Florida GOP Stacy White has costed us $158,000 and counting

Public agencies are spending thousands on lawyers to defend a lawsuit by County Commissioner Stacy White that challenges the voter-approved measure.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Rex Barbas ruled last week that White could not challenge the tax in his official capacity as a county commissioner. HERE 

Florida GOP James Grant Takes On Ocasio-Cortez

He WANTS TO DEBATE ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ OVER 'POLL TAX'. HERE

Truth to Tower in Tampa

INFO

Lenny For Tampa Mayor New Website

HERE

Extinction Rebellion Tampa Bay Comes To Tampa

INFO

Ybor Rob: First Amendment Audit Orient Road Jail

Florida's Right Wing Infestation

Fox News anchor Shannon Bream  is scheduled to keynote a fundraiser for a conservative group alongside Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and 
Ashley Moody.

The group, James Madison Institute, describes itself as “Florida’s premier free-market think tank.” The organization has ties to billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch.

HERE

UF Wants Wendy's Off Campus

The University of Florida Student Government escalated student pressure on Wendy’s – and on UF President Kent Fuchs.

 Voted unanimously to call on the UF administration to cut the university’s contract with Wendy’s until the fast-food giant joins the Fair Food Program. The vote came just days after students, farmworkers and Gainesville community members organized a huge march on President Fuchs’ office, demanding action in support of Florida farmworkers’ fundamental human rights. here

Tampa Locavore: Top 5 Ybor Restaurants

Florida GOP Mike Hill just knows the schools are full of porn

A pair of bills introduced in the Florida state legislature are aimed at cleaning all the dirty books from Florida schools, and at jailing any librarians or teachers who might allow a student to read filth like A Clockwork Orange or Toni Morrison's Beloved or The Bluest Eye. 

he bills, were pushed by the rightwing Florida Citizens Alliance.

"The purpose of the bill is to remove pornography out of our public schools, which is existing there today. I've seen it firsthand [...] It is simply trying to protect our children." 
Mike Hill

Ybor Rob: First Amendment Audit (ARRESTED) Follow Up

Shameless Florida GOP

Florida GOP Readies Poll Tax to Nullify Ex-Felons’ Voting Rights

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving to roll back parts of a historic November constitutional amendment that reinstated voting rights for convicted felons. HERE

Seeking Shelter- Exploring the Affordable Housing Crisis - Tampa

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Bernie is not a Democrat

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What Stogie Had For Lunch

Beef Brisket 

With Potatoes and Beans

At Holly Hogs BBQ - Downtown Tampa

EAT LOCAL!

Support for Rob Lorei

Wow! What a turnout for last night’s WMNF Board meeting! Thank you! More than 150 people packed the boardroom and hallway outside to show the board what they thought of the decision to fire me. Later- during a closed session of the board I was given ten minutes to make my case that the firing should be overturned. The board members were polite and listened closely. An issue that board members kept raising was “Doesn’t Craig have the absolute right to fire any staffer- even if his reasons aren’t valid?” Clearly some board members lean to the conservative/corporate side when it comes to treatment of employees! Economist Richard Wolff would have some choice words for these board members.

What this means is that letters to the board still count. If you believe in enlightened employee relations please let them know. The board is likely to make a final decision this week. Like I said last night- it will take the rest of my life to thank you for supporting me by speaking last night, emailing, petitioning, calling and otherwise challenging this miscarriage of justice. However this turns out- when you see me- remind me of your support and I’ll buy you an adult beverage. Long May You Run!

HERE

Florida Jim Crow Republicans

Florida Republicans, seeking to keep power in the swing state, were doing everything they could to restrict the voting rights of felons that were restored under a constitutional amendment in November. HERE

Tampa Hoods

Downtown

Tampa Activist Man: Castor Disaster Response

INFO

Lenny For Tampa Mayor: Why Support A Corporate Mouse

Kathy Castor Co-Sponsor Medicare for All

The Democratic establishment — deep in the pockets of the health industry, are Undermining Medicare for All. HERE

Florida GOP clamping down on voter initiatives

In November, 64 percent of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing former felons to regain their right to vote. Three weeks later, a Republican state representative introduced legislation that would require constitutional amendments to earn 67 percent of the vote to pass.

Republican legislators in states across the country have introduced dozens of bills that would make significant changes to the initiative and referendum process.

