Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschJuly 6, 2016

Next week, several Republican members of the Florida Senate will gather at the summer home in Boothbay Harbor of their colleague Jack Latvala. There they will raise money for the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee on Thursday and Latvala’s “Florida Leadership Committee” on Friday. With Latvala slated to be the next chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Appropriations, […]

Mitch PerryJune 24, 2016

Clearwater Republican state Sen. Jack Latvala will not face opposition from either a Republican or a Democrat this fall in Senate District 16, with only write-in candidate Katherine Perkins standing in the way of his being re-elected. As the qualifying period came to a close Friday, no Democrat rose up to challenge the Pinellas County power broker, who […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJune 24, 2016

George Gainer is on his way to the Florida Senate. The Bay County Republican won the Senate District 2 seat Friday after no other candidate qualified for the race. “I am humbled and honored to have been elected without drawing another candidate to run against me,” Gainer said in a statement. “From the first day I […]

Peter SchorschJune 22, 2016

Attend a political function anywhere in Pinellas County and it’s almost inevitable you’ll see one name consistently listed as a sponsor. That is, other than Bill Edwards. The name is Alan Suskey of Suskey Consulting, the governmental affairs firm based in Tallahassee, but with deep roots in Pinellas. Of course, Suskey doesn’t have the millions of dollars Edwards has, so […]

Mitch PerryJune 17, 2016

Two years ago, special interest money out of Washington made the special congressional election in Florida’s 13th District between David Jolly and Alex Sink one of the most expensive of all time. While it’s unlikely the spending will exceed the reported $12 million paid out in 2014, it’s a race Democrats will desperately try to win — especially if they believe […]

Peter SchorschJune 16, 2016

Five months from Election Day, Republican Sens. Jeff Brandes, Jack Latvala, Tom Lee and Bill Galvano are still running unopposed. The only two bay area Senate seats in contention so far are the Senate District 18 contest between Tampa Republican Rep. Dana Young and Democrat Bob Buesing and the three-way Democratic primary going down in SD 19. Young had built up quite the lead in her jump to the […]

Peter SchorschJune 10, 2016

Jack Latvala was not exaggerating. Earlier this week, the Republican state Senator said he had paid for the polling that shows David Jolly leading Charlie Crist in Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Latvala said he conducted “multiple polls, actually, because we didn’t believe it the first time.” Latvala’s right, the numbers are hard to believe. According to a new survey conducted by St. Pete Polls, Jolly […]

Staff ReportsJune 8, 2016

For many kids in Florida, summer is a carefree time of hiding from the scorching sun in a pool or a shaded hammock. But, as a growing area of study shows, summer is the season when the country’s most underprivileged students begin to fall behind their peers, as access to publicly funded meals and stimulation […]

Peter SchorschJune 4, 2016

At first glance, the invitation to the June 17 fundraiser for David Jolly‘s U.S. Senate campaign doesn’t look much different than so many previous ones. However, upon closer examination of who exactly is on the host committee, the invitation is noteworthy to those who follow Pinellas County politics. Jack Latvala. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and his wife, Lauralee Westine. Rep. Chris Latvala. […]

Peter SchorschMay 25, 2016

Associated Industries of Florida’s, the state’s premier lobbying group, has announced the latest awardees of its “Champions for Business.” The group gives the awards every year to state lawmakers “whose extraordinary efforts provide model leadership on key legislation for the success of Florida’s business community,” according to a news release. On this year’s list are: Sen. Jack […]

Tag: Jack Latvala

Jack Latvala for Chief Financial Officer?

Jack Latvala faces only write-in candidate in re-election bid to Florida Senate

George Gainer becomes instant winner in SD 2

Alan Suskey aiming to be Pinellas’ man in Tallahassee

David Jolly says he intends not to mention Charlie Crist’s name at all in their blockbuster congressional match-up

Where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay legislative races

New poll of Florida’s battleground 13th Congressional District: David Jolly 44%, Charlie Crist 44%

Lawmakers hosting Farm Share events as summer sets in for Florida’s needy

Pinellas fundraising event for David Jolly shows how time heals all wounds

AIF announces “Champions for Business”