Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJune 23, 2015

There were some local projects of note in the Tampa Bay area that escaped Rick Scott’s veto pen Tuesday morning, but there were plenty of other local projects and programs that did not, all part of a record breaking $461 million in vetoes announced by the governor’s office. Winners included USF, which received $17 million for its […]

Mitch PerryJune 23, 2015

Florida Gov. Rick Scott vetoed more than $461 million worth of projects from the state’s nearly $80 billion budget Tuesday morning, but the University of South Florida’s two pet projects survived his veto pen. They include $17 million for relocating USF’s Morsani College of Medicine to its expected downtown Tampa home on the corner of Meridian […]

Mitch PerryJune 23, 2015

Rick Scott has a week to sign the just-passed $78.7 billion Florida budget, and he’s promising taxpayers that “I’m going to watch your money” as he reviews projects with his veto pen. The Legislature’s last-minute addition of $300 million in pet local projects (including for a USF medical facility moving to downtown Tampa) has caused outrage 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. […]

Mitch PerryJune 10, 2015

The big news in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning is Mike Salinero‘s exclusive in The Tampa Tribune that Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill is prepared to recommend to county commissioners and Mayor Bob Buckhorn that a half-cent sales transit tax be put on the ballot in 2016, with 60 percent of the revenue going to […]

Melissa RossMay 28, 2015

Jacksonville’s mayor’s race may have just wrapped up, but Lenny Curry’s win has Floridians of all political stripes already prognosticating about the upcoming presidential race here in 2016. And Florida remains the swingiest of swing states, with its 29 coveted electoral votes eyed by operatives and donors as the ultimate prize for the nominees. “This […]

Mitch PerryMay 8, 2015

Hillsborough County Commissioners (and Administrator Mike Merrill) are gung-ho on having the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) explore an opportunity to move its facility into downtown Tampa. There it could be a part of Jeff Vinik‘s grand plans to redevelop the Channelside area, even though there are serious questions about how productive such a move […]

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2015

Since the 1970s, tuition rates have risen over 1,000 percent, while state funding of universities has declined by 40 percent. And the proportion of young Americans with education debt more than quadrupled, from 5 percent to 22 percent. Pinellas County Republican David Jolly says student debt is a serious issue, and he wants to find […]

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2015

Since the 1970s, tuition rates have risen over 1,000 percent, while state funding of universities has declined by 40 percent. And the proportion of young Americans with education debt more than quadrupled, from 5 percent to 22 percent. Pinellas County Republican David Jolly says student debt is a serious issue, and he wants to find […]

James CallMarch 30, 2015

Growers and patient advocates used court challenges to force the Legislature to revisit a medicinal marijuana law approved last session. Tuesday they get another chance to persuade lawmakers to increase the allowable level of THC in medicinal oil authorized for use in Florida by the Compassionate Medicinal Cannabis Act of 2014. A Charlotte’s Web fix […]

Tag: USF

Tampa Bay area sees number of projects cut by Rick Scott in his budget

USF funding projects survive Rick Scott’s veto pen

Mitch Perry Report for 6.23.15 — Will Rick Scott veto IMG Academy funding?

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

Mitch Perry Report for 6.10.15 — Game-changing developments?

Susan McManus: 2016 race will see record spending in Florida

Mitch Perry Report for 5.8.15 — The MOSI-USF Football stadium dilemma

Contrary to DCCC claims, David Jolly says he’s concerned about the high cost of attending college

Contrary to DCCC claims, David Jolly says he's concerned about the high cost of attending college

Charlotte’s Web glitch bill scheduled for hearing