Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryApril 29, 2015

Longtime Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan says he’s considering a run for mayor of Tampa in 2019. “I’m encouraged every day to consider running for either mayor of Tampa or a constitutional seat,” Hagan said Tuesday. Having just been re-elected to his District 5 countywide commission seat last year, he admits he’s not in any […]

Mitch PerryApril 21, 2015

The uproar over a Tampa Bay Times report over the weekend that the Tampa Police Department has been targeting low-income black bicyclists over the past decade continues to reverberate, with Chief Jane Castor facing the strongest criticism in her nearly five year tenure, just weeks before she steps down after a distinguished 30-year career with the department. […]

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2015

Former Tampa City Councilman and Hillsborough County Commission Thomas Scott has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Elections Commission. The 61-year-old Scott is senior pastor at the 34th Street Church of God in East Tampa. He’s been out of politics for four years after his first city council term ended in 2011. […]

Mitch PerryMarch 26, 2015

In the immediate aftermath of her stunning loss to Guido Maniscalco in the Tampa District 6 City Council runoff on Tuesday, Jackie Toledo said that the media coverage of her campaign was unfair and had “made a big difference” in the final results. That coverage included the unforced errors on her part that brought her […]

Mitch PerryMarch 19, 2015

The Tampa City Council has an election every year to choose a new chair. The majority has chosen the status quo in recent years, continuing to choose longtime member Charlie Miranda as their leader, with nary a vote for the board’s other six members. That lack of leadership diversity has bothered a few members of […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 27, 2015

What a difference four years make. On March 1, 2011, Bob Buckhorn and his supporters crammed into JJ’s Cafe and Bar in Ybor City, fingers crossed, hoping he would make it into the run-off election three weeks later. He did, barely, getting 384 more votes than Dick Greco. Flash forward three weeks later, and Buckhorn […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 16, 2015

Bob Buckhorn won’t be refunding money to contributors after all. The Tampa mayor appeared to be on his way to winning re-election automatically today, as no other man or woman had filed to oppose him — until late yesterday afternoon. But that’s when a write-in candidate by the name of Jose Vasquez qualified for the race, though he […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 7, 2015

When she left office four years ago, speculation in the Bay area was rife that Pam Iorio would be going on to bigger things in the political world – though she never directly said so herself. After publishing a political memoir in 2012 that didn’t exactly set the world on fire, the former Tampa mayor was […]

Tag: Pam Iorio
Kamala Harris is winning the popularity contest, by a hair.

Ken Hagan looks at 2019 run for Tampa mayor

“Biking while black” in Tampa story not going away

Rick Scott taps Tom Scott for Florida Elections Commission

Rose Ferlita hopes Jackie Toledo learns from mistakes, runs again

Tampa Council argues diversity vs. status quo in who will lead

Bob Buckhorn ready to party on Election Night

Bob Buckhorn gets an opponent — sort of — to run against for re-election

Pam Iorio helps bring HQ of Big Brothers Big Sisters to Tampa