Month: February 2017

Analysis: Realtor Party candidate Gabbard runs for St. Pete city council

Brandi Gabbard, 40, a broker and associate at Smith & Associates Real Estate, is running for the District 2 seat on the St. Pete City Council. The seat is currently held by Jim Kennedy, who is term limited. Barclay Harless, a 31-year old banker and former aide to state senator Darryl Rouson (D), is also running for the…

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Cross-bay ferry ridership down 24% in January

The total ridership for the taxpayer-subsidized Cross Bay Ferry (CBF) was 3,867 in January. This was a 24% decline from December, with both months having 29 days of vessel operations. See our article on the CBF from last month as background information. Four local government entities are subsidizing this pilot with a total of $1.4 million for the…

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Buckhorn claims area residents “prosecuted for being muslim”

In an interview with NewsChannel 8 Weekend Morning on Sunday, Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn claimed that people in the Tampa Bay area are being “prosecuted for being muslim”.  NewsChannel 8 reporter Paul Mueller did not challenge Buckhorn’s obviously false claim. Mueller referred to a recent meeting Buckhorn  had with the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay, and asked Buckhorn why he needed…

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State senator Dana Young’s “anti-fracking bill” doesn’t ban fracking

Republican Florida state senator Dana Young has filed a bill in the 2017 legislative session that she describes as an “anti-fracking bill” (SB-442). Young is reportedly an environmental attorney, and would therefore presumably know how write this kind of legislation. But there is one huge problem with her bill: it doesn’t actually ban fracking. Young’s bill defines the…

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