Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJuly 24, 2015

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Florida is one of only three states that require a governor’s order to restore civil rights to ex-felons. As the law stands, men and women released from the prison system must wait five years before applying for full citizenship rights. Then they must petition the governor and Cabinet for clemency, a process that can take 10 […]

Darryl PaulsonJuly 15, 2015

As someone who has testified many times in Florida reapportionment cases, the voters of Florida and then the state Supreme Court got most everything wrong when it comes to “Fair Districts.” I have been hired numerous times by the state or national NAACP to testify about the legacy of voter discrimination in Florida. When you […]

Mitch PerryJune 25, 2015

Bob Buckhorn travels to Tallahassee Friday in what is being seen as his first overt move to broaden his statewide appeal in advance of 2018, when he’ll likely take a run at the Democratic nomination for governor. The Tampa mayor speaks to the Tallahassee Tiger Bay Club on Friday, as well as tape an appearance […]

Melissa RossJune 23, 2015

In the city named for Andrew Jackson, discussions involving race and the history of the South have often been fraught with awkward associations to the past. But an on-air radio discussion over South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s call to remove the Confederate battle flag from that state’s Capitol was refreshingly civil. “The people of South […]

Mitch PerryJune 22, 2015

In the wake of the racist terrorist attack on nine black people at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina last week, there has been a renewed focus on the divisiveness of the Confederate flag,which currently flies on the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol. Meanwhile the biggest Confederate flag in the world (according to its […]

Mitch PerryMay 18, 2015

Helen Gordon Davis, the first woman from Hillsborough County elected to serve in the Florida Legislature, died from congestive heart failure on Monday. She was 88. “She was one of the most effective, powerful women leaders in the Florida Legislature,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Chair Sandy Murman said last fall at an event at the Women’s Centre in Hyde […]

Mitch PerryMay 1, 2015

Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller said Friday he thinks the Tampa Police Department’s policies on bicycle infractions, which disproportionately singled out blacks in the city, is wrong and should be discontinued until the Justice Department concludes its review of the policy. However, he doesn’t think it should hold up the confirmation of newly appointed police Chief […]

Mitch PerryApril 30, 2015

A half-hour after Eric Ward was named the new Tampa police chief on Thursday, two city council members joined a coalition of activist groups who again called on the Tampa Police Department to temporarily stop their current bike citation policy. Council Chairman Frank Reddick and District 7 Councilwoman Lisa Montelione joined members of the ACLU, […]

Mitch PerryApril 27, 2015

A really unusual thing happened this weekend — ABC’s much-hyped interview with Bruce Jenner wasn’t terrible. If fact, it was riveting, as the former Olympic hero acknowledged what has hardly been a secret during the past year or so – he’s transitioning to becoming a woman. “My whole life has prepared me for this moment,” Jenner […]

Mitch PerryApril 26, 2015

By any measure, Tampa has flourished since its citizens elected Bob Buckhorn as mayor in 2011. Saddled with budget deficits in his first couple of years in office, he put the city’s economy back on solid footing post-recession. There’s been a plethora of new parks and swimming pools built throughout the city, and an expanded Riverwalk has […]

Tag: NAACP

Bid for constitutional amendment to restore ex-felons’ rights not looking good for 2016 ballot

Darryl Paulson: What is really “fair districting?”

Bob Buckhorn takes his act to Tallahassee

Jacksonville speaks out about Confederate flag

Kathy Castor says she hates Tampa’s Confederate flag

Pioneer Helen Gordon Davis passes away at the age of 88

Les Miller: Suspend TPD bike policy but confirm new chief

2 Tampa City Council members say bike policy will guide votes on new police chief

Mitch Perry Report for 4.27.15 — Bruce Jenner’s journey

Bob Buckhorn faces first major test as Tampa mayor