Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonApril 21, 2018

ESPN’s Jemele Hill will be in St. Petersburg Saturday to give a talk and field questions at a League of Women Voters event. The chief correspondent and senior columnist for ESPN’s The Undefeated will offer her thoughts on the role that celebrity brings to public service and how she has used her platform for that […]

Danny McAuliffeMarch 5, 2018

The three independent campuses affiliated with the University of South Florida network could soon be consolidated under one accreditation. The House passed a bill Monday afternoon that, if signed into law, would require two smaller auxiliary campuses, USF St. Petersburg and USF Manatee/Sarasota, to become part of the main USF Tampa campus by July 1, 2020. The […]

Scott PowersMarch 2, 2018

With the derailment of bills seeking state regulation of the private Brightline passenger train system, state Sen. Debbie Mayfield has gotten language inserted into the Senate budget plan that would authorize a safety study of the train. The budget proposal includes new language that would authorize a transportation research center at the University of South […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 27, 2018

Ever since legislation calling for consolidating the University of South Florida System was unveiled in mid-January, officials from the St. Petersburg community have raised serious objections. The bill, sponsored by Estero Republican Ray Rodrigues (HB 423), would make USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee operate separately from the main campus in Tampa under its own accreditation. […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 2, 2018

Two Democratic lawmakers are calling for “meaningful dialogue” before moving on legislation to consolidate the University of South Florida campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee with the main Tampa campus. State Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Ben Diamond, who represent St. Petersburg in the Legislature, sent a joint letter Friday to USF Board of Trustees President Brian Lamb. It is just […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 26, 2018

The state university system’s Board of Governors said Thursday it was fully behind a plan to combine the three USF campuses, but the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce said lawmakers need to “hit pause” on the consolidation plan. Republican Rep. Chris Sprowls added a provision to the House higher education bill, HB 423, that would […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 22, 2018

— Tampa Bay ranks third statewide in job creation — Tampa Bay added 28,000 new private-sector jobs in the last year, the third-highest number of jobs among all Florida metro areas. In a statement this week from Gov. Rick Scott, Tampa Bay’s unemployment rate had dropped to 3.4 percent, down 1.1 percentage points from the same […]

Joe HendersonJanuary 19, 2018

The controversial proposal in the Legislature to combine the three campuses of the University of South Florida has drawn the ire of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg. In a letter to Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, Crist said he is “deeply concerned” over the bill offered by state Rep. Chris Sprowls, a […]

Joe HendersonJanuary 17, 2018

Boom! That sound you heard emanating from the western side of the Tampa Bay area wasn’t a sonic blast, or the exhaust fumes from an unidentified flying object. But if you’re still searching for answers to why your windows rattled this morning, check out the University of South Florida St. Petersburg – or, as that […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 15, 2018

Rick Baker is leaving The Edwards Group. The former two-term mayor of St. Petersburg is resigning his job as president of the company owned by entrepreneur Bill Edwards. Baker has worked at Edwards Group since 2012, joining after serving two terms in City Hall. The resignation is effective Jan. 31. In a text message obtained […]

Tag: university of south florida
Lake Mary’s team celebrates in the eighth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game against Taiwan. Florida won in eight innings 2-1. Image via AP.

ESPN’s Jemele Hill to headline League of Women Voters luncheon

House passes USF consolidation plan

With train bills dead, safety study language appears in Senate budget offer

Last-hour effort to delay USF System consolidation fails

Darryl Rouson, Ben Diamond worry of ‘unintended consequences’ in USF consolidation

University system says unified USF ‘just makes sense,’; St. Pete Chamber says ‘slow down’

Not Just A Body Of Water — A weekly newsletter about Tampa Bay politics — 1.21.18

Charlie Crist ‘deeply concerned’ about USF unification bill

Joe Henderson: Legislature move on USF could leave St. Pete rattled

Rick Baker resigning as president of The Edwards Group