Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryApril 25, 2016

St. Petersburg based attorney Ben Diamond will run as a Democrat for the now open House District 68 seat later this year. In what appears to be a coordinated effort, Diamond made his announcement just hours after incumbent Dwight Dudley announced publicly that he would not run for the seat he has held since 2012. “I have long been […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 25, 2015

Tuesday night’s Tampa Bay Young Republicans City Council forum was the last official scheduled campaign forum of the 2015 campaign season, and while District 1 candidate Susan Long said she couldn’t recall a comment she made at an earlier debate because “there’s been so many of them,” the fact is that this was a relatively light […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 25, 2015

Tuesday night’s Tampa Bay Young Republicans City Council forum was the last official scheduled campaign forum of the 2015 campaign season, and while District 1 candidate Susan Long said she couldn’t recall a comment she made at an earlier debate because “there’s been so many of them,” the fact is that this was a relatively light […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 25, 2015

It was a Young Republican of Tampa Bay-organized candidate forum at the Barrymore Hotel, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the first question asked of Tampa City Council hopefuls Tuesday night was where they could cut the city’s $876 million budget. But with the city finally in the black after years of budget cutting, not […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 18, 2015

Last week, at a candidates forum in South Tampa, District 4 challenger Kent King assailed incumbent Harry Cohen’s performance on council over the past four years, saying he hasn’t represented South Tampa well at City Hall. But after King told moderator Christine Burdick at this morning’s Downtown Partnership candidates forum that the City Council is not the “lead […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 17, 2015

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Although Democrats Bob Buckhorn and Rick Kriseman are close political allies, they definitely don’t always share the same public policy prescriptions. Throughout much of 2014, there was a demand among progressives in Florida and across the nation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The minimum wage in Florida currently is $8.05 an […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2015

Fueled by a well-attended fundraiser at Tampa insurance executive Guy King‘s palatial estate off of Bayshore Boulevard this past month, Jackie Toledo has become the first person running for city council this winter who has raised more than $100,000 ($102,832 to be precise). The District 6 hopeful dominates the fundraising race over her two opponents, […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2015

Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez is feeling confident in his bid for re-election to his District 1 seat next month. Unlike four years ago, where he was competing against four other candidates in his first bid for elected office, Suarez is in solid shape with less than three weeks to go in his primary contest, […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2015

In recent years Tampa City Council members like Mary Mulhern, Yolie Capin, Harry Cohen and Charlie Miranda have made trips to the communist island, as more and more of the political and business establishment say they want the city to be in the best position if and when the now 53-year-old economic embargo ends. Since […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2015

There have been just a handful of forums in this year’s Tampa City Council campaign to date, but one theme has risen above the rest: Downtown Tampa is doing very well, perhaps even thriving. That’s a great thing, but the city needs to spread the wealth out to the rest of its many neighborhoods in […]

Tag: Susan Long

Ben Diamond to run for Dwight Dudley’s seat in Florida House

Tampa City Council candidates talk about favorite Cuban sandwiches & other crucial minutiae

Tampa City Council candidates talk about favorite Cuban sandwiches & other crucial minutiae

Tampa City Council candidates not keen on cutting services in 2015

Transit talk dominates discussion at Tampa Downtown Partnership City Council forum

At NAACP forum, Tampa City Council candidates talk livable wages, red-light cameras and body cameras for police

Jackie Toledo continues to lead all Tampa City Council candidates in fundraising

Mike Suarez goes on air in re-election bid for Tampa City Council

Tampa City Council candidates favor hosting a Cuban consulate

Mitch Perry Report for 2.11.15 — The biggest concern among Tampa residents this election year