Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressJuly 16, 2015

Presidential contender Jeb Bush used the ride-sharing service Uber to arrive Thursday at a startup where he was expected to talk up the benefits of small business and entrepreneurship as part of a fundraising swing through the San Francisco Bay Area. Bush pulled up at Thumbtack headquarters in the front seat of a black Toyota […]

Ryan RayJuly 16, 2015

Little-known political novice Joseph Wilkinson was never much of a threat to the incumbency of Republican Rep. Jamie Grant of Tampa, but now he has completely removed himself from consideration by voters in HD 64 altogether. Wilkinson, also a Republican, had not reported raising any contributions. Grant, for his part, has raised $25 ahead of his 2016 reelection campaign. […]

Mitch PerryJuly 16, 2015

Jeb Bush is in San Francisco today, where he plans to hail an Uber to show support for the ride-sharing company. His appearance comes a day after California regulators required the company to pay a $7.3 million fine and hand over required information about safety and accessibility — or be shut down in their home state. The California […]

Ryan RayJuly 8, 2015

In its vigorous crusade to legalize “ridesharing,” Uber has made some enemies among decision makers. Two days after the firm announced a pointed withdrawal from all operations in Broward County, officials in Key West are now saying they may arrest drivers who run afoul of local ordinances banning electronic ride-hailing. Meanwhile in Paris, French officials recently detained top Uber executives for […]

Ryan RayJuly 8, 2015

On the heels of Uber‘s announcement of its planned end to operations in Broward County effective July 31, the San Francisco-based business is enlisting “ridesharing” fellow travelers to join them Wednesday night as Capital City commissioners debate an ordinance to regulate them in a manner similar to taxi companies. Just nine days ahead of the scheduled completion of a […]

Associated PressJuly 7, 2015

The popular ridesharing service Uber has announced it is leaving Broward County. The company announced Monday that it will withdraw completely from the county on July 31. Uber had previously agreed to withdraw from the airport and port in Broward County, hoping to persuade commissioners not to institute new regulations. Those rules include requiring each […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 18, 2015

Thursday morning Jacksonville transition team budget reviews continue with the Office of Economic Development. 9:55: No revenue. Expenses: salaries down $33K. Health insurance up. Office of General Counsel allocation down by $65K. Removed extraordinary lapse, imposed by City Council last year. Flat budget; no major changes. 9:57: Why is parking under Eco Dev? Sam Mousa says that […]

Mitch PerryJune 13, 2015

More than 1,200 Florida Democratic Party activists gathered Saturday night at The Diplomat hotel in Hollywood to get fired up about an election that takes place in 541 days. It’s better for FDP members to took ahead to 2016, though, since their hopes of removing Rick Scott from the governors mansion fell agonizingly short in November. Things […]

Mitch PerryJune 12, 2015

Legislation to regulate share-riding services Uber and Lyft failed in the Florida Legislature this year, meaning that their ability to operate in the state without getting in trouble will vary county to county. Most of the issues here and across the country with Uber and Lyft regard getting their insurance and background check policies in […]

Mitch PerryJune 11, 2015

The Tampa Bay Times lead Thursday is a story that we touched upon briefly Wednesday because the Legislature is now half-way through its Special Session in Tallahassee: There are fears among Tampa leaders that state funding for a USF College of Medicine building ($17 million) and accompanying USF Heart Institute ($15.75 million) is in peril. […]

Tag: Uber
Reps. Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar. Image via X.

Jeb Bush rides Uber to San Francisco startup

Joseph Wilkinson, Jamie Grant’s sole opponent, drops out in HD 64

Mitch Perry Report for 7.16.15 — Jeb Bush goes to Uber

Should Uber, like Airbnb, employ lighter touch with regulators?

After pointed Broward pull-out, Uber taking ride-hailing fight to Tallahassee

Uber to cease operations in Broward County

Jacksonville Transition Budget Review: Economic Development

Florida Democrats celebrate themselves in Hollywood

Uber’s David Plouffe rejects claim on reliability of fingerprint background checks

Mitch Perry Report for 6.11.15 — Picking winners and losers in Tallahassee