By Jim Bleyer Aside from not being in the hunt for Amazon HQ2, what do Las Vegas and Tampa Bay share in common? Both have daily newspapers that were bailed out by conservative billionaires. Once categorized as “mainstream media,” the papers have rapidly transformed themselves into fake news …
By Jim Bleyer A land deal that would cost Hillsborough County taxpayers an estimated $600 million to enrich corporate interests, at least one public official, and Tampa Bay Times investors was suddenly unveiled yesterday to an unsuspecting public. It’s an unraveling plot that is worthy of the duplicity, …
By Jim Bleyer Darryl Shaw, who has built a multi-million dollar real estate empire in Ybor City, may be one of the Republican “investors” who helped bail the Tampa Bay Times out of its economic morass earlier this year, sources have told Tampa Bay Beat In a call to …
By Jim Bleyer Passersby could easily mistake the boxy ivory-hued edifice for an art museum annex or upscale assisted living center. But this is St. Armands Key where tony residences and several palatial estates abound. Still, there is nothing quite like Tampa Bay Times investor and hockey franchise owner Jeff …
By Sharon Calvert (Reprinted with permission from Eye on Tampa Bay) According to this Floridapolitics.com article, House Bill 13, that bans Florida sports franchises from constructing or renovating facilities on leased public land, is heading to the House floor. It does have a companion bill in the Senate SB352. …
By Jim Bleyer A scornful social media post from a key operative of St. Petersburg City Council candidate Justin Bean derides his opponent’s net worth and income, apparently forgetting that Bean is employed by his wealthy parents’ company and that the vast majority of voters are working class people not …
By Jim Bleyer A year ago significant others Yvonne Fry and Mark Ober sat on top of Hillsborough County’s political world. He: a four-term state attorney heavily favored for a fifth. She: a politically ambitious civic activist and a district favorite to win an open legislative or county commission …
By Tom Rask (Reprinted with permisssion from the Tampa Bay Guardian) In June, Tampa Bay Times CEO Paul Tash announced that a newly formed company called FBN Partners had provided his newspaper with a $12 million loan. FBN in turn had reportedly obtained the fund from eight investors in …
By Jim Bleyer “I have much respect for your father. But your father, his thinking is old-fashioned.“ That’s how Virgil Sollozzo described Vito Corleone to his son Michael in The Godfather. Sollozzo could just as well have been talking about David Straz as much as the iconic film’s …
By Jim Bleyer Accusations that Ubiquiti, a tech company heavily promoted by St. Petersburg-based Raymond James & Associates, committed fraud have gained traction with stock analysts and law firms seeking damages during the past week. Ubiquiti, a manufacturer of wireless data communication and wireless broadband products, has been relentlessly touted …
