Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersSeptember 14, 2017

Power outages continue to plague just over one quarter of all the homes and businesses in Florida, though the number fell to almost 2.7 million customers Thursday morning. A 6 a.m. update from the Florida Office of Emergency Management showed that those counties hit first and hardest by Hurricane Irma – Monroe, Collier and Lee […]

Scott PowersSeptember 13, 2017

Wednesday hundreds of thousands of Florida power customers got their lights turned back on but almost exactly one third of Florida is still waiting. The latest numbers from the Florida Office of Emergency management show 3.5 million customers still were without power at 3 p.m. Wednesday, representing 33.4 percent of all Florida homes and businesses. […]

Scott PowersSeptember 13, 2017

Electrical power restoration continued to be slow in hard-hit Lee and Collier counties yet most of Florida continued to struggle without electricity as 52 of 67 counties continue to have at least one in five homes and businesses still dark Wednesday morning. The latest electric outage numbers available from the state Office of Emergency Management, […]

Scott PowersSeptember 12, 2017

Duke Energy announced it expects to have restored lost electrical service to the western portions of its service area – Pinellas and Pasco counties – by midnight Friday, and to most of the rest by midnight Sunday, but the hard hit counties of Hardee and Highlands likely will wait longer. Duke’s announcement came Tuesday afternoon […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 8, 2017

Republican candidate for governor and state Sen. Jack Latvala says state officials may have “overdone it” in preparing for Hurricane Irma. Latvala, in a Thursday interview with the Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau, questioned the mass evacuations of coastal areas, including in his home county of Pinellas. “I’m not sure that we haven’t overdone it a little bit,” […]

Scott PowersJune 27, 2017

Vacation home-rental marketing giant Airbnb said Tuesday its expanding list of tax agreements and its growing business should lead it to equal last year’s total sales and tourist tax payments just in the first six months of 2017. The company announced that its five-month totals in sales and tourist taxes paid to the state and […]

Staff ReportsMay 11, 2017

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Call it an April slowdown. Ed Hooper, the former Republican state representative and Clearwater city commissioner, posted just over $600 in April after two consecutive months of five-digit fundraising. Hooper, aiming to replace term-limited Jack Latvala in Senate District 16, put up only $640 in contributions and showed $20 in expenditures for the month. That’s after bringing […]

Phil AmmannApril 28, 2017

Florida lawmakers are seeking to rename a section of Alternate U.S. 19 in northern Pinellas County after a Tarpon Springs police officer killed in the line of duty in 2014. On Thursday, the Florida Senate unanimously approved changing the name of a stretch between Tarpon Avenue and the Pasco County line to the Officer Charles […]

Staff ReportsApril 20, 2017

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Leaders from Pinellas County nursing homes joined local residents, families and advocates to voice concern over a prospective payment system (PPS) plan under consideration by the Florida Senate. Pinellas County has 69 nursing homes, of which 39 (57 percent) could lose money under the Senate budget plan — potentially more than $13 million. “On average, […]

Les NeuhausMarch 27, 2017

A Pinellas County court set a trial date for John Jonchuck, arrested in 2015 for throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a St. Petersburg bridge. The Tampa Bay Times reported Monday that the trial will begin early February. In a pretrial hearing Monday, Jonchuck’s three public defenders listened as Pinellas County Circuit Judge Chris Helinger announced […]

Tag: Pinellas County

Power outages down to 2.7 million homes, businesses

Nearly half-million customers get power; one-third of Florida waits

Power update: Southwest Florida still without

Duke hopes to have Pinellas, Pasco power up by midnight Friday

Jack Latvala critical of storm strategy

Airbnb says county agreements should lead it to equal 2016 tax payments in first six months

After strong start, Ed Hooper raises just $640 in April for Senate bid

Legislature renaming part of U.S. 19 to honor Tarpon Springs officer killed on duty

Pinellas nursing home operators worried about impact of payment system

February trial date set for John Jonchuck, accused of throwing daughter off St. Pete bridge