Tampa Mayor’s Race Mercifully Winds Down

The Tampa Mayoral runoff Apr. 23 matching former police chief Jane Castor against billionaire David Straz will end with one sure loser: Tampa residents. HERE

Tampa’s good ‘ol boy network

Six of the seven candidates haven’t offered anything new or inspirational -- only Topher Morrison, owner of a small business and political neophyte, touts unique innovation and total inclusiveness.  Sadly, he is a long shot to make the anticipated two-person runoff despite energizing the youth vote.

The remaining aspirants are intent on perpetuating Tampa’s good ‘ol boy network that chains Tampa to third-rate status among the country’s big cities. 

 These candidates include a legacy candidate, two city council members with notably unremarkable records, an out-of-touch billionaire who hasn’t grasped the issues but is convinced he can buy the office, a former county commissioner with a checkered record whose rhetoric exceeds his accomplishments, and a former police chief who was castigated by the Department of Justice for racial profiling. MORE

David Straz & Jose Vazquez in Ybor City

South of Gandy Community Mayoral Candidate Forum

All of the mayoral candidates listed on the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website are invited. The following candidates have been invited 
so far:

Ed Turanchik

Topher Morrison

 Michael Hazard

LaVaughn King

Harry Cohen
Jane Castor
David Straz 

Mike Suarez 

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6:30 to 8:30 pm 
January 30th 

St. Mary's Episcopal Day School 

4311 W. San Miguel St. INFO

Elitist Straz’ TGH Tenure Proves He Protects the One Percenters, Not You

During the last 15 years or so, there has been a gradual erosion of pay and benefits at Tampa General Hospital (TGH), most acutely felt by the longest tenured employees, who also happen to be the most experienced and most highly skilled. Meanwhile, at the top of the TGH food chain, the story is quite different with ballooning benefits for principal administrators. The large payouts for executives coupled with the shrinking benefits of the average worker coincide with the tenure of stiff neck David Straz, Tampa mayoral candidate, on THe board of directors.

More from Jim Bleyer

Straz Campaign Just Ignores The Rules

Elitist David Straz doesn’t like playing by the rules. For at least the second consecutive month, the putative Tampa mayoral candidate’s PAC filed an incomplete financial report with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

The billionaire, who made his fortune buying and selling banks, said he had no contributions or expenditures in the February reporting period.

In the very public world of politics, no one is buying the garbage that he is selling. more

Tampa Democrats For Straz

Vince DiMaio - Democrat 

Tampa Tiger Bay Club president,
 a Straz supporter 

and a Democratic political consultant? source

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Consulting the Democrats to their graves.

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Yolie Capin Democrat

Tampa City Council District 6

Filed to run for the Hillsborough County Commission District 1 but dropped her bid to head David Straz's exploratory committee for a possible 2019 mayor's race. Source

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With her candidate having no chance of wining, 

now a political has-been.

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More here

Straz Campaign Finance Report Misinformation

The five-month financial report filed by the Straz for Tampa PAC contains glaring omissions and possibly intentional misinformation. here

Buckhorn-Carlson Feud Casts Cloud over Tampa’s Future

Greed, power, and retribution are propelling a behind-the-scenes struggle between two high-profile heavyweights that could prevent Tampa from fulfilling its potential as a top tier American city.

 That goal has proven elusive considering the present business and political climate here. With mayoral and city council elections 14 months away, the forward thinking can replace the regressive, the civic minded can replace the self-indulgent.

 If either Mayor Bob Buckhorn or public relations executive Bill Carlson is successful, the citizens of Tampa will lose. Since there’s no chance these sworn enemies will back off from their counter-productive political machinations, voters can only win by rejecting both of them
and their surrogates. 

There are three mayoral candidates who, unlike the Buckhorn and Carlson lackeys, are independent with an agenda of putting Tampa first: former County Commissioner Ed Turanchik, and City Councilmen Harry Cohen and Mike Suarez. 

