Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonMarch 3, 2018

Tampa Republican Sen. Dana Young got slammed by her Democratic re-election opponent in a Saturday email for not voting on an amendment that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Tampa attorney Bob Buesing said the move was “not surprising” given Young’s “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, but still said the lack of […]

Mitch PerryMarch 2, 2018

Only 16 days ago, a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School took the lives of 14 high school students and three adults. Nevertheless, some believe the gun control debate is “over.” That’s what Cafe Con Tampa head Bill Carlson was told when announcing the weekly lecture series would focus on three Hillsborough County students […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 27, 2018

The politics of guns in Florida has rapidly changed since the Valentine’s Day shooting in Parkland. Two Senate Republicans up for re-election this fall were hammered by their Democratic opponents Monday night following a Senate committee vote defeating a Democratic amendment to ban semi-automatic rifles. Tampa attorney Bob Buesing has vowed to be more aggressive in taking […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 7, 2018

No more Mr. Nice Guy. That was the message Bob Buesing conveyed to a crowd of Democrats with checkbooks in their pockets Tuesday night at his campaign kickoff event at Mise en Place in Tampa. The attorney and civic activist will need the financial support as he takes on Republican state Senator Dana Young for the second time […]

Drew WilsonFebruary 5, 2018

Democrat Bob Buesing is giving it another go in Senate District 18, and he’s planning a Tuesday campaign kickoff to get the ball rolling on his 2018 run against incumbent Tampa Republican Sen. Dana Young. The event will be held at Mise en Place, 442 West Grand Central Ave., and is set to start at […]

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 17, 2018

Tampa attorney Bob Buesing will again challenge Republican Dana Young in Senate District 18 The 64-year-old Buesing lost to the 53-year-old Young by seven points in 2016, but that was not a one-on-one matchup. Adult club entrepreneur and progressive activist Joe Redner ran an aggressive campaign (mostly against Young) as well, and finished a distant […]

Peter SchorschOctober 10, 2017

A pair of Tampa Bay Republicans filed bills in the House and Senate over the past week that would slap Florida with a full-on fracking ban come. Fracking, shorthand for hydraulic fracturing, is a method of natural gas extraction that sees drillers inject a concoction of water and various chemicals into fault lines deep underground […]

Mitch PerryJune 15, 2017

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Jeff Clemens announced Thursday the creation of a new campaign to help get more Democrats elected to the Florida Senate in 2018 and beyond. “Flip Florida Blue” will set out initially to invest resources to win the special election in Miami-Dade’s Senate District 40 seat formerly held by Hialeah Republican Frank Artiles, […]

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2017

Advocates of Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana in Florida, have been expressing disdain for HB 1397, moving through the Legislature this Session, sponsored by Fort Myers Republican Ray Rodrigues. “Folks, this bill is bad,” wrote Ben Pollara, head of United for Care, the organization that campaigned for the constitutional amendment that passed with more than 71 […]

Tag: Bob Buesing
Image via AP.

Email Insights: Dana Young a no-show on assault weapons vote

Hillsborough students say they’ve only just begun to focus on gun control

Campaigning: Democrats blast GOP after assault weapons ban fails

During campaign kickoff, Bob Buesing gets aggressive versus Dana Young

Bob Buesing kicks-off challenge to Dana Young Tuesday

Pirates got me thinking: The Gasparilla parade and Florida politics

Democrat Bob Buesing wants rematch against Dana Young for state Senate seat

Tampa Bay lawmakers file bills that would ban fracking

Florida Democrats announce new vehicle to try to get more of them elected to state Senate

Unless legislation is changed, Joe Redner says he’ll sue over Legislature’s medical marijuana