Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaOctober 26, 2015

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Gov. Rick Scott got a figurative swift kick in the pants Monday when the head of Tampa’s leading business group told him to get a move on in filling a vacancy on the local aviation authority’s board. “Possibly unlike any appointment you will make, this next appointment is both an opportunity and your responsibility to make […]

Mitch PerryOctober 8, 2015

Watching the Hillsborough County Commission Wednesday discuss the latest with the Go Hillsborough effort was a fascinating glimpse of where this experience may be heading. The headline was that county commissioners beat back a feeble attempt to stop Sheriff David Gee‘s office from investigating the charges on how consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff received its $1.35 million contract […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 16, 2015

Sam Rashid is still a member of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, despite that by doing so, he is directly snubbing Gov. Rick Scott, the man who appointed him to the agency last year and is now calling on him to resign from the board. “Governor Scott expects him to resign and […]

Mitch PerryMay 20, 2015

Although every member of the Hillsborough County Commission weighed in this morning regarding their concern about the issue of wage theft in the county, the Republican members prescription of how to alleviate the problem drew the wrath of the measure’s proponent, Democrat Kevin Beckner. Beckner said that his colleagues worries about growing the size of government outweighed […]

Mitch PerryMay 13, 2015

The Hillsborough County Public Transportation held a two-and-a-half hour public hearing on Wednesday on proposed regulations that would put ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft into compliance with the agency’s rules. But at the end of the morning, they opted to punt on the issue once again, mandating that a subcommittee come back with recommendations next month. Ever since […]

Mitch PerryMay 11, 2015

Ten days ago, Florida Politics reported that Brian Willis, the Tampa lawyer running for the countywide Hillsborough County District 6 seat next year, had raised $45, 357 in his first month of campaigning. Advisers for Willis said it was the third-best first-month of fundraising for a county commissioner candidate in the past decade, trailing only […]

Mitch PerryMay 8, 2015

Hillsborough County Commissioners (and Administrator Mike Merrill) are gung-ho on having the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) explore an opportunity to move its facility into downtown Tampa. There it could be a part of Jeff Vinik‘s grand plans to redevelop the Channelside area, even though there are serious questions about how productive such a move […]

Mitch PerryMay 6, 2015

The Hillsborough County Commission voted 6-1 on Wednesday to ask the the Florida Commission on Ethics to pursue legal frees from a Plant City winery owner whose ethics complaint against Commissioner Al Higginbotham was deemed to be without merit by that same commission. Joe Keel, owner of Keel and Curley Winery, filed an ethics complaint against […]

Mitch PerryMay 4, 2015

For more than three decades, the seven-member Hillsborough County Commission has consisted of representatives from four single-member districts and three at-large seats. The county is much larger now, and a lot of people think its composition needs to change to reflect that growth. In the past few years, there have been two futile attempts to add […]

Mitch PerryMay 1, 2015

Buoyed in part by a very successful inauguration fundraiser/birthday party at an Ybor City craft brewery this past week, Hillsborough County Commission District 6 candidate Brian Willis touted his first fundraising totals in a press release issued Friday. The 32-year-old Tampa lawyer and transit activist raised $45,537 in April, the first month he has been […]

Tag: Ken Hagan

Tampa Chamber CEO to Rick Scott: “You owe us” after Sam Rashid fiasco

Mitch Perry Report for 10.8.15 – Will Hillsborough commission have votes to put transportation tax on ballot?

Mitch Perry Report for 9.16.15 – Sam Rashid ignores Rick Scott’s call to step down

Hillsborough County Commission meeting gets hot discussing wage ordinance issue

Hillsborough PTC discusses Uber & Lyft regulations, but again fails to come to a resolution

Brian Willis posts big fundraising numbers vs. Pat Kemp in District 6 Hillsborough commission race

Mitch Perry Report for 5.8.15 — The MOSI-USF Football stadium dilemma

Hillsborough Commissioners want winery owner to pay Al Higginbotham’s legal fees

Panel to consider new ideas to change Hillsborough BOCC setup

Brian Willis touts fundraising prowess in Hillsborough County bid