Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 20, 2015

It wasn’t that long ago — 2010 perhaps? — when I still eagerly anticipated watching the State of the Union address from Washington. But no mas. In January of 2010, my first year writing for Creative Loafing, the editors thought it would be cool for me to “live-blog” the event. And it was sort of […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 19, 2015

Bill Nelson says he hasn’t read the 28 redacted pages of a Senate report on 9/11 that his former colleague Bob Graham wants to be released, but says he doesn’t need to read them to know that the Saudi Arabian government and their Middle Eastern brethren are “quite duplicitous” when it comes to how they […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 19, 2015

Bill Nelson says he hasn’t read the 28 redacted pages of a Senate report on 9/11 that his former colleague Bob Graham wants to be released, but says he doesn’t need to read them to know that the Saudi Arabian government and their Middle Eastern brethren are “quite duplicitous” when it comes to how they […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 16, 2015

Days after the members of the Florida Cabinet — Attorney General Pam Bondi, CFO Jeff Atwater, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam — voted to appoint longtime Florida Department of Law Enforcement veteran Richard Swearingen to replace Gerald Bailey as commissioner, questions remain about why Gov. Rick Scott forced Bailey to resign last month. The controversy […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 13, 2015

President Obama today unveiled plans to revive a controversial 2011 cybersecurity bill designed to encourage the private sector to share threat and vulnerability information. The legislation would give legal protections for companies that disclose threat intelligence to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, which would then provide that information to […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 8, 2015

Although the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for same-sex marriage to come to Florida this week when they held parts of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional back in 2003, it was only Section 3 of the 1996 law that actually they actually tossed out as unconstitutional in Windsor v. United States. Specifically, […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 8, 2015

Florida State University “student-athlete” Jameis Winston surprised absolutely no one yesterday when he declared he’ll be leaving FSU early to enter the NFL draft this spring. His declaration came on the same day that a woman who accused the star quarterback of raping her in 2012 filed a federal lawsuit against Florida State on Wednesday, alleging that the […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 8, 2015

Florida State University “student-athlete” Jameis Winston surprised absolutely no one yesterday when he declared he’ll be leaving FSU early to enter the NFL draft this spring. His declaration came on the same day that a woman who accused the star quarterback of raping her in 2012 filed a federal lawsuit against Florida State on Wednesday, alleging that the […]

Mitch PerryDecember 29, 2014

Tis the season for year-end lists, so here’s this reporter’s take on the 10 biggest/most interesting developments over the past year in Tampa Bay/Florida politics. 1 – The Florida Democratic Party hits rock bottom. There are a number of reasons why Rick Scott beat Charlie Crist, and the Crist camp’s notion that the $12 million […]

Associated PressDecember 20, 2014

For decades, the politics of Cuba in Florida were simple: anything less than a hard line stance against Fidel Castro was a sure way to lose a race for office. President Barack Obama’s surprise decision this week to restore diplomatic relations with the communist nation is the surest sign yet that his is no longer […]

Tag: Bill Nelson

Mitch Perry Report for 1.20.15 — And now for the most disappointing night in American politics

Bill Nelson calls Saudi government ‘duplicitous’

Bill Nelson calls Saudi government 'duplicitous'

In Tampa, Democrats call for an investigation into the firing of Gerald Bailey

Bill Nelson proposes consumer data protections

Bill Nelson adds his name as co-sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act

Mitch Perry Report for 1.8.15 – Spare us the Jameis Winston “dilemma”

Mitch Perry Report for 1.8.15 – Spare us the Jameis Winston "dilemma"

A look back at the year in news in Tampa Bay

Obama’s Cuba moves reflect Florida political shift