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Mitch PerrySeptember 13, 2016

Writing that “Hillsborough County is better than this,” Dana Young is the latest Tampa Bay area lawmaker calling for the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission to reject proposed new rules that ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft say would force them out of the local market. In a letter Tuesday to PTC Chair Victor Crist, Young says the current […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 12, 2016

Two days before the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission looks to approve new regulations that representatives from ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft say could compel them to leave town, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and others in Hillsborough County’s business community had a simple message for them on Monday: Don’t do it. Specifically, they warned the agency not […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 8, 2016

It’s been overlooked for years, but criminal justice reform could be coming down the pike. Sen. Jeff Brandes said he hopes to make reforming the system a top priority, but told the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists it could take years before reforms are achieved. Calls for reform aren’t new, but they are growing louder. […]

Mitch PerryAugust 26, 2016

Incoming Florida Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jack Latvala said Friday a lack of mass transit in the Tampa Bay area has become a bigger problem than ever, and he blasted his fellow Republicans in Tallahassee for failing to lead on the issue. “We’ve got a lot of folks in my party that just bury their head in the sand when […]

Mitch PerryAugust 23, 2016

Supporters of expanding the use of solar power in Florida held a roundtable discussion on the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg campus on Tuesday to discuss how the passage of Amendment 4 next week could crack open resistance to alternative energy sources in the Sunshine State. Amendment 4 exempts solar devices and equipment from being subject […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 18, 2016

The future of transportation is autonomous. It’s electric. It’s shared and on demand. And it will be here sooner than you think. “The message today is it’s right around the corner,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. The St. Petersburg Republican laid out his prediction for the future of transportation during […]

Mitch PerryAugust 18, 2016

There’s more news about the Affordable Care Act this week, and it ain’t that good. Aetna announced Tuesday it would be pulling out of Florida and 10 other states next year, giving those on the government plan less options for choice here in the Sunshine State. There have always been problems with the ACA, and […]

Mitch PerryAugust 17, 2016

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Unlike that other solar power constitutional amendment that Floridians will decide on in the fall, seemingly everyone supports Amendment Four, the only ballot measure on this month’s primary ballot. Virtually everyone that is, except Al Sharpton. The New York City-based activist and MSNBC host bashed the measure while making an appearance last week in Opa-Locka. Amendment […]

Anne LindbergAugust 16, 2016

Listen to Augie Ribeiro talk, hear his ads or read his campaign literature and two themes stand out: Ribeiro is an attorney who fights for the little guy and he’s the only “true Democrat” in the race for state Senate District 19. But a flyer that landed in Democratic mailboxes Monday — the first day […]

Peter SchorschAugust 7, 2016

Pinellas County Republicans who gathered at a “Victory Picnic” mostly avoided talking about their candidate at the top of the ballot this November and focused instead on the importance of keeping Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate and winning local races. “Donald Trump was not my first, second or third choice,” said state Rep. Chris Latvala about his presidential candidate […]

Tag: Jeff Brandes

Dana Young urges Hillsborough PTC to reject new rules for Uber, Lyft

Bob Buckhorn, others call Hillsborough PTC to reject rules that Uber, Lyft say could drive them out

Jeff Brandes turns attention to criminal justice reform

Jack Latvala says his GOP colleagues have their ‘heads in the sand when it comes to transportation’

Advocates extoll the virtues of Amendment 4 in roundtable discussion at USFSP campus

Jeff Brandes: The future of transportation is ‘right around the corner’

Mitch Perry Report for 8.18.16 — The Affordable Care Act is getting less affordable

Jeff Brandes disagrees with Al Sharpton’s critique of Amendment Four

Direct mail round-up: Flyer says Augie Ribeiro not a true Democrat, has no Florida law license

Tidbits from the Pinellas GOP’s ‘Victory Picnic’