Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJune 24, 2016

One of the few Hillsborough County Democratic primaries in the state legislature, the House District 63 race between Lisa Montelione and Mike Reedy, ended Friday when Reedy dropped out of the contest. “I wanted to personally let you know that today I have decided to end my campaign for State House,” said Reedy, an organizer with Equality Florida, stated […]

Mitch PerryJune 22, 2016

Our latest form of participatory democracy takes place in Tampa tonight, where scores of people will comment on whether or not the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization should include the Tampa Bay Express project in what is known as their Transportation Improvement Plan. If past is prologue, the majority of speakers will be against the project, and the MPO […]

Joe HendersonJune 21, 2016

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You can never take a moment off in politics, so when Lisa Montelione saw an opportunity Tuesday morning, she got busy. A frisky black bear had climbed up a tree about two blocks from her home in north Tampa. While authorities worked to safely remove the animal, Montelione was thinking ahead. “I told them they […]

Mitch PerryJune 20, 2016

The U.S. Senate voted on four different gun-control proposals last night — two offered by Republicans, two by Democrats. They all failed. First up was California Democrat Dianne Feinstein‘s bit, which would give the Department of Justice the power to stop anyone on the terror watch list from buying a gun. That garnered just 47 votes. Then […]

Mitch PerryJune 20, 2016

Frank Reddick has served with fellow Democrat Lisa Montelione on the Tampa City Council for the past five years, so you might expect him to back her in her race to win the State House District 63 race this fall. You might expect that, but you’d be wrong. On Monday, Reddick came out and endorsed Republican Shawn Harrison, who […]

Mitch PerryJune 17, 2016

Here’s something you don’t hear very often — if you intend to attend tonight’s Tampa Bay Rays versus San Francisco Giants game at Tropicana Field, you better already have a ticket. The team announced earlier this week they would make all open seats for the game available for their annual Pride Night for just $5, with […]

Mitch PerryJune 16, 2016

Although Lisa Montelione announced last fall that she would challenge fellow Democrat Mike Reedy in the House District 63 primary election this August, she didn’t officially submit her resign-to-run letter announcing her departure from the Tampa City Council until last Friday. She wrote she was submitting her resignation with “a heavy heart,” and jokingly said Wednesday night that putting […]

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 […]

Mitch PerryJune 14, 2016

The dominant word at a vigil held in Ybor City on Monday night to honor the victims of the shooting massacre in Orlando was “love.” A crowd of at least 2,000 people gathered for two hours in a parking lot on the north side of 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th streets to hear locally elected […]

Mitch PerryJune 10, 2016

Republican state Rep. Shawn Harrison raised $20,550 in May in his bid for re-election to House District 63 and now has more than $123,000 cash-on-hand. Harrison was first elected to the Hillsborough County area seat in 2010, before losing in 2012 to Mark Danish. He defeated Danish in 2014. He’ll face the winner of the Democratic primary between Lisa […]

Tag: Lisa Montelione

Mike Reedy drops out of HD 63 race, meaning Lisa Montelione wins Democratic primary

Mitch Perry Report for 6.22.16 — TBX showdown tonight

Joe Henderson: When political opportunity knocks, Lisa Montelione gets busy

Mitch Perry Report for 6.21.16 — After gun control proposals go down, Bill Nelson says ‘The NRA wins again’

Democrat Frank Reddick endorses Republican Shawn Harrison in HD 63 race

Mitch Perry Report for 6.17.16 – ‘Weiner’ comes to Tampa

Lisa Montelione anticipates ‘increasing’ public service by running for state Legislature

Where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay legislative races

Thousands crowd into Ybor City to remember the Orlando victims

Shawn Harrison brings in more than 20K in May in HD 63 race