Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jacob OglesJanuary 6, 2019

Corey Lewandowski, a former manager for President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, endorsed Christian Ziegler to become the next Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Florida. “Christian is exactly the kind of grassroots leader President Trump needs on the ground in Florida to ensure his re-election in 2020,” Lewandowski said. Ziegler, State Committeeman for Sarasota County, […]

Jacob OglesJanuary 2, 2019

Could cigarette butts become a thing of the past on Florida beaches? A bill filed by state Sen. Joe Gruters would outlaw smoking on all Florida beaches. But the ACLU already has voiced concerns about how the law will be enforced. The legislation (SB 218) would penalize smokers with a $25 fine and up to 10 […]

Jacob OglesDecember 18, 2018

Christian Ziegler, currently the Sarasota County Republican State Committeeman, said he has racked up enough endorsements to guarantee his ascension to Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Florida. He released a list Tuesday of 121 grassroots and State Executive Committee endorsements, including Joe Gruters, the front-runner for state Chair position, and Michael Barnett, the […]

Jacob OglesNovember 27, 2018

A mid-winter conference of Florida’s elections supervisors usually serves as a social affair, maybe a discussion on changing ballot technology. But on the heels of a historic statewide recount, the upcoming event in Sarasota will likely entail more than just mingling. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner agreed to host the Florida State Association of […]

Drew WilsonNovember 6, 2018

RTXA96W-voter-at-ballot-election-1024x640-1024x1024.jpg

Those who want to watch the ballots trickle in minute-to-minute on Election Day can do so with a little knowhow, but that real-time data is lacking numbers from more than a dozen counties, including some of the most reliably Democratic ones in the state. The thirteen counties lagging: DeSoto, Hamilton, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lake, Miami-Dade, Nassau, […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorSeptember 18, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott is putting another $4 million toward red tide funding for local communities impacted by the outbreak. The Tuesday announcement brings the total Florida Department of Environmental Protection funding available so far to $13 million. Red tide has been spreading north along Florida’s Gulf Coast for much of the late summer. It’s plagued Pinellas […]

Jacob OglesAugust 18, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday appointed attorney Dana Moss to an open judgeship in the Sarasota County Court today. Moss, a 47-year-old former police officer, has been the felony division chief for the Public Defender’s Office in the 12th Judicial Circuit, working for Public Defender Larry Eger. She earned her law degree from Florida Coastal […]

Drew WilsonJuly 30, 2018

Fort Myers police officer Adam Jobbers-Miller died Saturday, one week after Wisner Desmaret allegedly shot him while Jobbers-Miller was answering a call at Marathon gas station. The shooting, now killing, has turned into a flashpoint that cuts across many political issues, namely immigration, mental health and pretrial release. Desmaret, 29, is a Haitian immigrant who […]

Scott PowersApril 17, 2018

Warning that Florida may be in violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act, state Sen. Victor Torres on Tuesday led a group of eight mostly-Hispanic Democratic lawmakers in urging Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner to respond to reports that some Florida counties are not providing Spanish-language elections materials. Torres and the others wrote to […]

Jim RosicaNovember 16, 2016

Should school bus drivers get overtime pay for being stuck in traffic or “sweeping (out) the bus”? A group of current and former Sarasota County school bus drivers says “yes” in a federal lawsuit filed this week in Tampa. They sued the county school board for “wage theft” for not being paid for a long list […]

Tag: Sarasota County
The Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse is located at 801 North Florida Ave., in Tampa, Fla. (Brooke Johnson/Fresh Take Florida)

Corey Lewandowski weighs in on Florida GOP Vice Chair race

Joe Gruters wants to ban smoking on state’s beaches

Christian Ziegler says he has the votes to be Florida GOP Vice Chair

Elections conference likely to touch on reform

Whodunit? Election Day numbers a mystery in blue strongholds

State red tide funding soars to $13 million

Dana Moss appointed to county judge post in Sarasota County

Fort Myers shooting highlights cracks in patchwork pretrial release system

Victor Torres leads effort demanding Spanish materials in Florida elections offices

Sarasota County school bus drivers file wage theft suit