Monday, September 14, 2020

Hillsborough County Corporate Welfare: $15.5 Million

On July 15, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, by a vote of 6 to 1, approved a proposal from the Tampa Sports Authority (TSA) to spend $10.4 million of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money to implement Corona Virus safety measures at Raymond James Stadium.
The beneficiaries: the Tampa Bay Bucs, a highly profitable private company, who would be able to have more fans attend their games.
Well, we can’t have the Lightning and the Yankees (both also highly profitable private companies) feeling left out.
So early this month the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, once again by a vote of 6 to1 (Stacy White being the only ‘no’ vote) approved a total of $4.1 million of CARES money for Amalie Arena and George M. Steinbrenner Field for safety improvements related to Corona Virus.  $2.4 million will go to Amalie Arena and $1.7 million will go to Steinbrenner Field. MORE
The total of CARES money given to professional sports franchises in Tampa is now $15.5 million.  One has to wonder how many small businesses in Hillsborough County, with legitimate and pressing needs, have been unable to get even a dime of this money.

Florida GOP Propaganda

“I feel sorry for the people who lost their jobs. The small businesses struggling. The Democrats are just sitting here, and these poor people getting hurt are just pawns for the election that’s happening November 3.” Rick Scott
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“And the biggest reason why is Speaker Pelosi & Senator Schumer believe Trump & the GOP will be blamed for the pain doing nothing will cause & that will help them win the White House & Senate in November.” Marco Rubio HERE

BDM.black Samples the amazing food of "7th & Grove" in Ybor City



Sunday, September 13, 2020

On The Front Lines With Jessica Vaughn

May Day 2018 - Ybor City

Candy Lowe's Black Business Bus Tour 2017

Tax Scam Protest - Tampa 2017

DPCTB Puerto Rico Relief - 2017

Florida Fight For 15 Labor Day 
Ybor City 2017

Andrew Gillum 2018 - Ybor City

Hanging out with some cool people in Ybor

PRIDE 2018 - Ybor City

Solidarity With Marjory Stoneman Douglas

 High School in Tampa - 2018


MLK Parade 2018 - Ybor City



Our Revolution - Orlando 2020

HELP HER HERE

Tampa DSA Post Trump

The ship is sinking on the starboard side. With a Biden win we can right the ship and steer it left in 2024!
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Our candidates are 
wining everywhere!
Lets do it here

JOIN THEM HERE

The Savory Suitcase in Ybor

Doug Belden The Destroyer

The Florida Commission on Ethics ruled that there is probable cause to move forward, rather than dismiss an ethics complaint lodged against Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden.
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The complaint alleges Belden sent Alma Gonzalez, an attorney and state committee woman with the Hillsborough County Democratic Party messages saying he could use his "influence" to help her obtain employment with a private law firm.
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With the condition that he would not have a Democratic opponent in his upcoming re-election bid, and when she did not submit to his will, he resorted to threatening her 
and her family.
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Saying in part, "I have helped people in Tampa and I have destroyed people in Tampa." HERE

Stogie Recommends


Great filmmaking  Beautifully written and performed by an all star cast.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Congratulations Florida Representative Dianne Hart

2020 People First 
Report Card
Florida state legislators who voted to put people first instead of powerful special interests

Where the GOP average is 50%
Ms. Hart got 


HELP HER HERE

Andrew Gillum Speaks To Tamron Hall

Florida Bars Will Reopen

Florida has more than 652,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, one of the highest tallies in the nation, according to Johns Hopkins University. HERE

DeSantis press conference interrupted


Just interrupted another press conference by
Ron DeSantis
. Trump admitted in February that covid was airborne and deadly but they lied and didn’t take action until April. 200,000 people died as a result, 12,300+ in Florida alone. Desantis has defended Trump every
step of the way.

Ybor Bloody Mary

The Bricks
Outdoor seating available

Friday, September 11, 2020

Tampa DSA: Yes on 2

JOIN US HERE

Sarasota Environmentalist Katherine Norman's Campaign Launch!


Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 9 AM
Bayfront Park, Sarasota INFO
 Walk the John Ringling bridge with us to demand transparency in local government while raising awareness about environmental issues! 

School Board Madness


Hello and salutations!

As I watch my former home unravel in political tension and chaos, I shake my head in disappointment. The Hillsborough County School Board is a hotbed for political disaster, terrible candidates, and occasional greatness.

Take the election in District 3 for example. There we have a bonafide progressive, Jessica Vaughn, running to fill the seat against an openly conservative gentleman by the name of Mitch Thrower. It would seem that the obvious choice in this election is Jessica; she supports public education, progressive values, and ending the school to prison pipeline. Mitch, on the other hand, does not support any of these things, and represents the mediocre status quo of the Hillsborough School Board — which, in turn, represents the pungent toxicity of Tampa Bay politics. To continue supporting the diversion of public funds to private interests and accept monies from private prison groups is a bad message.

