County Keeping Rays Ybor City Plan in Play

Even though the team has walked away from discussions, Hillsborough County is working for now to keep the door open for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark

Hillsborough County Commissioners Overman, Murman, Miller, and Hagan nixed a motion that called for disbanding a working group created several years ago to help bring the Rays to Tampa. Officials indicated instead that, for now, they want to keep the proposal on the table in the event that discussions could resume. MORE
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"Why would Kimberly Overman join Murman, Miller, and Ken Hagan in voting to keep the Raybor working group? This takes away any transparency that we should have in regards to continued negotiations to bring the Rays 
to Tampa." Beth Eriksen Shoup

Candy Lowe Holiday Black Business Bus Tour 2018

Bus #3

Andrew Joseph, III Memorial Foundation

The Ms. Connie Burton

With fans

Beth Eriksen Shoup

Team Topher Morrison

John Godwin

Orlando Gudes with fans

Our host Candy Lowe

Our driver David

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Team Shoup in Panama City

On Thanksgiving Day I was in Panama City helping to distribute food along with members of The Poor People's Campaign, The Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Tallahassee Chapter of DSA. Among the devastation from Hurricane Michael, what I didn't see was FEMA.  Welcome to The United States  disaster relief in 2018. Though Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm, hit Panama City only a few weeks ago, the presence of the Federal Government was minimal and the plight of the residents trying to recover their homes and lives has fallen out of the news cycle. Sadly, this is predictable in the neoliberal era when the Wealthy have effectively stop paying their taxes and the Federal Government devotes more and more of the budget to bloated military spending.  Of course , one reason for the lack of press coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Michael is the condition in California where, like in Panama Beach, man made Global Warming is fueling massive wildfires.

Scott Shoup

Images by Reem Zaitoon

Twitter: @ ReemOlive

Tampa DINO Les Miller

To Board of County Commissioner Les Miller.

WHY ON GOD'S EARTH WOULD YOU BE SUPPORTING Republican TOM LEE when we have Democrat KATHY LEWIS running for this seat?" Beth Eriksen Shoup
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Learn more about Mr. Miller's 

GOP tainted past here

Party With Sky U. White And Team Shoup In Westchase

Tomorrow 
AUGUST 14th 6:30pm 

THE WILD ROVER BREWERY
Westchase

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Beth Eriksen Shoup: Why I Am Voting For Sky White

We believe Diversity & Inclusion needs a seat at the table and voting for Sky U. White for County Commissioner District 7 (countywide) will bring that representation!!

Hillsborough County is Florida’s 4th most populous county with an estimated 1.3 million residents as of 2015 and a median age of 36 years. Our county is rich in culture with residents from various backgrounds and ethnicities. Unfortunately, our elected officials do not reflect the diversity of the people who reside in Hillsborough County, nor do they reflect the median age group.

While age is often aligned with experience, it can also contribute to stagnated policies and worn-out traditions that no longer serve our best interests. Change is inherent to progress, and in order to implement change, we need diversity and fresh perspectives among our policy makers. An increase in diversity not only decreases racial bias among those in positions of power, but it will also ensure that our up and coming generations are represented by those who can relate to the issues that affect them most.

Hillsborough County deserves to have more people of color, more women, and more individuals from other diverse and under-represented communities in key leadership positions to serve the community. Sky will be the first African-American to be elected to a countywide Commissioner seat, and she will fight to ensure representation of a diverse and progressive county that cares about the success and rights of all its residents.

Beth Eriksen Shoup

Andrew Gillum in St. Petersburg

Williams Park - St. Pete

THE PAYDAY LENDING INDUSTRY HAS BOUGHT FLORIDA’S POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT

Of the $2,556,457 given to Florida politicians and political parties by payday lenders since 2009, more than one-third of the money ($970,050) came from members of the Florida-based MacKechnie family and their payday lending company, Amscot Financial. Amscot was founded in 1986 to provide borrowers a bank-like alternative to a liquor store or pawn shop, said company founder 
Ian MacKechnie. 

The company has 239 locations across Florida, focusing in areas where banking options are slim. In 1998 Amscot Financial plead guilty to civil racketeering charges and as part of the plea agreement stemming from these charges, the company’s founder, Ian MacKechnie, Sr., was banned for life from selling auto insurance in Florida.

Here are your Democrats who have taken money Payday Lender Lobbyists

Candidates for U.S. House & U.S. Senate (2009 - 2016):

ALCEE HASTINGS $110,700

KENDRICK MEEK $72,800

PATRICK MURPHY $51,000

DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ $50,600

CHARLIE CHRIST $29,000

RON KLEIN $27,400

KATHY CASTOR $17,000

TED DEUTCH $14,500

SUZANNE KOSMAS $14,000

ALLEN BOYD $14,000

GWEN GRAHAM $7,700

ALAN GRAYSON $10,300

JOE GARCIA $12,000

LOIS FRANKEL $10,000

ALEX SINK $9,750

BILL NELSON $5,000

GERALDINE THOMPSON $2,700

DARREN SOTO $2,000

LORI EDWARDS $1,000

Candidates for Florida State House & Senate (2009 - 2014)

that you may just know:

Oscar Braynan II $2,500

Janet Cruz $2,000 

Arthenia Joyner $2,000 

Rick Kriesman $1,500 

Daryl Rousson $2,000

 Betty Reed $500 

Jeremy Ring $2,000 
Sean Shaw $1,000 
Alex Sink (governor's race) $4,500

By Beth Eriksen Shoup

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AMSCOT was a sponsor of the 

Hillsborough County Democratic Party's 

 Spring Fling

Ybor Paparazzi

Beth Eriksen Shoup

Tampa Paparazzi

Beth Eriksen Shoup

This is NOT What Democracy Looks Like!!

Not when party "movers & shakers, State Chess players, Puppet Masters, King & Queen makers" put pressure on any primary candidate to vacate their race because they don't want a primary. It's Bullshit and Business as usual. Why not let the constituents have a choice? Bob and Karen Meyer Buesing are class acts, and that's why my choice would have been to vote for Bob Buesing in the primary and general elections.
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We all know that some candidates are motivated to run because they want power, prestige, and to do well (for themselves), I believe that Bob's motive was driven by the desire to Do Good. I am not surprised that Bob would put party above himself. Bob may have done right by the party, but they have not done right by him, nor us, the people. 

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I am also pleased that he is returning donor contributions instead of funneling them into the party. I'm tired of candidates being shoved down my throat. Anybody who is reading this, don't misunderstand, I am not advocating for voting for Dana Young or any GOP candidate. I am exercising my freedom of speech, and criticizing a deeply flawed system. This is NOT What Democracy Looks Like!

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By Beth Eriksen Shoup

Gwen Graham's Vote On Leaky Keystone Pipeline

 The Keystone crude oil pipeline leak in November in rural South Dakota was nearly double the original estimate, making it one of the largest U.S. inland spills since 2010. here

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All Florida Dems Vote Nay, except 

Gwen Graham & Patrick Murphy

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"Thank former CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN GRAHAM for her votes regarding our environment including her VOTE IN FAVOR of the KEYSTONE PIPELINE when you 
next see her!" Beth Eriksen Shoup