Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJanuary 12, 2017

Airbnb, the internet-based home-sharing lodging service, announced Thursday it reached a deal with Polk County to collect tourism taxes from host clients. The company said it is seeing rapid growth in Polk County over the past year, ending 2016 with 160 hosts — people who make their houses or apartments available through Airbnb for visitors […]

Larry GriffinJanuary 2, 2017

Senator Linda Stewart spent her Monday getting the ball rolling on a bill that would require a 48-hour notice to be given to the public in the case of any spill that contaminates the state’s waters. As Monday was a holiday for many government workers, Stewart’s bill was just in draft and she had not filed […]

Larry GriffinNovember 17, 2016

The Orlando Political Observer, a local political news site, has changed hands — now it’s owned Doug Kaplan, a Winter Park-based pollster and president of market research firm Gravis Marketing. Kaplan purchased the Orlando Political Observer from founder Frank Torres, according to a story on the site written by Torres himself. Kaplan assured readers in the OPO story […]

Mitch PerryNovember 17, 2016

U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham is speaking out critically about the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, after she reviewed public records regarding the massive sinkhole at Mosaic’s facility in Polk County. “Unless there are records that were not produced as required by law, the disclosures show an alarming lack of communication among state regulators about a threat to the health and safety […]

Joe HendersonSeptember 29, 2016

I think we have one of our first major campaign issues for the 2018 race to succeed Rick Scott as Florida’s governor. Any serious candidate who doesn’t come out strongly in favor of seriously beefing up the state Department of Environmental Protection will miss a great opportunity. In just the last couple of months alone, […]

Bill RuftySeptember 26, 2016

Sam Killebrew, Republican candidate for Florida House District 41, has raised a campaign war chest double that of Democratic candidate Bob Doyel, who nevertheless raised more than any Democrat running for the district in 16 years. The battle for the open seat is the only competitive race among the seven legislative seats in Polk County […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 22, 2016

Earlier this week, I addressed the Polk County Board of County Commissioners on the recent sinkhole and water loss incident at our New Wales production facility, and believe the updates and sentiments that I shared are pertinent to the entire west-central Florida community. The most important thing for the community to know is that on […]

Bill RuftySeptember 21, 2016

Republicans and Democrats agreeing on a major issue – It seldom (if ever) happens lately in national politics. But on a state level, Republican Sam Killebrew and Democrat Bob Doyel, competing for Florida House District 41, agreed on the critical issue of education in the state of Florida. There are too many tests and perhaps […]

Associated PressSeptember 16, 2016

A phosphate company says more than 200 million gallons of contaminated waste water from a fertilizer plant in central Florida leaked into one of the state’s main underground sources of drinking water after a massive sinkhole opened up beneath a storage pond. Mosaic, the world’s largest supplier of phosphate, said the hole opened up beneath […]

Bill RuftySeptember 4, 2016

Polk County will likely never return to the Democratic bastion that was home to four U.S. senators, three governors, and four presidents of the Florida Senate. But from Tuesday’s primaries and the fielding of candidates for the Nov. 8 general elections, Polk Democrats are slowly learning to make the now-GOP bastion a two-party county again. There […]

Tag: polk county
Police unions are standing tall for Rosie Cordero-Stutz.

Airbnb inks tax deal with Polk County

New Linda Stewart bill would require 48 hour notice of any spill or contamination in water

Orlando Political Observer purchased by Doug Kaplan-led group

Gwen Graham still not satisfied after receiving DEP records about sinkhole

Joe Henderson: Issue 1 in 2018 Gov’s race, fixing Florida’s environment

Bill Rufty: House District 41 candidates going for the money

Mosaic’s Walt Precourt: Our community, our responsibility

Bill Rufty: A political rarity in HD 41 – Republican, Democrat agree

Sinkhole leaks fertilizer plant’s water into Florida aquifer

Bill Rufty: Polk becoming a two-Party county?