Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressFebruary 24, 2017

Seven of the top 10 beaches ranked as the best in the nation by a travel-ratings website are in Florida. TripAdvisor said Wednesday in a news release that the sand at Siesta Key outside Sarasota was the best-rated beach in the nation. Other Gulf Coast beaches weren’t far behind. St. Pete Beach was number 3, […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

When Randall Baker began renting out a pair of College Park cottages through Airbnb, he says he thought he had done everything right. He had a business license through the state and tax receipts from the city and county. But after a neighbor complained, Orlando code enforcement determined Baker was violating zoning rules. Though he […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 28, 2016

People renting scooters when they visit Northwest Florida’s beaches may be saying goodbye to those florescent “safety vests.” An appellate court on Wednesday struck down local ordinances in Bay County and Panama City Beach imposing safety and insurance requirements on businesses that rent motor-scooters or mopeds, usually to tourists. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal […]

Associated PressApril 30, 2016

New laws to clean up spring break in Panama City Beach drove students elsewhere in March. Now business leaders are reporting big losses. The Bay County Tourist Development Council says bed tax collections plunged from $2 million in March 2015 to $1.2 million last month. Those bed tax collections are down about 13 percent overall […]

Ryan RayApril 13, 2016

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A Panama City Beach mayoral election took a bizarre turn on Tuesday, when 30-year-old candidate Calvin Finnegan Chester released a video via Facebook responding to what he called “campaign slander” related to two past arrests. Chester said rumors circulating about his arrests misrepresent his actions on two occasions — one involving an obscene gesture at a pair […]

Diane RobertsApril 4, 2016

It’s springtime! And idiocy is in full Florida bloom. The state Supreme Court just ruled that a disingenuous and dissembling solar energy initiative is good to go on this November’s ballot. The proposed amendment, “masquerading as pro-solar” (in the words of dissenting justice Barbara Pariente), is sponsored by utility companies. Yes, utility companies, those nice […]

Diane RobertsApril 3, 2016

It’s springtime! and idiocy is in full Florida bloom. The state Supreme Court just ruled that a disingenuous and dissembling solar energy initiative is good to go on this November’s ballot. The proposed amendment, “masquerading as pro-solar” (in the words of dissenting justice Barbara Pariente), is sponsored by utility companies. Yes, utility companies, those nice […]

Associated PressApril 3, 2016

Being able to drink alcohol on Panama City Beach is legal again after the month-long ban ended on Friday. The decision to ban beer, wine and liquor during Spring Break for the first time was controversial. Bay County officials did it after many alcohol-related incidents the past couple years. While law enforcement officials saw a […]

Associated PressOctober 31, 2015

Several Panama City Beach nightclub owners argue in a lawsuit filed Friday that local officials violated their rights and showed racial bias when they approved a series of new ordinances designed to curb spring break mayhem. The club owners, other businesses and eight other anonymous plaintiffs, described as representative club patrons of various races, claim […]

Guest AuthorAugust 10, 2015

Welcome back to another Special Session! It’s been fun blaming the Florida Legislature for gerrymandering and all that, but GOP state Rep. Mike Hill from Pensacola wrote penned an interesting letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. In part, he wrote: “Under the guise of interpreting Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Florida […]

Tag: Panama City Beach

TripAdvisor: Florida has 7 of top 10 beaches

Orlando grapples with Airbnb, other rental networks

Court says local gov’t can’t regulate vacation scooters

Spring break was a bust at Florida beach after drinking ban

Panama City Beach mayoral candidate acknowledges past arrests, but denies wrongdoing

Diane Roberts: Yale tells Rick Scott it’s not ready to swap ivy for kudzu

Diane Roberts: Yale tells Rick Scott it’s not ready to swap ivy for kudzu

Alcohol returns to Panama City Beach after Spring Break ban

Businesses say Panama City Beach violated their civil rights

Henry Kelley: It’s time to fix high court’s districting overreach