Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan RayAugust 11, 2015

The two-lobbyist governmental relations firm William J. Peebles PA, operated by the firm’s namesake along with John Wayne Smith, reported earning more than $300,000 during the second quarter of 2015, according to recently submitted compensation reports. The boutique shop’s list of clients heavily tilted toward local government clients: nearly all of the Peeble’s 22 legislative and 21 executive […]

Bill PrescottAugust 10, 2015

From the people determined to bring you Unplanned Parenthood, another fiesta of misogyny. On July 29, Rick Scott loudly announced investigations of Florida clinics that perform cancer screenings, HIV services, Pap tests, contraceptive care, stop-smoking programs, STD treatment, gynecological exams, and yes, abortions. The state Agency for Healthcare Administration cited four clinics: one for improper […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorJuly 21, 2015

A group of four journalists from Uzbekistan traveled to the United States this past week for a series of seminars and meetings with local journalists. World Partnerships Inc., an organization based in downtown St. Petersburg, brought the journalists to the U.S. to further their educations in various media and to learn about U.S. journalism practices. […]

Tony DeSistoJune 1, 2015

Google is a giant. It is a giant success, giant company, and a giant in its industry. Did you know, though, that Gmail, one of the most popular email platforms on the Internet, was thought up, tested, and proposed during what is referred to as “dabble time”? Google encourages its employees to use 20 percent […]

Martin DyckmanMay 25, 2015

The obituaries for Helen Gordon Davis correctly recounted what one called her “trailblazing” career in the Florida Legislature, where in 1974 she became one of very few women – the first from Hillsborough County – in what a colleague famously called “the land of the Bubbas.” She weathered the sexism and condescension and compiled a […]

Martin DyckmanMay 25, 2015

The obituaries for Helen Gordon Davis correctly recounted what one called her “trailblazing” career in the Florida Legislature, where in 1974 she became one of very few women – the first from Hillsborough County – in what a colleague famously called “the land of the Bubbas.” She weathered the sexism and condescension and compiled a […]

Ryan RayMay 12, 2015

Rep. Dwight Dudley survived a serious electoral scare in November from well-known local Republican Bill Young II, son of the late Pinellas U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young. The two tangled over House District 68, in the heart of St. Petersburg, one of the most competitive seats in the state at any level. Borrowing from the old […]

Bruce RitchieApril 8, 2015

A pilot program is a small step — but it is a step forward nonetheless, critics of disposable plastic shopping bags said Wednesday. A Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill that allows coastal communities to create a 2-1/2-year pilot program to regulate or ban plastic bags. Critics say plastic bags become litter that choke […]

Mitch PerryMarch 13, 2015

Welcome to the hottest Friday the 13th in March in Tampa Bay history. If it’s Friday in Tallahassee, it’s vacation day. Although the regular session began just 10 days ago, lawmakers are apparently burned out, and require a three-day weekend. No hearings are scheduled today in the Capitol. Then again, the U.S. House of Representatives […]

Associated PressFebruary 23, 2015

Florida had one of the largest declines in homeownership in the nation during the past decade, according to new figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The homeownership rate in Florida went from more than 73 percent at the start of 2005 to just under 65 percent at the end of last year, according […]

Tag: St. Petersburg
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Local government specialists at William Peebles’ firm rake in $310K in Q2 lobby fees

Diane Roberts: GOP takes its lady-parts jihad to Planned Parenthood

Janelle Irwin: What this American blogger learned from her Uzbek counterparts

Tony DeSisto: Online tools fuel local government vitality

Martin Dyckman: Helen Gordon Davis, an early victim of racial gerrymandering in Florida

Martin Dyckman: Helen Gordon Davis an early victim of racial gerrymandering in Florida

Dwight Dudley draws 2 early GOP opponents in swing House district

Bill doesn’t lift prohibition on plastic bag bans but allows pilot programs

Mitch Perry Report for 3.13.15 — Random thoughts

Census data: Florida homeownership dives in past decade