Tag: Florida Legislature
DeSantis Picks Vape Shops Over Kids’ Health
Hagan Only Tip of Iceberg in FBI Probe

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 …
Those Cute, Pesky E-Scooters: Amenity or Menace?

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 …
Andrew Gillum: The Running Man
AFT Rolls out Big Legal Guns to Defend Transit Farce

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 …
Elections Guru Ion Sancho to State: Fix Florida’s Mail-in Woes; Abide by Voters’ Will on Ex-Felons

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: …
The Grossly Cynical, Hypocritical Campaign of Janet Cruz
After LG Picks, DeSantis and Gillum Need to Woo Party Skeptics

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 …
Tampa Bay Times Recommends Predator by Proxy Kathleen Peters

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 …