Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan NicolJuly 27, 2018

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for a federal investigation into last week’s shooting death of Markeis McGlockton outside a Clearwater convenience store. McGlockton was shot dead following a dispute with 47-year-old Michael Drejka over a handicapped parking space. The issue has earned attention because of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law possibly shielding Drejka from […]

Ryan NicolJuly 24, 2018

Two Democratic lawmakers are out with a joint statement Tuesday urging the Pinellas County State Attorney to reject the “Stand Your Ground” defense in the shooting death of Markeis McGlockton. The shooting drew headlines after McGlockton was shot dead following a dispute over a handicapped parking space at a Clearwater convenience store. Now it’s up to […]

Staff ReportsJuly 24, 2018

The family of a Florida man who was fatally shot by another man he had pushed to the ground demanded Tuesday that prosecutors file charges against the gunman, despite protections that the state’s “stand your ground” law might offer. The family of Markeis McGlockton issued an appeal through an attorney for the public to put […]

Drew WilsonJuly 24, 2018

Tampa City Councilman Harry Cohen, also a candidate for Tampa Mayor, on Monday called for the immediate repeal of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Cohen’s statement follows last week’s fatal shooting of Markeis McGlockton in Clearwater. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced Friday that an arrest would not be made because the shooting fell within the bounds […]

Kate BradshawJune 12, 2018

As the prosecutor in a place as diverse as Hillsborough County, State Attorney Andrew Warren has managed to strike a balance between encouraging dialogue on hot-button issues and doing his job. A Democrat who surprisingly beat popular Republican incumbent Mark Ober in 2016 on the promise of criminal justice reform, Warren pushes the envelope on criminal justice […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 28, 2018

Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, a Democratic candidate in Florida’s 5th Congressional District, used the anniversary of Trayvon Martin‘s murder six years ago as part of a fundraising pitch Thursday. Martin, who was gunned down in 2012 by George Zimmerman in Central Florida, was not mentioned in public remarks when Brown was Jacksonville Mayor. However, Brown’s fundraising appeal […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 20, 2018

The race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Al Lawson and former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, as of this week, is focused on the issue of guns. On Monday, Brown’s team found daylight between Lawson’s post-Parkland assertion “decrying ‘the stranglehold of the gun lobby'” and taking $2,500 from the political action committee of the National Rifle Association in August 2017. […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 15, 2018

Florida law pre-empts local governments from passing any ordinances which regulate guns, a reality that Tampa residents became acutely aware ofwhen Mayor Bob Buckhorn attempted to keep his downtown safe ahead of the 2012 Republican National Convention. That 2011 law was mentioned briefly at the beginning of Thursday’s Tampa City Council meeting following the mass shooting Wednesday at a high […]

Staff ReportsDecember 17, 2017

A deadly 2016 fight outside a St. Petersburg bar is the subject of a lawsuit by the wife of the victim, while the man who threw the fatal blow faces an appeal of his Stand Your Ground self-defense protection. On Feb. 10, 2016, Bobby Ryan and Christopher Motlenski were at Angelo’s Grill and Bar on First […]

Associated PressJuly 4, 2017

A judge ruled Monday that Florida’s lawmakers overstepped their authority in updating the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law. In ruling the law unconstitutional, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch said Monday that the changes should have been crafted by the Florida Supreme Court instead of by the Legislature. The Miami Herald reports that the 14-page order is a […]

Tag: Stand Your Ground

Bill Nelson to DOJ: Investigate Markeis McGlockton shooting

Democrats to Pinellas State Attorney: Reject ‘Stand Your Ground’ defense

Family wants gunman charged after fatal parking lot dispute

Tampa Councilman Harry Cohen calls for Stand Your Ground repeal

#21 on list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians — Andrew Warren

Alvin Brown fundraising off of anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s murder

On guns, Al Lawson is not an orthodox Democrat

Tampa City Council chair slams state lawmakers after school shooting

Widow sues St. Pete bar over fatal fight; Stand Your Ground appeal continues

Miami judge: New stand-your-ground law is unconstitutional