Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryAugust 26, 2015

The 18-month feud between representatives of Uber and the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission has been reignited over the past few weeks, after the PTC lost a battle in Hillsborough Circuit Court that could have put the San Francisco based ride-sharing company out of business in the county. After the PTC said it would continue […]

Mitch PerryAugust 26, 2015

A Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday shows that none of the Democratic or Republicans running for the U.S. Senate next year in Florida are well known enough to ask voters who they would vote for next year. That seems hard to believe when one of those candidates is Alan Grayson, but so be it. With more than […]

Mitch PerryAugust 25, 2015

A bill that would place a renewable energy tax exemption amendment on the ballot in 2016 has been introduced in the Florida Senate by St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes. The legislation, SB 170, would create an abatement on tangible personal property tax assessed against renewable energy devices. As Brandes explains, many owners of large-scale corporate locations won’t […]

Mitch PerryAugust 25, 2015

In a just, accountability-fueled society, Florida Republican lawmakers would pay a price next year for the shenanigans they’ve been up to this year. As reported by the AP’s Gary Fineout, the nine-day June special session that occurred after House Speaker Steve Crisafulli pulled his members off the floor 72 hours before the session was scheduled […]

Mitch PerryAugust 24, 2015

St. Petersburg based GOP state Sen. Jeff Brandes has for several years aimed to extinguish intersection red-light cameras, so it should be no surprise he introduced SB 168 Monday. The bill would repeal the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act and eliminate red-light cameras in Florida. “Red-light cameras are another example of taxation by citation, and Florida […]

Mitch PerryAugust 24, 2015

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The Florida Legislature’s failure last week to come to an agreement on redrawing the state’s congressional maps was just the latest example of state Republicans unable to come together. A battle over Medicaid expansion roiled the Legislature for most of its Regular Session this spring. Nearly everyone in the state Senate supported proposals that would have […]

Mitch PerryAugust 20, 2015

After delivering what the Tampa Bay Times‘ Caitlin Johnston described as a “rant” at Wednesday’s Hillsborough Board of County Commission, Victor Crist isn’t finished getting the last word in when it comes to the county’s battle with Uber. That’s the more recalcitrant of the two ridesharing companies that have been operating out of compliance with the county’s […]

Mitch PerryAugust 19, 2015

(Update: Jeff Brandes & Uber respond). This past week St. Petersburg-based state Sen. Jeff Brandes said that he intends to once again introduce legislation in next year’s Regular Session to reform the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. Brandes, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, was reacting to the news that the PTC, which regulates commercial vehicle […]

Peter SchorschAugust 18, 2015

The second edition of INFLUENCE Magazine should have already arrived in your mailbox. If it has not and you would like to receive a hard copy of this inside view into Florida’s news, politics, and culture, please drop me a line. As you can imagine, I’ve read everything in INFLUENCE several times, backwards and forwards. But, […]

Phil AmmannAugust 17, 2015

State Rep. Ritch Workman, Tallahassee’s newest Uber driver-partner, is getting rave reviews from his legislative colleagues . Workman, whose other part-time job is Chairman of the House Rules Committee, is also director of business development at Keiser University. The Melbourne Republican hopes to use his passion for Uber to gain insight on an issue sure to […]

Tag: Jeff Brandes
Aerial photo courtesy Jesse Biter.

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