Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschApril 14, 2016

Three of the five Senate races in Hillsborough or Pinellas County feature an incumbent running without opposition. In a fourth race – the one for Senate District 18 – Tampa Republican Rep. Dana Young has no challenger yet, although a Democrat is expected to file next week. As of April, SD 19 is the only Bay area seat with […]

Mitch PerryApril 7, 2016

Progress Florida has unveiled their “Champions of Florida’s Middle Class” for 2016,” consisting of 14 House Democrats and four Senate Democrats. There are no Republicans on the list. The progressive activist group is celebrating these Democrats for their stances on fracking bans (HB 191/SB 318), public schools (HB 7029), reproductive health care (HB 1411/SB 1722), guns on campus […]

Mitch PerryMarch 30, 2016

With the 2016 Florida Legislative Session now in their rear view mirrors, the entire Pinellas County delegation – sans HD 65 Republican Chris Sprowls – discussed various aspects of what just went on in Tallahassee on Wednesday before a robust Suncoast Tiger Bay Club audience at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The delegation skews heavily Republican, […]

Associated PressFebruary 29, 2016

As the Florida legislative session nears its end, some lawmakers are in a race against time to correct what they say is an injustice to the working poor: the suspension of driver’s licenses for reasons unrelated to driving violations. License suspensions can result from a minor infraction and can lead to thousands of dollars in […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 24, 2016

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After a debate that included mentions of monsters, Robert A. Heinlein and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday passed its 2016 business and economic incentives package, including the framework for Gov. Rick Scott‘s proposed $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund. As bill sponsor Jim Boyd reminded members, it still has no funding: “This is a structure bill, […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2016

Among the items Hillsborough County legislators are requesting in the just-unveiled 2016-2017 House budget, none looms larger than the $22.5 million sought for the USF Morsani College of Health Heart Institute. In February 2015, USF’s request to relocate its new Morsani College of Medicine and USF Heart Institute to downtown Tampa was approved, and in […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 14, 2016

A bill that would that would reform the driver’s license and revocation process in Florida passed unanimously Thursday in the Senate Transportation Commission. The legislation (SB 7046) sponsored by St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes would revise requirements relating to the payment of court-related fines or other monetary penalties, fees, charges, and costs. It would also require traffic […]

Drew WilsonJanuary 12, 2016

A fourth candidate has filed to run for House District 70, currently held by termed-out St. Petersburg Democrat Darryl Rouson. Business owner Dan Fiorini filed on Friday to run as a Democrat, setting up a primary against St. Petersburg City Commissioner Wengay Newton, who entered the race in October. Fiorini has never held elected office, but is no […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 5, 2016

For nearly a year that they’ve been campaigning, the Republican candidates for president have focused on what they contend is how Barack Obama‘s bumbling foreign policy has led to the U.S.’s loss of stature around the world. While there could be some truth to some of the rhetoric, there’s also a lot of hyperbole and […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 4, 2016

According to an analysis conducted by the Miami Herald last year, most driver’s license suspensions in Florida occur because of a failure to pay fees for traffic violations, not because of unsafe driving practices. The failure to pay fees accounted for 77 percent of all license suspensions in Florida between 2012 and 2015, according to an analysis […]

Tag: Darryl Rouson

Where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay’s 2016 legislative races

Progress Florida names 18 Democrat lawmakers as “Champions of Florida’s Middle Class”

Pinellas lawmakers talk 2016 Session, advice for Rick Scott, and who they think will be president

Some Florida lawmakers want reform of driver’s license suspensions

House passes incentives measure desired by Rick Scott

USF Heart Institute is largest request from Hillsborough House members

Jeff Brandes driver’s license suspension reform bill passes unanimously in committee

Democrat Dan Fiorini files for open HD 70 seat in Pinellas

Mitch Perry Report for 1.5.16 – GOP candidates defend Saudi use of Sharia law

Event aiming to reinstate suspended drivers licenses set in Hillsborough