It is a shame to see former candidates endorse this kind of message. I do not know Ms. Gilmore, though I wish I understood her rationale in supporting more of the same mediocre politics for the School Board. I support Jessica Vaughn and advise you to do the same. Granted, Jessica Vaughn (a friend of mine) has been known to not get along with certain people from the more conservative corners (not necessarily, always “conservative”) of the local Democratic Party. Knowing that, and wanting to elect Democrats (or people who at least support better ideas), why would someone who is a Democrat decide to support the right wing status quo?

I have asked myself this question as it pertains to endorsements. I, for instance, endorsed Sally Harris for the District 7 primaries, even though I no longer vote or live in Tampa Bay. While I personally get along with Sally, and will always respect her decision to oust corrupt former Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia, I am not convinced that I should endorse her again for the general election. She is a Republican, true enough, though she has been engaged with some more than questionable campaign tactics, and was too lenient with a former Superintendent. Lynn Gray has been an ally of public schools, fitness in education, and (my least favorite) has been known to be friendly with the anti-trans Melissa Snively. I am not sure if I should endorse either candidate this go around; based on what would be better for the School Board, I am not certain.

District 1 is an easy one. While I do not know as much about Nadia Combs, I do know that she represents positive change on the School Board more so than Steve Cona, an anti-public school conservative. Why would Democrats support Cona over Combs? Shady business, petty rivalry, some other reason. I am curious to know. I support Nadia Combs and advise you to do the same.

District 5 is a bit tougher. While I like and respect Shake Washington, as well as many of his surrogates, I am more keen to support Tammy Shamburger. While Tammy has a history of not getting along with certain teachers, she also has a remarkable history of getting positive results! Take school lunch as an example, wherein she passed an ordinance to ensure no child would be denied a hot meal due to their financial background. She has championed racial equity in schools, financial discipline, and getting more kids in lower income areas to graduate. She is a true fighter and has done well for the School Board; she, Karen Perez, and (to an extent) Lynn Gray are the only School Board Members who represent positive growth. While I wish Shake well, I do support Tammy Shamburger for re-election and advise you to do the same.

What a mess Tampa politics has become. It has some bright sides, make no mistake. I will post more in the near future, and I apologize for my recent absence on the Stogie. I love this blog and progressive politics, in Tampa as well as my home in Bennington, Vermont. I will have news regarding my political life up here in due time. Until next time...

Stay groovy,
Asher

A message to Governor DeSantis

Florida Dems Beware

Florida will be among the most fiercely contested states on Nov. 3. Ron DeSantis, is a close ally of the president. The coronavirus subcommittee says the state government in Tallahassee, which remains largely inert as a result of the pandemic — even as DeSantis has pushed businesses to reopen — “has not developed statewide projections of voter turnout, absentee ballots, or poll workers needed.” The report says the DeSantis administration “is refusing to take an active role to ensure the general election runs smoothly.” HERE

Ybor Rob @ HART

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Ericka Leigh Changing The World

I am raising money for The Sewist Society because this is how I'm trying to change the world. Climate change, racial and gender inequalities are all issues inherent in the sewing and textile worlds. 
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Our Textile Composting experiment addresses climate change by seeking alternative solutions to landfilling unwanted fabric or shipping it overseas; all while uplifting the skill of sewing, which is most often done by women and women of color.
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HELP HER HERE

Another Tampa DINO

First they got a big shot with the party donating to him, now they have a looser in the primary endorsing him.

Those wild and crazy Dems
NO WONDER THEY CAN'T WIN ELECTIONS

Jessica Vaughn: Let's talk about my opponent

Let's talk about some of the people who are funding my opponent Mitch Thrower. On 6/25/20 the Florida Leadership Committee donated $1,000 to Mitch Thrower's Campaign. For those who don't know, the Florida Leadership Committee. Florida Leadership Committee is a PAC started by disgraced former state Sen. Jack Latvala who has kept a low public profile since resigning from the Legislature in December of 2018 after investigators revealed a history of sexual harassment and allegations of 
public corruption. 
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In November 2017, six women accused Latvala of sexually harassing them. These accusations came from female staffers from both parties, as well as lobbyists. Photos also surfaced from a private investigator of Latvala kissing a lobbyist on the lips. The women's complaints describe repeated encroachment by Latvala onto their bodies. One of the women, a legislative staffer, filed a complaint with the Senate. In December 2017, a special master found probable cause that Latvala had inappropriate physical contact with the staffer. The report also found that Latvala may have violated public corruption laws by demanding physical intimacy in exchange for support for lobbyists' legislative initiatives. A separate report by a different investigator found evidence for similar allegations. This is just one example of who is supporting my opponent. 
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Please check out my campaign finance report to see who is funding me. On November 3rd, vote for change. Vote for Jessica Vaughn for Hillsborough County School Board 3.

HELP HER HERE

Jessica Harrington Candidate for the Florida House of Reprsentatives