Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersAugust 6, 2018

Democratic Florida House of Representatives candidate Joy Goff-Marcil is launching her first internet video advertisement for House District 30, focusing principally on her support for public schools and her concerns over Tallahassee’s effort to pre-empt local powers. A little over two minutes, the video features Goff-Marcil, a Maitland city councilwoman, standing outside the fence of […]

Drew WilsonJune 7, 2018

The mayors of Pinellas County’s beach communities want to find a way to reclaim their power to restrict short-term rentals in their towns. The first step will be to organize a roundtable discussion involving state legislators and others involved in the short-term rental business. The mayors who make up the Big-C, the Barrier Islands Government […]

Scott PowersMarch 20, 2018

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham announced Tuesday that if she’s elected Governor she would support local governments such as Weston and Coral Gables that seek to defy the state’s 2011 law forbidding local gun ordinances. Such a position could put Graham at odds with the Florida Legislature and also potentially with the Attorney General over […]

Drew WilsonMarch 11, 2018

A bill that would have changed election dates for municipal offices died in the closing days of the 2018 Legislative Session. HB 7037, sponsored by Lehigh Acres Republican Rep. Matt Caldwell, aimed to narrow the choices for when municipal governments could set elections to either the third Tuesday in March, or the first Tuesday after […]

Scott PowersFebruary 12, 2018

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham has received endorsements from Hawthorne Mayor Matt Surrency and two former mayors, Cindy Lerner of Pinecrest and Shirley Freeman of Monroe County, her campaign announced Monday morning. In a news release Graham, a former congresswoman from Tallahassee, heralded the endorsements as relevant in an era when the Florida Legislature is pursuing […]

Scott PowersFebruary 12, 2018

A new poll released Monday by the University of North Florida continues to show that Florida Republicans have a different set of concerns and issues priorities than Democrats or independent voters, and that starts with immigration and crime. In the Florida Statewide Poll conducted by Public Opinion Research Lab, a quarter of surveyed Republican registered […]

Scott PowersJanuary 22, 2018

Democrat Phil Moore said that, for too long, he has watched with growing concern from his bicycling, running, and kayaking as the environment of the Space Coast and its lagoons and rivers degraded, and as Tallahassee seemed to want to restrict what cities and counties can do. The 43-year-old athletic trainer and instructor from West […]

Guest AuthorAugust 21, 2017

Sometimes Florida’s cities find themselves at odds with the state Legislature over the principle of home rule. That cherished concept, supported by an overwhelming majority of Florida’s citizens, reflects the view that the closer government is to the people, the more effective, fair and responsive it will be. Over this past year, we have seen […]

Phil AmmannMay 8, 2017

Local control, the notion that communities should have a certain degree of “home rule” in managing its own affairs, has become one of the hot-button issues in both Florida and across the country. As part of the “ban the bag” movement, however, the rallying cry of “local control” is in danger of trivialization, made almost […]

Scott PowersApril 28, 2017

Local governments that went too far in trying to crack down on or drive out vacation rental homes now face the prospect that they may not be able to do anything to specifically regulate such properties. The Florida House of Representatives approved House Bill 425 Friday 63-56, essentially re-instituting a 2011 ban on cities or counties imposing […]

Joy Goff-Marcil focuses on public education, pre-emption in first digital ad

‘Leave us the heck alone’: Beach towns seek meeting with state lawmakers on short-term rentals

Gwen Graham says she’d support local governments defying 2011 gun laws preemption

Municipal elections bill dies in Senate

Gwen Graham touts endorsements from mayor, two former mayors

Republicans worried about immigration, crime; Democrats, indies, not so much

Phil Moore enters House District 53 race, challenging Randy Fine

Gil Ziffer: Protect home rule and let cities work

Surfrider’s passion for ‘local control’ in ban the bag debate rings false, is opportunistic spin

House votes to strip away local regulations of vacation rental homes