Critics of the proposals say they are a Republican end run around the direct democracy process, meant to stifle popular progressive policies before they get 
to the ballot. 

HERE

Florida GOP Joe Negron’s Slimy New Gig

Joe Negron’s escape from the Florida Legislature to a private fortune he negotiated on the taxpayers’ dime is out in the open now. HERE

Stogie's Top 5: Tampa Right Wingers

Florida GOP Afraid of Democracy

For anyone who doubts that Americans are fighting a war today over the future of democracy, take a look at what’s happening in the
U.S. Congress.

On March 8, the House of Representatives voted for the Democrats’ major reform bill, 234-193 -- an important blow against the incessant erosions of our political process. 
All 13 of Florida’s Democratic congressmembers voted for it; none of the 
14 Republicans did. MORE

Tampa Film Showing Dark Money

Tampa Hoods

Ybor City

Lenny For Tampa Mayor Fans

Instead of Mickey, write in Lenny!

Tampa Marijuana Movement

ST PETE TINY HOME FESTIVAL

MARCH 23-24, 2019 

SPC Allstate Center

3200 34th St S, St. Pete INFO

Trump Snubs Everglades Clean-Up

Coastal oil drilling could come next. Fortunately he doesn’t have the last word on the Everglades.

Florida GOP expressed everything from anger to astonishment upon hearing that the president’s 2020 budget proposes just $63 million for the “River of Grass.” Gov. Ron DeSantis and the others had wanted $200 million. HERE

Ybor City · Orange Blossoms

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Greek Salad

At NY, NY in Ybor

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EAT LOCAL!

Lenny For Tampa Mayor Ad

Tampa's Tower of Terror

MARCH 26 - FREE TO PUBLIC

124 SOUTH FRANKLIN 8:AM

#TELLTHETRUTHTECO

Film Showing: Dark Money in Seminole Heights

3.29 - 7 PM

Seminole Heights Library INFO

Student Strike Protest for Green New Deal and Climate Action in Tampa

Tampa City Hall

Lenny The Tour Guide: Write In Candidate?

Instead of Mickey Mouse write in Lenny.

Ybor Life

7th Ave

Ducks Unlimited New CEO Adam Putnam

Ducks Unlimited has hired a new CEO to direct the international wildfowl habit restoration group.

Considered one of the nation's largest conservation philanthropies, DU relies on donations and grants to fund its $220 million annual budget. 

The bulk of the money is spent on wildfowl habitat in areas ranging from Alaska and Canada to the Mississippi flyway and
 the Gulf Coast. HERE

Lenny For Tampa Mayor: Hunger

Hillsborough County GOP Facebook Post

An incendiary Facebook post has once again created controversy for the Hillsborough County Republican Party — this time, one comparing Democrats to Nazis.

“Democrats do a lot of projection with the word ‘Nazi,’ but it’s THEIR platform that resembles it, not Republicans,” the post 

and tweet said.

It went on to say that Democrats and Nazis both advocated “socialism,” “no guns,” “censorship,” “media mind control,” “abortion,” “hate Jews” and “worship 

the government.”

HERE

Lenny For Tampa Mayor Fans

Write me in!

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Fajitas

At Tequilas in Ybor

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EAT LOCAL!

Tampa Bay Voices Will Be Heard On A National Scale

WUSF was selected as one of only six public media stations nationwide to participate in a project with StoryCorps. This means that the voices of Tampa Bay will be heard on a national scale. Interviews will be recorded and stored in the Library of Congress, and may be shared online and/or on air. HERE

Hanging in Ybor with Comedian John Jacobs!

Ybor City Homeless

Romeo

High Desert Man in Ybor City

MIAMI BEACH MOVES TO BAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

Today the Miami Beach City Commission will vote on legislation proposed by Commissioner Joy Malakoff (Above) that would replace the City’s already restrictive dispensary ordinance with an outright ban on medical marijuana retail in Miami Beach. 

Ben Pollara, founder and Executive Director of Florida for Care issued the following statement regarding the Miami Beach proposal:

“It is outrageous that 80% of Miami Beach voters supported medical marijuana in 2016, yet the City Commission is contemplating a proposal by an unelected Commissioner to deny the voters’ will - and stifle patient access.” Pollara continued, “Not only is this ban wrong for Miami Beach, but it is also wrong for Miami-Dade County. There are only a handful of dispensaries in Dade and this would further limit access. The City needs 
to reverse course immediately.”

HERE