Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschJanuary 15, 2018

The Tampa Bay area will have three Senate seats and 14 House seats on the 2018 ballot; while most of the Pinellas and Hillsborough delegations will be the same when the 2019 Legislative Session rolls around, a few races are starting to heat up. First, the sure things. Tampa Republican Sen. Dana Young is still […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 11, 2018

St. Petersburg House District 70 Democrat Wengay Newton now has two opponents going after him as he attempts to win reelection this summer, but at least at this early junction, he’s not being challenged seriously when it comes to fundraising. Newton raised $1,000 in December, and has now raised $17,370 overall for the seat with […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 9, 2018

A bill that would change texting-while-driving to a ‘primary’ offense unanimously cleared a House committee on Tuesday, the first day of the 2018 Legislative Session. The bill (HB 33), sponsored by Tampa Republican Jackie Toledo and Boca Raton Democrat Emily Slosberg, was considered by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. Florida was one of the last states in […]

Drew WilsonJanuary 3, 2018

St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Wengay Newton is holding a fundraiser barbecue to kick off his HD 70 re-election campaign on Jan. 6. “I’m running for re-election to the Florida House because I want to continue being a champion on issues of importance for the people in district 70,” he said in a campaign email. “Real […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 2, 2018

Calling St. Petersburg a city of “progress and progressivism,” Mayor Rick Kriseman spoke confidently about intentions for the next four years as he was sworn into office for his second inauguration. Speaking for just over ten minutes on a crisp afternoon in front of City Hall to an audience of more than 150 friends, family […]

Mitch PerryDecember 8, 2017

Vito Sheeley, who has filed to oppose Wengay Newton in 2018 for House District 70, blasted the St. Petersburg Democrat Friday for proposing legislation that would criminally charge car theft victims. “This is one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard out of Wengay Newton,” Sheeley said. “And that’s saying a lot.” Making his first run […]

Mitch PerryOctober 10, 2017

A Florida House committee advanced legislation Tuesday that would replace a statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith with one of Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The House Government Accountability Committee passed the proposal offered by Daytona Beach Democrat Patrick Henry (HB 139) with just one dissenting vote (from Jacksonville Rep. Jay […]

Mitch PerryJune 28, 2017

He wasn’t on the dais, but Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s policies and public comments were front-and-center when a panel of Pinellas lawmakers spoke Wednesday in Clearwater about the recently concluded legislative session. Dubbed “the most interesting man in Tallahassee” in a recent Miami Herald profile, the 52-year-old Land O’Lakes Republican came into leadership last […]

Mitch PerryJune 16, 2017

The attempted assassination Wednesday morning of Louisiana Republican Congressman Steve Scalise in suburban Washington D.C. has shaken the nation. Certainly, lawmakers now realize how vulnerable they are to mentally unstable people with access to firearms who disagree with them politically. At Friday’s Tampa Tiger Bay Club, five members of the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation were asked their […]

Staff ReportsJune 1, 2017

The voting record report is out. Associated Industries of Florida released its 2017 Voting Record report. Published for more than four decades, the annual report is considered one of the definitive legislative scorecards for the business community. This year, the organization calculated more than 208,966 votes on 1,955 bills with 848 legislators. “This session, AIF […]

Tag: Wengay Newton
Image via LinkedIn.

Here’s where Tampa Bay legislative races stand heading into the 2018 Legislative Session

Wengay Newton continues to increase fundraising advantage in HD 70 race

House panel moves texting-while-driving bill

Wengay Newton fundraiser set for Jan. 6 in St. Pete

Rick Kriseman vows to tackle infrastructure, transportation in second term

Wengay Newton shrugs off Vito Sheeley criticism of car theft measure

House committee advances bill to replace statue of Confederate general with that of Mary McLeod Bethune

Richard Corcoran’s agenda and style get bashed (and sometimes praised) by panel of Pinellas lawmakers

House Republican Dan Raulerson wants everyone to own a gun

Associated Industries releases 2017 Voting Record report