Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterNovember 8, 2016

Presidential races get all the attention, but it’s the folks down ballot that make the real decisions. In the Sunshine State, there’s no shortage of high intensity — and sometimes high drama — battles for office. And we aren’t talking about the races for state House and Senate. There have been allegations of election fraud in a […]

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 […]

Anne LindbergOctober 19, 2016

When candidates run for local nonpartisan offices — mayor, council member, or commissioner — they’re supposed to keep party politics out of the conversation. And, for the most part, that’s the way it is. But in some races this year, partisan money is helping finance local candidates. Take the City of Largo, for example, where […]

Anne LindbergOctober 19, 2016

State Sen. Jack Latvala has called for a follow-up workshop meeting of the Pinellas legislative delegation to hear and discuss the effects of the recent discharge of untreated sewage into Tampa Bay waters by cities in Pinellas County during Hurricane Hermine. The meeting will be Nov. 16, from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s […]

Peter SchorschOctober 11, 2016

‘Tis the season. It’s that most wonderful time of the year when candidates running in this fall’s elections make the rounds at candidate forums, hob nobs, and Tiger Bay debates. It’s at these events that candidates distinguish themselves from their opponents with a quick retort — or a regrettable gaffe. Tuesday, the St. Petersburg Chamber […]

Phil AmmannSeptember 23, 2016

Clearwater’s Chamber of Commerce announced endorsements in several local races, and a virtual tie between two equally qualified candidates for a Pinellas County Commission seat. In a statement Friday, CLEARPAC, the committee for the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber’s board of directors, made recommendations based on “the importance of Election Day to […]

Mitch PerryJuly 7, 2016

If you remember when we first heard about the tea party in early 2009, its supporters talked about having a pox on both houses — that is, they felt Republicans and Democrats were part of the same dirty cesspool that is Washington, D.C. A lot of things have changed since then, but I became a bit […]

Mitch PerryMay 26, 2016

Tampa Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor is endorsing St. Petersburg-based attorney Ben Diamond in the campaign for the open House District 68 seat. “Ben is a strong leader on issues that matter to us in Tampa Bay,” Castor said in a statement released by the Diamond campaign on Thursday. “Ben’s work on the Florida Water and […]

Anne LindbergMay 10, 2016

Back in June, county commissioners made a historic decision: They created the first community redevelopment area in unincorporated Pinellas County. It was a move that, for years, was unthinkable with Pinellas officials saying they would never sanction a CRA in unincorporated Pinellas. CRAs were something cities did. That changed under a county administration and commission […]

Mitch PerryMay 10, 2016

(Updated) St. Petersburg-based attorney Ben Diamond announced his candidacy for the House District 68 seat in Pinellas County on Monday, April 25. In the six days leading up to the campaign’s first fundraising deadline on April 30, he was able to raise an impressive $28,366. “I’m running for the Florida House because I want to fight for Pinellas […]

Tag: Charlie Justice

More than just the presidency: 10 down ballot races in Florida to watch on Election Day

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

Party, PAC money seeps into nonpartisan municipal races

Jack Latvala calls for delegation to meet again to discuss Pinellas sewer woes

6 reasons I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s ‘Popcorn & Politics’ event

Clearwater Chamber announces local endorsements; virtual tie between Charlie Justice, Mike Mikurak

Mitch Perry Report for 7.7.16 — Tea Party Patriots heart Marco Rubio

Kathy Castor is backing Ben Diamond over Eric Lynn in HD 68 race

Lealman improvement plan moves forward

HD 68 Dem candidate Ben Diamond raises over $28,000 in one week on the campaign trail