The Buckhorn-Carlson feud dates back years when Buckhorn pulled public relations contracts from Tucker/Hall, Carlson’s public relations firm, in favor of his close friends Beth Leytham and Ana Cruz. Carlson didn’t take that financial hit lightly and has been 
burning ever since. 

The 2019 mayoral election is make or break for Tampa. Under two-term chief executive Buckhorn, the city regressed in race relations, infrastructure, bolstering connections with Cuba, renewable energy, attracting Millennials, and becoming a high-tech incubator. His reign was notable for self-aggrandizement, the incessant targeting of political enemies, and the awarding of lucrative contracts to close friends and financial supporters. 

Due to Buckhorn, Tampa’s image suffered badly. The mayor denied manmade climate change though he heads a city deemed one of the most vulnerable locales in the world to flooding. He supported the police targeting of people of color, then wouldn’t apologize when the U.S. Justice Department hammered the city and Police Chief Jane Castor for their discriminatory policy. He aired a long-suppressed desire to gun down journalists. His coziness with the national Republican party transformed downtown Tampa into an armed camp that was off limits to residents during the GOP convention here. 

That’s how Tampa made national headlines. Some legacy. 

Such regression would continue under Buckhorn’s stooge, Castor, who is gearing up for a mayoral run. Of the five names prominently discussed for mayor, Castor would rank a distant fourth as being an effective, progressive leader. In addition to being a divisive figure, Castor is a one-trick law enforcement pony with no hands-on experience with other governmental initiatives and programs. 

Her election would assuredly cement public relations and lobbying contracts to her longtime partner, Cruz, and continue to shut out Tucker/Hall. Buckhorn is expected to join the firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick as a “lobbyist” and would benefit from Castor’s ascension to mayor. 

Incredibly, if the second combatant Carlson prevails, Tampa’s fate would be far worse. Carlson’s stooge is billionaire David Straz, a Trump supporter who shows absolutely no understanding of the issues facing the city. 

Straz abhors Millennials, and has no sensitivity or knowledge about critical environmental issues. His David A. Sraz Jr. Foundation is the second largest stockholder in an offshore bank that is a haven for tax evaders, drug traffickers, and terrorist sympathizers. 

But word is that Straz is willing to spend $2 million for an image overhaul and the flooding of airwaves and mailboxes prosletyzing the fiction that he actually knows the issues. That amount of money is catnip to political operatives including Carlson and Tucker/Hall. 

Tucker/Hall promotes itself as skiled in crisis counseling. It would be more accurate to say it’s expertise rests in creating crises. Incredibly, Carlson told Tampa Bay Beat he has nothing to do with the Straz campaign. His deceit is off the charts.

 —-Tucker/Hall offices have hosted focus groups on behalf of the Straz campaign. 

—-Tucker/Hall employees flooded Straz’ meet and greet at the Italian Club five weeks sgo. They didn’t attend as individuls or families; they introduced themseleves as so-and-so “Tucker/Hall.” I stood there. 

—-It’s rumored that Straz contracted with Tucker/Hall for $100,000 with more to come if his “exploratory” committee makes his candidacy a go. Carlson told Tampa Bay Beat he “hasn’t received a penny.” The required financial report from Straz’ PAC should be enlightening as to whether Tucker/Hall’s services are fee based or in-kind. 

—-Carlson made the clumsy move of placing a Tucker/Hall shill in his Café con Tampa audience when exploratory committee chairman Yolie Capin was on the program. Although the topic was St. Petersburg-Tampa cooperation, the plant asked Capin about David Straz. Dumb. 

—-Carlson told Tampa Bay Beat that Albert A. Fox Jr., founder of the Tampa-based Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation, instigated the Straz candidacy. Carlson gave us an email address for Fox, not a telephone number. That may be because Fox has an office at Tucker/Hall. We called Tucker/Hall’s main number and Fox was listed on the voicemail directory.

 —-Carlson told us that Straz should not have admitted to supporting Trump. When does the deception stop? A proficient crisis counselor would end it immediately. 

The irony about Buckhorn and Carlson is that when they see each other, they are looking in the mirror.

