Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschJanuary 23, 2017

For the fourth year in a row, lawmakers will try to tear down the wall that separates tequila from tangelos. Senate President pro tem Anitere Flores has a bill (SB 106) to repeal the Prohibition-era state law requiring businesses, such as grocery chains and big-box retailers, to have separate stores to sell liquor. State Rep. Bryan Avila, a Hialeah Republican, filed a […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 15, 2017

As his second term in office winds down, Rick Scott should be considering his legacy as Florida governor, particularly if he wants to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018. It’s that same legacy that makes Scott’s recent decision “bizarre,” at least in the eyes of The Capitolist’s Brian Burgess. Burgess refers to Adam Hollingsworth, […]

Gary FineoutNovember 28, 2016

He was opposed by the Republican establishment. During a contentious campaign, he spoke forcefully about the need to crack down on immigration. And he used millions of his own money to bolster his political career. President-elect Donald Trump? No, Rick Scott, the current governor of Florida. While they are oceans apart in temperament and public […]

Peter SchorschOctober 24, 2016

August’s primary elections did not produce a breakthrough for any of the contenders in the behind-the-scenes, internecine scrum to one day lead the Florida House of Representatives. Instead, the race to be House Speaker in 2022-24 has settled in for a long slog which may not be decided until, at the earliest, 2018. And, according […]

Peter SchorschOctober 23, 2016

Back before there was a FloridaPolitics.com and it was just me blogging at SaintPetersBlog.com, I would write a semi-regular screed about the Tampa Bay Times’ political coverage. This was so long ago, the Times still had St. Petersburg in its masthead. I gave up the “5 things I think I think…” column after a while […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 1, 2016

Put Jason Maughan in the sore loser column. The Sanibel Island Republican had hoped to unseat Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto in Senate District 27. He failed — receiving 31 percent of the vote to Benacquisto’s 70 percent. But rather than concede gracefully, Maughan took to Facebook to bash Benacquisto, who is expected to play a prominent role […]

Peter SchorschJuly 7, 2016

Isn’t it fun to have new friends to play with? That’s how I felt when I learned Republican communications operative Brian Burgess was launching The Capitolist website where he (and other notables like Sarah Rumpf) blogs and aggregates. I’ve always been of the opinion that Florida politics needed more bloggers and tweeters and writers. At the national level, when the […]

Peter SchorschJune 29, 2016

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Florida politico Brian Burgess is launching a new center-right political news aggregation platform called The Capitolist. Burgess, a media consultant and former spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott, is touting the new venture as the app for people “whose business is politics.” It will aggregate traditional and new media news stories and feature original content, usually with a conservative bent. Burgess will […]

Associated PressJune 22, 2016

State Sen. Greg Evers‘ contest to give away a semi-automatic rifle is still on despite the original post being taken down by Facebook. The Baker Republican, who’s running in the GOP primary for the open seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, announced Monday he’s giving away a “Homeland Defender” AR-15 rifle on July 4. But Monday night, […]

Guest AuthorApril 7, 2016

Six years ago this month, in a modest office space leased by a Florida businessman named Rick Scott, I had the chance to ask the future governor several probing questions about his political views that any reporter would relish. But I wasn’t a reporter. I was helping Scott prepare messaging points for the launch of […]

Tag: Brian Burgess
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Why I have second thoughts about tearing down the wall between the whiskey and the Wheaties

Brian Burgess: Adam Hollingsworth appointment could be blip on Rick Scott’s legacy

Rick Scott may serve as model, and warning, for Donald Trump

Primary elections did little to unscramble House Speaker race

5 things I think I think about today’s Tampa Bay Times

Jason Maughan posts lengthy rant on Facebook after SD 27 loss

No, Brian Burgess, Chris Sprowls will not ‘feel the Bern’

Brian Burgess to unveil Florida insider news app ‘The Capitolist’

Greg Evers’ AR-15 giveaway is still a go

Brian Burgess: Rick Scott should veto alimony bill because it’s the ‘right thing to do’