Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Janelle Irwin TaylorOctober 10, 2018

Florida is ready for a robust storm response after Hurricane Michael passes through the Panhandle, Gov. Rick Scott said during an 8:30 a.m. briefing Wednesday morning. Michael is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm with winds up to 145 mph. “This is devastating,” Scott said. “This is the worst storm the Panhandle has […]

Scott PowersOctober 10, 2018

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has declared a public health emergency in Florida in advance of Hurricane Michael’s arrival, mobilizing federal medical assistance and opening the door for federally supported health care providers and suppliers to have greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs. The declaration, which came late Tuesday follows the […]

Scott PowersOctober 9, 2018

The vacation rental-home marketing company Airbnb is opening its ‘Open Homes’ program Tuesday, encouraging its property hosts in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Central Florida to take in Panhandle evacuees from Hurricane Michael at no charge. The program, which Airbnb has run in past hurricanes including Harvey, Irma, and Maria last year, provides the vacation rental homes […]

Danny McAuliffeOctober 8, 2018

Florida’s Democrat U.A. Sen. Bill Nelson made his rounds across the Panhandle and Big Bend regions as a potentially catastrophic storm approaches the areas, expressing optimism in federal relief and shying away from politics, just like his Republican challenger, Gov. Rick Scott. Speaking with reporters on Monday in Tallahassee after being briefed by emergency officials, Nelson said […]

Ryan NicolSeptember 4, 2018

With Tropical Storm Gordon hitting landfall Tuesday evening, Airbnb is set to activate its Open Homes Program, providing free lodging for victims of the storm. The program matches people who are forced to evacuate from their homes with hosts willing to offer their residences for a temporary stay free of charge. Airbnb also sends out […]

Ryan NicolAugust 10, 2018

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan is set to join fellow Congressman Matt Gaetz for a trio of campaign stops Saturday. The pair is dubbing the trip the “Freedom Tour.” The first event will be held at The Fish House restaurant in Pensacola starting at 10 a.m. (all times are Central). That will be followed by an […]

Danny McAuliffeApril 10, 2018

Gwen Graham brought her campaign to the western portion of the Panhandle on Tuesday to welcome home returning service members. It marked the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s 55th ‘workday,’ a Graham-family tradition first set out by her father, former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham. “Florida should welcome and support all those who are serving our […]

Staff ReportsMay 10, 2017

Florida Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel and President Sally Boynton Brown are taking a two-day tour of the Panhandle to “energize the Democratic base and spread the party’s message of economic growth and opportunity to all corners of the state,” they said in a Wednesday news release. “I ran for party chair to build permanent progressive infrastructure […]

Associated PressFebruary 17, 2017

A small rural county in Florida’s Panhandle is going to become the first district in the state to have all of its students attend a charter school. The State Board of Education on Thursday voted to approve a turnaround plan for Jefferson County schools that calls for turning over day-to-day operations to a charter school […]

Peter SchorschOctober 11, 2016

Remember the “deer dog” case? This is the one where several families were having their lives disrupted because a group of hunters in the Panhandle was allowing hounds-in-pursuit-of-deer to trample across private property. It’s a quirky case. The Blackwater Wildlife Management Area (BWMA) is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and, […]

Tag: Panhandle
Uloma Ekpete Kama. Image via campaign site.

Panhandle braces for ‘devastating’ Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael: Federal agencies mobilizing health care help for Florida

Airbnb activates ‘open homes’ program to assist hurricane evacuees

Impending hurricane brings Bill Nelson to Tallahassee

Airbnb to list free lodging for victims of Tropical Storm Gordon

On the road: Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan plan campaign stops across Panhandle

Welcoming the troops home: Latest Gwen Graham ‘workday’ at USO in Pensacola

Democratic leaders touring Panhandle

Troubled Florida school district to use charter schools

FWCC judicial beat down in ‘deer dog’ case