By Jim Bleyer - Tampa Bay Beat

Guido Needs To Come Clean

There has been a lot of talk and shock in the local progressive community about Giudo's decision to co-chair a Trump supporter's event. Guido has said that this in no way means he is endorsing him. That he only did it as a favor to Straz for helping him in his campaign. But isn't this what we are all against. The wealthy pouring money into campaigns expecting favors later.

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We at this blog have always been very good to Guido, we like his platform and his voting record. but this is unacceptable. He needs to stop listening to the whispers in his ears and be himself.

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He has been invited to The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay March meeting to talk about this and has accepted. We can't wait to hear what he has to say. 

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Local blogger Jim Bleyer has written about this

several times. 

Join the conversation here 

David Straz Denies He Is Part Of Right Wing Cabal

In response to a question from Tampa Bay Beat, Straz denied he is a member of the cabal of $1.5 million investors recruited by the Poynter Institute/Tampa Bay Times to bail out the failing daily and benefit from its influence peddling.

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Those multi-millionaires identified as investors have enjoyed Times support for their government subsidized projects, personal businesses, and right-wing political objectives.

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The seven investors thus far identified are all wealthy men who have given heavily to Republican causes and candidates including Donald Trump and Rick Scott. 

Jim Bleyer - Tampa Bay Beat

David Straz's Self-Serving Operatives

The sweet smell of money is an aphrodesiac to political operatives whose main focus is to sell hope to a hopeless candidate, not trying to elect the poor schmuck.

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I talked to Straz at his open to the public spaghetti dinner Sunday at the Italian Club in Tampa.  Outside of a couple of media people, it was south Tampa socialites mixing with longtime political grifters. 

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But there’s a ton of money at stake for these operatives who have to do nothing more than stroke the ego of a 75-year-old elitist who supported Donald Trump and propagandize to the gullible.  

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Three city council members have sold their political futures in backing the farcical Straz candidacy: Yolie Capin, Frank Reddick, and Guido Maniscalco.

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By Jim Bleyer - Tampa Bay Beat

Tampa Mayoral Candidate David Straz And The Paradise Papers

A Trump supporter and a generous donor to GOP causes and candidates, Straz and his wealthy cohorts belong to the elite segment of the population featured in the notorious “Paradise Papers” that has rocked the political world. here

Tampa Mayoral Hopeful David Straz And The Bank Of Nevis

Part 1: David Straz, Tampa’s billionaire mayoral hopeful, is intentionally or not, boosting Nevis’ reputation as a safe harbor for international criminals.

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The Federation of St Kitts-Nevis is one of the countries blacklisted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for being uncooperative in the fight against tax evasion and money laundering.

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 Straz served for several years as director of the Bank of Nevis Ltd. In its April, 2017 prospectus, the Bank of Nevis noted the David A. Straz Jr. Foundation was its second largest shareholder owning 12.60 percent of the stock.

By  Jim Bleyer - here

Bootleg Images Of Trump Supporter David Straz Shindig In West Tampa

Know any of these people?

Any South Tampa Republicans read this blog?

Is that Democrat Yoli Capin?

David Straz for mayor Spaghetti Feast

Co-Chaired by Democrats

Yoli Capin, Frank Reddick and Guido Maniscalco

Are Straz And Guido Even?

Guido said he let Straz use his name as a courtesy because Straz has supported Maniscalco in the past, letting him use Straz’s name in campaigns. source

"It’s not an endorsement or pledge of any kind."

Local Candidates Beware Of Caviar And Champagne

Beware of candidates for public office that launch a well-publicized “listening tour.”  It signifies that they haven’t been paying attention to voters and are not likely to suddenly change and become interested  in Joe and Jill Lunchpail’s concerns.

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Straz, became a billionaire by buying and selling banks,  owns six homes around the world and hobnobs locally with his caviar and champagne society pals. more

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By Jim Bleyer

Pic: Mr. Straz with Harry Cohen, Yolie Capin, Daren Rice and others.

Credit Centro Tampa