Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Diane RobertsJune 26, 2015

I am the descendant of at least 10 Confederate soldiers. A few owned slaves; most did not. One great-great-grandfather fought at the Battle of Natural Bridge. Another survived the Siege of Petersburg. So don’t throw the Y-word at me. Don’t tell me I don’t understand. I understand all too well. The Confederate battle flag is […]

Guest AuthorMay 17, 2015

When small business owners like me commit to fair hiring, it means real opportunities for people with criminal records. People of all backgrounds deserve a fair chance at good paying careers that allow them to provide for their families and invest their earnings back into the local economy. That is why I joined the Main […]

Mitch PerryMay 15, 2015

A handful of U.S. Postal Service workers demonstrated with signs in front of a downtown Tampa post office on Thursday afternoon. They were calling attention to conditions affecting employees and the public a week before the American Postal Workers Union‘s (APWU) contract with the Postal Service is set to expire next Wednesday. The union is […]

Ryan RayMay 5, 2015

Lobbyist Cameron Yarbrough has taken his talents — and his increasing roster of clients — to the law firm of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart this week, leaving behind his one-man shop Yarbrough Consulting. Responding to inquiry about the move, Yarbrough told SaintPetersBlog it was a choice he made gladly. “As a sole proprietor I was looking for an alliance […]

Mitch PerryApril 28, 2015

“Banning the Box” on job applications for companies who contract with the city of Tampa was a bridge too far for the City Council to consider back in February, but it’s good enough for the Koch Brothers and other major corporations. In February, the Council declined to pass a law that would have “banned the box” […]

Mitch PerryApril 2, 2015

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The Florida House Judiciary Committee today passed a controversial “conscience protection” bill (HB 7111) that would allow private adoption agencies to refuse child placements with gay couples. Conscience protection legislation grants a person or an entity the ability to refuse to perform an otherwise required duty, because the individual or entity violates their religious or […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 9, 2015

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the three unalienable rights that the Declaration of Independence says have been given to all of us by the “Creator,” and that governments are created to protect. Were the Declaration to be updated for the 21st century, could it be amended to include a right to hail […]

Mitch PerryDecember 1, 2014

Welcome back to the working week. This holiday weekend I did what I do most weekends – see a motion picture at a local movie theater. Actually I saw two over the holiday break; the Jon Stewart directed “Rosewater,” and “Citizenfour,” the documentary directed by Laura Poitras on NSA leaker Edward Snowden (of which I’ll […]

Dominic CalabroOctober 29, 2014

Don’t be surprised when vampires and ghosts ring your doorbell on Friday — and I don’t mean political canvassers. Halloween is coming and trick-or-treaters will be out and about. Before you rush to the nearest corner store and buy a bag of Halloween candy, figure out if you’re handing out tricks or treats. Taxes on […]

Guest AuthorJune 17, 2014

It seems that teenagers are not being as bad as they used to be. A new study of 13, 000 American teenagers by the Center for Disease Control has found that our nation’s youth are drinking and smoking less than previous years. According to the study, 35 percent of youth surveyed stated that they had […]

Tag: Walmart
Aleksandar Vucic Image via AP

Diane Roberts: Take it down already!

Anthony James: 'Fair hiring' means removing criminal-conviction box from job applications

Postal Service workers say public must get involved or mail services will go away

Personnel note: Cameron Yarbrough joins lobbying team at Gunster

Koch Brothers latest to seize on “ban the box” movement; is Tampa next?

House committee passes bill to allow private adoption agencies to deny gay adoption

Peter Schorsch: Raise a toast to disruption in Tallahassee

Mitch Perry Report – 12.1.14

Dominic Calabro: Halloween candy teaches a frightening lesson in Fla. tax policy

Steve Kurlander: Government has Walmart clerks enforcing good behavior