Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Staff ReportsApril 19, 2017

Equality Florida, the state’s LGBTQ-advocacy organization, Wednesday called for Republican Frank Artiles “to resign … or be removed” from the state Senate. “Once again, Frank Artiles’ bigotry is all over the news, this time because of racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs used against his Senate colleagues and lobbyists in Tallahassee earlier this week,” Public Policy […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterApril 17, 2017

A recent poll shows an overwhelming number of Floridians believe conversion therapy should be illegal, leading LGBT advocates to renew their call for a statewide ban. According to a recent Orlando Political Observer-Gravis Marketing poll, 71 percent of Florida voters think conversion therapy should be illegal for minors in Florida. The poll found 18 percent […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 4, 2017

Of the many Cabinet choices made by President-elect Donald Trump, some of the strongest opposition centers around the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Wednesday morning in Tampa, a group of activists spoke with officials in Sen. Bill Nelson‘s district office, calling on him at the very least to call for a delay a vote […]

Mitch PerryDecember 14, 2016

Over the summer, a hacker who went by the nom de guerre of Guccifer 2.0 began distributing internal documents from the Democratic National Committee to a variety of reporters and bloggers here in Florida. I was one of those recipients. I bring that up this morning because of the story in Wednesday’s NY Times , which revisits […]

Mitch PerryDecember 13, 2016

The National Urban League (NUL) has been complaining for six years that Equality Florida‘s logo is too similar to theirs in appearance. Now the venerable civil rights organization is taking Florida’s leading gay rights group to court to have them stop using it — and wants them to pay for it. In legal briefs filed with the U.S. […]

Mitch PerryDecember 5, 2016

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Incumbent North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory conceded to Democrat Roy Cooper, the state’s Attorney General, on Monday — a defeat that is being cheered on by Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBT organization. “I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken, and we now should do everything we can to support the 75th governor of […]

Scott PowersNovember 8, 2016

Amy Mercado and Carlos Guillermo Smith — two former chairs of the Orange County Democrats — will be entering the Florida House of Representatives after easy victories over independent candidates Tuesday. Mercado replaces her father, Victor Torres, in representing Florida House District 48. Torres was elected to the Florida Senate Tuesday in Senate District 15. Smith wins Florida […]

Scott PowersSeptember 22, 2016

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona and her husband former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly plan to kick off a 13-state tour in Orlando next week to push for gun law reforms. Giffords, critically injured and nearly killed in a 2011 shooting rampage in Tuscon, Ariz., and Kelly, a retired Navy captain who was commander […]

Associated PressAugust 28, 2016

The more than 430 fundraisers posted on the GoFundMe website after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando have exposed weaknesses inherent in these popular do-it-yourself charity campaigns: waste, questionable intentions and little oversight. The fundraisers — an average of more than four for each of the 49 killed and 53 wounded — […]

Scott PowersAugust 15, 2016

This is the year that Central Florida gays step boldly into the political spotlight, joining an increasingly large outpouring of gay candidates statewide. Four openly gay Orlando-area Democratic candidates are running for election in federal and state races this year; Valleri Crabtree in Florida’s 9th Congressional District centered in south Orlando and Kissimmee; Bob Poe in […]

Tag: Equality Florida

Equality Florida calls Frank Artiles to be ousted from office

71% of Floridians think conversion therapy for minors should be illegal, bills to prohibit it stalled in Legislature

Activists want Bill Nelson to delay confirmation hearing on AG nominee Jeff Sessions

Mitch Perry Report for 12.14.16 – Fun with Guccifer 2.0

National Urban League takes Equality Florida to court over logo dispute

Equality Florida cheers defeat of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory

Amy Mercado, Carlos Guillermo Smith win Florida House seats

Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly, to kick off anti-gun tour in Orlando

Scams, waste loom as charity millions donated after Orlando shooting

The year of the openly gay candidate in Central Florida and other parts of Florida