Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaJune 13, 2018

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, whose department handles concealed weapon licenses, didn’t directly answer questions about why he didn’t sooner divulge problems with applicants’ background checks. Putnam, also a Republican candidate for governor, spoke with reporters Wednesday after a Florida Cabinet meeting. The Tampa Bay Times reported last Friday that Putnam’s Division of Licensing stopped using a […]

Staff ReportsJune 8, 2018

After a newspaper report published Friday revealed that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for more than a yearlong period stopped using a federal background check database in its concealed carry permits approval process, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam released a statement explaining his department took key steps to correct the issue once it was discovered, […]

Scott PowersJune 8, 2018

A Tampa Bay Times investigation into an apparent yearlong lapse in national background checks for Florida concealed weapons permits has started a wave of Democrats calling for Republican Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam to drop out of the Governor’s race or resign. They were responding to a new report from the Times “Buzz blog” Friday afternoon that said […]

Phil AmmannApril 27, 2018

Newspaper editors are certainly entitled to hold an opinion; that is why there are Op-Ed pages. In the case of the Tampa Bay Times, the lines between content and its bottom line begin to blur after an online editorial featured a prominent banner ad which takes the exact same position as the op-ed. While it […]

Peter SchorschApril 23, 2018

This has been a difficult week for the Tampa Bay Times. Last Monday, the newspaper was shut out of the Pulitzer Prizes. The recipient of 12 previous Pulitzers, the Times newsroom measures itself, in part, by winning these awards. So it’s never a good day when the champagne isn’t flowing at 3 p.m. on Pulitzer […]

Peter SchorschApril 20, 2018

If you were expecting to read SUNBURN as you usually do on a weekday morning, this isn’t it. Nor will Takeaways from Tallahassee, our weekend newsletter, appear in your inbox Saturday. Both of those products are “going dark,” as they say, today and tomorrow as a message to the four leading Democratic candidates for Florida […]

Phil AmmannApril 10, 2018

One day after news broke of the alternative weekly Creative Loafing Tampa sale, the Tampa Bay Times is making some changes to its own free newspaper. Beginning June 7, tbt* – the Times’ free daily tabloid – will “return to its roots” as a weekly publication. According to a statement Tuesday, the change will help […]

Drew WilsonApril 6, 2018

U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Kathy Castor are sponsoring a bipartisan bill to close the campaign finance loopholes highlighted in “Zombie Campaigns,” an investigative report from the Tampa Bay Times and 10News WTSP. Bilirakis, a Tarpon Springs Republican, and Castor, a Tampa Democrat, told the Times they were sponsoring the “Honest Elections and Campaign, No […]

Peter SchorschMarch 19, 2018

Up until the moment a special master’s report found credible evidence of Jack Latvala‘s sexual misconduct, I was a defender of the Republican state Senator’s right to due process and, to some extent, an opportunity to confront his accusers. But after former Judge Ronald Swanson issued a report that Latvala inappropriately touched a top Senate […]

Drew WilsonMarch 5, 2018

The Tampa Bay Times announced Monday that it’s bringing on Conan Gallaty as chief digital officer to oversee and expand upon the paper’s digital presence. “It is an honor to join the Tampa Bay Times, an organization I have long admired. By pairing its talented staff with new digital products, I see great opportunities for […]

Tag: Tampa Bay Times

Adam Putnam sidesteps timing question about background check investigation

Adam Putnam sheds light on report of missed background checks

Democrats call for Adam Putnam to drop out, resign after report of missed background checks

Tampa Bay Times criticizes constitutional panel, while running dark money ad criticizing CRC

5 reasons you should not feel bad about Tampa Bay Times layoffs

#TheDaySunburnWentDark

CL sale, rising costs forcing tbt* to ‘return to roots’ as a weekly

Gus Bilirakis, Kathy Castor set sights on ‘zombie campaigns’

Tampa Bay Times editorial board disgustingly misframes the Jack Latvala scandal

Conan Gallaty named Tampa Bay Times chief digital officer