Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryDecember 7, 2015

The Bernie Sanders candidacy has been built to be fueled by momentum. In September, top campaign strategists Jeff Weaver and Ted Devine acknowledged that the Vermont independent senator probably must win Iowa or New Hampshire to have any chance at knocking off Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president. What happens after that? Well, then it’s on […]

Mitch PerryDecember 7, 2015

There’s a lot of angst in the country and political world about how we are dealing with domestic terrorism, five days after San Bernardino. Well, that’s what the media tells us. I’m not so sure. There were a lot of big football games over the weekend with sellout crowds. Restaurants and bars seemed to pretty […]

Mitch PerryDecember 4, 2015

Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (PTC) Chairman Victor Crist says that Jeff Brandes’ recent inquiry on whether the PTC should be allowed to hire lobbyists was simply a ploy “to try to stir the pot” in advance of next week’s Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation meeting. “This is a publicity stunt by Sen. Brandes to stir […]

Mitch PerryDecember 4, 2015

First off, I want to wish the best for Brendan McLaughlin, who will be departing as a news anchor at ABC affiliate WFTS in a couple of weeks after 21 years in the market. Like yours truly, Brendan hails from the San Francisco Bay Area (Marin County, actually, I believe). Folks, there ain’t that many […]

Mitch PerryDecember 3, 2015

(UPDATED) The Florida Attorney General’s office has decided it’s up to the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission to decide whether it wants to hire lobbyists. The decision came at the request from St. Petersburg GOP state Sen. Jeff Brandes for an opinion on the issue. In a letter to Brandes on Thursday, Assistant Attorney General […]

Mitch PerryDecember 3, 2015

Earlier this summer, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that defendants who use the controversial “Stand Your Ground” controversial legal defense — rather than the government — have the burden of proving it should shield them from prosecution. The ruling upset the National Rifle Association, and prompted GOP lawmakers to say they would address the issue in […]

Mitch PerryDecember 3, 2015

Wednesday’s mass gun shooting in San Bernadino is just the latest such incident in America, and Yolie Capin has had enough. The Tampa City Councilwoman was given the opportunity to address the audience who gathered at City Hall on Thursday for the council’s weekly meeting, and she used it to denounce the lack of gun control […]

Mitch PerryDecember 3, 2015

While the news is all about the latest gun shooting in San Bernardino on Wednesday, let’s focus here on another death that’s been in the news a lot in the past couple of weeks: that being of Laquan McDonald, the black teenager killed by a white Chicago police officer a year ago. In between her […]

Mitch PerryDecember 2, 2015

Tampa Bay area U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is the latest Democrat to ask House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to disband the select committee investigating Planned Parenthood. She argues in a letter addressed to the speaker that GOP-rhetoric-incited anger toward the group led in part to Friday’s deadly shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado […]

Mitch PerryDecember 2, 2015

Mark Bircher has filed paperwork to run for the 13th Congressional District seat in 2016, becoming the first Republican to do so. He’s the retired Marine Corps Reserve brigadier general who finished third in the district’s Republican primary in early 2014 to succeed the late Bill Young. The 62-year-old Seminole resident and commercial airline pilot […]

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In Tampa, Bernie Sanders campaign asks Florida supporters to help effort in South Carolina

Mitch Perry Report for 12.7.15 – Obama speaks on threat of Islamic State, GOP reacts

Tensions about Hillsborough PTC build as legislative delegation meeting approaches

Mitch Perry Report for 12.4.15 – on Jeb, Ted and Kobe

Pam Bondi’s office says PTC can decide whether to hire lobbyists

Stand Your Ground revisions pass thru Florida Senate committee

Yolie Capin kicks off Tampa City Council meeting by saying “we are in a gun out of control state”

Mitch Perry Report for 12.3.15 – Rahm Emanuel and Chicago are stuck with each other

After Colorado Springs killings, Kathy Castor calls on Paul Ryan to disband Planned Parenthood probe

Mark Bircher becomes the first Republican to enter CD 13 contest