Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryNovember 29, 2016

Three members of the St. Petersburg City Council joined activists rallying for a $15 an hour wage and a right to unionize on Tuesday, a “National Day of Disruption” led by organized labor to raise the living wage for low-income workers. “Let’s be clear. The Fight for $15, it’s a lot more than getting $15 an […]

Mitch PerryAugust 23, 2016

Supporters of expanding the use of solar power in Florida held a roundtable discussion on the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg campus on Tuesday to discuss how the passage of Amendment 4 next week could crack open resistance to alternative energy sources in the Sunshine State. Amendment 4 exempts solar devices and equipment from being subject […]

Mitch PerryAugust 11, 2016

Before we dig into the new poll on the Florida Senate race, can I reference the lead story in this morning’s Tampa Bay Times? Two men get into a road-rage argument on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Plant City. One guy pulls out a gun and shoots the other dead. He then “cooperates” with the Hillsborough […]

Mitch PerryAugust 10, 2016

St. Petersburg City Council Vice Chair Darden Rice is backing her former council and PSTA colleague Wengay Newton in the Florida House District 70 contest. “Wengay “Newt” Newton has been a longtime leader on many issues, including education, youth employment, and mass transit issues in our region. I have seen firsthand his impressive dedication and diligence on the […]

Anne LindbergAugust 2, 2016

As he’s walked Florida’s House District 68 the past weeks, candidate Ben Diamond says he’s found one overriding issue among voters: a concern for the environment and the state’s waterways. So, on Tuesday, Diamond held a news conference to unveil a six-point plan he says he’ll work to pass if elected. “I’m running for the […]

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 […]

Peter SchorschMay 9, 2016

For an entire eight days — EIGHT DAYS — local Democrats had their sh*t together. On April 25, state Rep. Dwight Dudley announces he will not seek re-election. Hours later, the well-liked Ben Diamond announces his candidacy for Dudley’s seat along with the endorsements of almost all of Pinellas’ Democratic elected officials. The seamless transition […]

Mitch PerryApril 25, 2016

St. Petersburg based attorney Ben Diamond will run as a Democrat for the now open House District 68 seat later this year. In what appears to be a coordinated effort, Diamond made his announcement just hours after incumbent Dwight Dudley announced publicly that he would not run for the seat he has held since 2012. “I have long been […]

Mitch PerryApril 25, 2016

(updated) Dwight Dudley will not be running for re-election in House District 68. The news surprised Tallahassee observers, but Dudley said on Monday that the recent death of his mother – in which he barely had time to say goodbye to her before she passed away as the 2016 session ended in March – was a catalyst in […]

Mitch PerryMarch 17, 2016

With the Florida presidential primary now history, attention and energy will now go to some of the congressional elections upcoming later this summer. Former Governor Charlie Crist is the leading candidate at the moment to win the open CD 13 seat in Pinellas County, and he got a shot in the arm Thursday with no fewer than […]

Tag: Darden Rice
Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Image via Visit Florida.

St. Pete City Council members join Fight for 15! movement

Advocates extoll the virtues of Amendment 4 in roundtable discussion at USFSP campus

Mitch Perry Report for 8.11.16 — Marco Rubio isn’t dominating Patrick Murphy or Alan Grayson in latest Q Senate poll

Darden Rice endorses Wengay Newton in HD 70 race

Ben Diamond proposes plan for protecting Florida’s environment, water quality

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

Here’s where sh*t stands — the ‘Democrats can’t keep it together’ edition

Ben Diamond to run for Dwight Dudley’s seat in Florida House

Dwight Dudley says he wants more time at home, and is looking at running for judge in Pinellas County

Five St. Pete City Council endorse Charlie Crist in CD 13 race