Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 16, 2018

There are a number of first-time candidates running for office in Hillsborough County this year, but none are more successful at raising campaign cash than Aakash Patel, the 33-year-old Tampa businessman who is running for the District 1 seat on the Hillsborough County Commission. Patel added more than $9,000 to his campaign coffers last month and now […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 10, 2018

Calling it a “shot of adrenaline,” South Florida Sen. Annette Taddeo on Wednesday stumped for her bill to bring TV and film incentives back to the Sunshine State. Her measure (SB 1606) would create the “Florida Motion Picture Capital Corporation” to “encourage the use of this state as a site for scripted productions by providing financing to […]

Peter SchorschDecember 26, 2017

Republican state Representative Don Hahnfeldt has died of cancer. He was 73. Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran confirmed Hahnfeldt’s death Monday afternoon, notifying members “of the passing of our friend and colleague Representative Don Hahnfeldt.” Corcoran echoed the consensus assessment of Hahnfeldt: that he led an impressive life, which included service as a submarine commander […]

Mitch PerryDecember 14, 2017

It’s no secret that one of the most significant problems dragging down the Tampa Bay-area economy is a lack of sufficient transportation options, as well as the lack of money to fund potential solutions. Attempting to provide a partial solution are Tampa-area state legislators Dana Young and Jamie Grant, who publicly discussed their bill that […]

Danny McAuliffeDecember 6, 2017

Two Sarasota Republicans are attempting to pass legislation that would prevent political committees and electioneering communications organizations from donating to each other, touting it as a proposal that would end dark money in state politics. While state Rep. Joe Gruters’ HB 43 and Sen. Greg Steube’s SB 122 do not address dark money in issue advocacy spending, […]

Jim RosicaOctober 3, 2017

Screen-Shot-2017-10-03-at-11.10.01-AM.png

Legislation filed in the Florida House would add violence against an individual based on “gender or gender identity” to the state’s list of hate crimes. Rep. Joseph Geller, an Aventura Democrat, filed the bill (HB 211) Tuesday. “Florida has recently seen an increase in hate-crimes, from 73 committed in 2014 to 102 in 2015,” according to […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 28, 2017

Screen-Shot-2017-09-28-at-4.00.39-PM.png

A House member has filed proposed legislation to add violence based on “political affiliation or beliefs” to the state’s list of hate crimes. Rep. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, first filed his 1-page bill Thursday. The bill is being redrafted to correct some technical errors and will be re-filed shortly, he said. The measure as filed (HB […]

Mitch PerryJune 12, 2017

In a statement proclaiming Monday as “Pulse Remembrance Day,” Gov. Rick Scott described the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people a year ago as “an attack on Orlando, our state, the Hispanic community and on the LGBTQ community.” Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, the leading advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Florida, is “glad” Scott […]

Darryl PaulsonMay 31, 2017

Sometimes political change comes slowly, one drop at a time. That was the 2016 Florida congressional election where Democrats gained a single seat, although the opportunities were everywhere. Sometimes elections result in a political tsunami, where the political landscape is fundamentally altered, and one party replaces the other party as the dominant political force. The […]

Peter SchorschMay 25, 2017

Rep. Joe Gruters is backing Rep. Paul Renner to be House Speaker in 2022-24. The Sarasota Republican said while he thinks everyone in the running for the position would do a great job, he felt Renner is the best person at this time. Gruters said he’s decided to make his position known because he didn’t want […]

Tag: Joe Gruters
Image via AP.

Aakash Patel continues fundraising prowess in Hillsborough Commission race

And … action! Annette Taddeo fights for film incentives

Don Hahnfeldt, Republican lawmaker, former submarine commander, dies unexpectedly

Dana Young, Jamie Grant seeks to provide cash for ‘innovative’ Tampa Bay transit

Republican lawmakers tackle ‘dark money’

Bill would add ‘gender identity’ to hate crimes

Joe Gruters files ‘political’ hate crimes bill

On Pulse anniversary, Equality Florida calls Rick Scott to ban LGBTQ discrimination statewide

Darryl Paulson: Will 2018 bring no change or a political tsunami?

Joe Gruters makes his pick for House Speaker