By Jim Bleyer The federal investigation into shady land deals in Hillsborough County includes several targets besides County Commissioner Ken Hagan and his family, Tampa Bay Beat has learned. Those being investigated include private citizens as well as other public officials, according to our source in Tallahassee. No specific …
By Jim Bleyer It’s been a rocky road for electric scooters. Embraced by many American cities, including Tampa, the dockless, shareable two-wheelers have experienced mounting injuries, many serious. Initial enthusiasm has been replaced with a healthy dose of reality. Sure they’re cute, cheap, and offer Millennials a downtown …
By Jim Bleyer Andrew Gillum brought healthy doses of his charisma, bankroll, and grit to Tampa on Thursday in an effort to rally Democrats for the 2020 election and beyond. The main photo op for the local press was his presenting a large facsimile of a $100,000 …
By Sharon Calvert from Eye on Tampa Bay All for Transportation (AFT) created the 5-page tax-hike charter amendment that led to Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White’s lawsuit, case #18-CA-011749. AFT recently filed to be an “intervener” in the lawsuit, filed against the county and other parties receiving the new tax …
By Jim Bleyer Florida will be taking two giant leaps forward in order to erase its stigma as the poster child for botched elections. The timing of the reforms remains nebulous, however. Responsibility for the revamping falls to Governor Ron DeSantis and a Republican-controlled Florida Legislature. Don’t expect immediate action: …
By Jim Bleyer When State Rep. Janet Cruz jumped into a Florida Senate race against incumbent Republican Dana Young, she told Tampa voters she was motivated to run because of the February school shootings in Parkland. The term-limited House minority leader had previously filed to run for a seat …
By Jim Bleyer The first order of business for Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum: mending fences. With Jeanette Nuñez and Chris King, the gubernatorial hopefuls chose solid, if not bold, imaginative picks for their running mates last week. But they face monumental missionary work after bitter, divisive primaries. Public …
By Jim Bleyer The editorial recommendation of State Rep. Kathleen Peters for the Pinellas County Commission represents another #MeToo fail for the Tampa Bay Times. Peters, gal pal of disgraced predator, former State Sen. Jack Latvala, has been insensitive to the victims of sexual harassment but more than sympathetic to …
By E. Eugene Webb PhD Republished from Bay Post Internet In a last-minute move Senator Jeff Brandes R of St. Petersburg managed to get some transportation language added in the tax cut bill approved by the State Legislature. Details of the legislation are in this Tampa Bay Times editorial. …
By Jim Bleyer The generation, born from 2000 to the present, is known by sociologists as “The New Silents” or “Gen Z.” Thoughtless. Insulting, Inaccurate. This is the generation that has challenged pay-for-play politicians, confronted their socially unconscious elders, and sparked a mini-revolution. Media coverage of its activism over …
