Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryOctober 6, 2015

After nearly six years of discussions, negotiators announced finalized terms for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Monday. Although it will take months before it can wind its way through Congress, the question is whether it will pass and become a feather in the cap for President Barack Obama’s legacy. Note that I didn’t ask whether […]

Guest AuthorOctober 4, 2015

So again, Jeb Bush belittles black people. After a decade of uniform disdain for black life, Bush’s view amounts to the pejorative “free-stuff” argument — food stamps, Head Start, unemployment (not necessarily free), which black people tend to take advantage of “disproportionately,” as a Washington Post article put it. That, Bush says, is the cause […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 25, 2015

St. Petersburg House Democrat Darryl Rouson has filed legislation (HB 243) that would ban the display of Confederate flags and symbols on publicly owned or leased property. It will serve as a companion to Orlando Democrat Geraldine Thompson’s bill in the state Senate. “I can understand people wanting to honor the legacy of their Southern History, but when history and symbolism to […]

Melissa RossSeptember 12, 2015

In the ultimate generational passing of the torch, 35-year-old Ken Babby has assumed control of the Jacksonville Suns from the storied Bragan family, taking ownership after the 2015 season and planning what he says will be a millennial’s approach to freshening up the fun at the ballpark. The divorced dad of a 7-year old son, Babby […]

Phil AmmannSeptember 4, 2015

Akin Gump, the nation’s largest lobby firm, is looking to open a business unit in Cuba. First noted in The Washington Post, the move is the latest in expanding business and consumer operations after President Barack Obama announced in December that the U.S. would begin normalized diplomatic relations with the Caribbean island nation. Among the […]

Mitch PerryAugust 27, 2015

Forget the talking heads. Joe Biden says at this moment he’s still not sure whether he’ll enter the 2016 presidential campaign. “We’re dealing at home with … whether or not there is the emotional fuel at this time to run,” Biden told DNC members Wednesday night on a conference call as reported by CNN. “If […]

Mitch PerryAugust 19, 2015

All summer, we’ve heard blowhards like Joe Scarborough inform the supposedly stuffy talking heads that they just don’t get it about the phenomenon that is Donald Trump. He likes to remind viewers that his brother, an alleged sophisticated Republican voter, really loves The Donald, and thus that explains why about 25 percent of Republican voters […]

Mitch PerryJuly 20, 2015

In a speech Monday at Florida State University, Jeb Bush will say that if elected president he will use all of his influence to enact into law a six-year ban on lobbying for ex-members of the House and Senate. The former Florida governor returns to the state capital to speak on government reform at 10 a.m. […]

Mitch PerryJuly 15, 2015

Donald Trump may just be a passing fad in the 2016 GOP presidential sweepstakes, but he’s certainly having a moment in summer 2015. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that 57 percent of Republicans now have a favorable view of the celebrity businessman, compared to 40 percent with an unfavorable one. That’s a dramatic […]

Melissa RossJuly 9, 2015

Saying “Security is the creed of the tyrant,” former Duval County Circuit Judge John Merrett joined the chorus of callers into WJCT’s First Coast Connect Thursday to chime in on the current flap over PINAC activists suing for the right to take photos and record video outside the Duval County Courthouse. “It’s nobody’s business to stop […]

Tag: Washington Post
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Khazakhstan Wednesday. Image via The Associated Press.

Mitch Perry Report for 10.6.15 – Who’s down with the TPP?

Chris Timmons: It's time the GOP realizes the human complexity of black experience

Darryl Rouson files legislation to ban Confederate flag on public property in Florida

New Jax Suns owner Ken Babby: “I absolutely love what I’m doing”

Top U.S. lobbying firm to open Cuba practice

Mitch Perry Report for 8.27.15 — Is the “Joementum” there?

Mitch Perry Report for 8.19.15 — Fun with Donald Trump’s immigration plans

As Jeb Bush calls for lobbying reforms, American Bridge blasts his economic record

New WaPo poll shows Donald Trump surging in popularity with Republicans

Former Judge John Merrett rips Duval Courthouse video ban