidate George Gainer batted down accusations that he was “standing alone in the mirror” in his Senate campaign. This week, he’s keeping the full-court press on his opponent, Shalimar Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. Gainer, fresh off a major fundraiser for his campaign that reportedly brought in a six-figure sum, announced Monday that his […]

Associated PressOctober 31, 2015

Several Panama City Beach nightclub owners argue in a lawsuit filed Friday that local officials violated their rights and showed racial bias when they approved a series of new ordinances designed to curb spring break mayhem. The club owners, other businesses and eight other anonymous plaintiffs, described as representative club patrons of various races, claim […]

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Buccaneers QB Teddy Bridgewater. Image via AP.

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

After October haul, George Gainer passes Matt Gaetz in on-hand cash for SD 1 race

Direct mail roundup: George Gainer doesn’t talk NW Florida values, he lives them

Matt Gaetz ad boasts role in “fixing” penalties for sex offenders

George Gainer drops first ad in Senate campaign vs. Matt Gaetz

Businesses say Panama City Beach violated their civil rights