Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 17, 2018

Judge Laurel Lee, wife of Florida State Sen. Tom Lee, has been asked to recuse herself in the lawsuit seeking to overturn the Hillsborough transportation sales tax voters approved last month. Sen. Lee has been a vocal critic of the sales tax, giving his wife an apparent conflict of interest in the case. A defendant […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 17, 2018

Monday is the deadline for defendants in the All For Transportation sales tax lawsuit to request that the presiding judge take herself off the case. The question remains: Does Hillsborough Circuit Judge Laurel Lee have too big a conflict of interest to oversee the case in an impartial and unbiased manner? The 1 percent transportation and transit sales […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 15, 2018

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority is looking for two residents to fill open positions on the Independent Oversight Committee being created to oversee spending of the one percent sales tax voters approved for transit and transportation improvements. The agency is moving forward with filling its positions on the committee despite a lawsuit challenging the […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 14, 2018

Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp is warning constituents not to buy into claims that merging local Metropolitan Planning Organizations is a good idea. Kemp described the concept as an attack on local power on Friday during Cafe Con Tampa, a community forum held at the Oxford Exchange to inform residents of issues facing their communities. […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 12, 2018

The Tampa Bay Partnership’s 2019 Regional Competitiveness Report shows the Tampa Bay region has room for improvement in several areas — some surprising, others not so much. The report shows the region lagging behind others in job growth, wages, household income, transportation and transit and talent access. Companies, community organizations and government agencies can use […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 11, 2018

The judge named to preside over a lawsuit against several local governments and constitutional offices that will receive revenue from the recently approved transportation sales tax will make the ultimate decision whether she takes the case. Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Laurel Lee was assigned to hear Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White’s lawsuit aiming to overturn the […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 10, 2018

Ed Turanchik is the only actively campaigning Tampa Mayoral candidate who did not condemn Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White’s decision to file a lawsuit against the county and other governments and agencies within the county over the All For Transportation referendum raising sales tax 1 percent to fund transit and transportation improvements. Voters approved that referendum […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 5, 2018

Hillsborough County is moving forward with plans to appoint four members to the transportation sales tax oversight committee despite a lawsuit questioning the validity of the new charter amendment voters approved in November. The commission voted Wednesday to begin exploring options for appointees including advertising the positions broadly online and in the media and allowing […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 5, 2018

Hillsborough County is moving forward with plans to bring electric scooters to the county. Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to have county attorneys work with staff from the electric scooter company Bird on how and where to implement service. Electric scooters are an emerging micro-mobility transit solution aimed at providing first mile/last mile solutions to transit […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorDecember 4, 2018

Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White has filed a lawsuit against Hillsborough County, all three cities within the county, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority and several county constitutional offices – all of which will receive a portion of the revenue created by the new one percent transportation and transit sales surtax taking effect next month. […]

Tag: transit
Golf ball and golf club in bag on green grass

Judge Laurel Lee, wife of Sen. Tom Lee, asked to recuse herself from transportation tax lawsuit

Tom Lee’s wife still has All For Transportation lawsuit amid more ties to his opposition

Hillsborough transit agency seeks transportation tax oversight volunteers

Pat Kemp rejects plan to merge Bay area transportation planning groups

Tampa Bay Partnership study shows lag in job growth, pay and transit

Transportation tax critic’s wife could decide not to recuse herself

Tampa mayoral candidates blast Stacy White over transportation tax lawsuit … except one

Hillsborough County moves forward with transportation tax implementation despite lawsuit

Hillsborough County eyes electric scooters

Stacy White lawsuit calls All For Transportation unlawful, asks for it to be scrapped