Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJuly 8, 2016

There’s less than two months until Floridians start casting votes, and organizations across the state are rolling out endorsements for state and federal candidates. Several organizations — including the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce — issued endorsements this week. — Florida Parents Against […]

Mitch PerryJuly 7, 2016

Even before they began operating in Tampa, a coterie of Tampa Bay area Republicans have championed ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft. Those state Representatives include Jeff Brandes, Jamie Grant and Dana Young. In a fundraising pitch sent to supporters in her bid for the state Senate District 18 seat this fall, Young boasts about the work Republicans […]

Jim RosicaJune 30, 2016

It’s almost Independence Day, which in Florida means: Time to scare some birds. Although you can buy fireworks in the state, they’re not actually legal here. Indeed, The Tampa Tribune in 2014 called fireworks sales in Florida an “institutionalized charade,” leading one lawmaker to call for “more freedom (and) less fraud.” Retail sales are allowed only […]

Peter SchorschJune 29, 2016

Pat Neal, a Manatee County developer and former Florida state senator, will not run for Chief Financial Officer in 2018. Facing a self-imposed deadline of July 1 to make a decision about a run, Neal told FloridaPolitics.com in an exclusive interview Wednesday he will not be on the ballot in two years. “I have a […]

Joe HendersonJune 29, 2016

Elections are supposed to be about choices, but after candidate qualifying ended in Florida last week, many elections are already decided. Voters in 11 districts won’t get to choose their state senator because the incumbent faces no opposition — seven Republicans and four Democrats, if you’re keeping score. And in Senate District 24, Pinellas County […]

Mitch PerryJune 24, 2016

St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes looks to win re-election easily this November to his Pinellas/Hillsborough Senate District 24 seat. No Democrat has emerged in 2016 to oppose him, perhaps intimidated by Brandes’s war chest, which includes more than $300,000 cash-on-hand. An Army veteran, Brandes graduated from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee in 1999 with a degree in business administration. […]

Mitch PerryJune 23, 2016

A court has rejected a request by a coalition of taxi cab companies to have Victor Crist removed as chair of the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. The Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland issued an order dismissing the request Thursday. “This was a malicious intent by the taxi coalition and their representatives to discredit me,” Crist said, […]

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 […]

Ryan RayJune 20, 2016

Rep. Kathleen Peters will look to infuse her House District 69 re-election campaign with a festive, craft beer-fueled fundraiser on Tuesday. The Gulfport lawmaker will be hosted by fellow Pinellas Republican, Sen. Jeff Brandes at the Green Bench Brewing Company in St. Pete on Tuesday, June 21. Peters is seeking a third term in the House in a moderate swing seat. She […]

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 […]

Tag: Jeff Brandes

Endorsement watch: Florida Parents Against Common Core, Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, Florida Retail Federation and others issue endorsements

Email insights: Dana Young touts her support of Uber and Lyft in fundraising pitch

Florida’s bizarre fireworks law still in place

Pat Neal will not be a candidate for Chief Financial Officer in 2018

Joe Henderson: Unopposed candidates create ‘great void’ in local politics

Jeff Brandes gets write-in opponent in bid for re-election to SD 24 race

Court rejects taxi companies request to remove Victor Crist from Hillsborough PTC

Alan Suskey aiming to be Pinellas’ man in Tallahassee

Kathleen Peters to hold St. Pete fundraiser with Jeff Brandes

Where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay legislative races