Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryFebruary 21, 2018

Mike Deeson is pushing back on the city of Tampa’s official position regarding where finance director Sonya Little resides. The former Channel 10 news investigative reporter filed a lawsuit Monday against the City of Tampa, claiming it is in violation of public records laws by denying him the home address of the city’s CFO, whom Deeson maintains […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 16, 2018

For months, it was well-known that President Donald Trump‘s much-hyped infrastructure proposal was only going to include minimal federal funding. In the face of that, a group of Democratic mayors expressed profound disappointment Thursday with the details of the plan. The proposed $1.5 trillion to upgrade the country’s highways, airports and railroads will contain “only” […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 15, 2018

Florida law pre-empts local governments from passing any ordinances which regulate guns, a reality that Tampa residents became acutely aware ofwhen Mayor Bob Buckhorn attempted to keep his downtown safe ahead of the 2012 Republican National Convention. That 2011 law was mentioned briefly at the beginning of Thursday’s Tampa City Council meeting following the mass shooting Wednesday at a high […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 13, 2018

Until Tuesday, only those in a courtroom heard former firefighter Tanja Vidovic detail the sexual harassment and discrimination she suffered inside the Tampa Fire Rescue Department. It was her testimony in federal court last fall that resulted in a successful lawsuit, which she won in December. Now it was the public’s turn to hear Vidovic speak about her […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 9, 2018

After a decade searching for a new home, the Tampa Bay Rays officially committed Friday to build a new ballpark in Tampa’s historic Ybor City entertainment district. That wasn’t much of a surprise, considering Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan had revealed that information last October. And Friday afternoon’s press conference didn’t provide many more specifics other […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 5, 2018

Reflecting on his 2010-2011 bid for Tampa mayor, Ed Turanchik said that in that campaign Bob Buckhorn schooled him on messaging — and he learned his lesson. Perhaps that explains Turanchik’s emphasis on branding his candidacy as a “vision” to lead Tampa in 2019 and beyond — reflected both on his campaign website and in encounters Friday with […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 1, 2018

On Thursday, Tampa City Councilmembers kept hope alive for transit activists who want Bayshore Blvd. shut down occasionally on Sundays for bicyclists, walker, runners, rollerbladers and others to use without fear of getting hit by a vehicle. Members of “Walk Bike Tampa” appeared before the Council to advocate for a plan to redirect vehicular traffic […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 22, 2018

There’s one event for which this proud St. Petersburg native will always cross the bridge. It’s Robert and Nancy Watkins‘ party, held in conjunction with the Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza, an alcohol-free event celebrating the pirates’ return to Tampa Bay. Gasparilla is an annual celebration that began in 1904. Held each year in late January or early February, […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 20, 2018

The Florida Commission on Ethics decided Friday to give Hillsborough County Commission Ken Hagan the opportunity to amend a petition requesting that activist George Niemann pay his legal fees. The decision came after a commission attorney advocated that Hagan’s petition be dismissed. The county paid Hagan’s attorney, Mark Levine, $7,841 last year to defend the District 5 commissioner […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 12, 2018

As the Florida House was approving a proposal championed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran to ban so-called sanctuary cities, Bob Buckhorn was ridiculing the notion in front of an audience approximately 300 miles to the south. At the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater Friday, Tampa’s mayor argued that there are no such entities in the state of […]

Tag: Bob Buckhorn

Mike Deeson says city of Tampa participating in ‘sham’ regarding CFO’s address

Bob Buckhorn says mayors ‘let down’ by Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan

Tampa City Council chair slams state lawmakers after school shooting

Former Tampa firefighter who won sex discrimination lawsuit speaks out

More questions than answers after Rays commit to play in Ybor City

Ed Turanchik tees up next Tampa mayoral bid

Tampa City Council revives plan to close Bayshore Blvd on occasional Sundays

Pirates got me thinking: The Gasparilla parade and Florida politics

Ethics commission delays Ken Hagan’s legal fee case

Tampa Bay mayors come out swinging against GOP-led Legislature at Tiger Bay