Janelle Irwin - page 192

Pinellas County won’t be getting light rail anytime soon. It also won’t be moving into the next phase of increasing bus service and implementing bus rapid transit. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority won’t be getting an extra $100 million in annual funding to do all those things. Greenlight Pinellas is dead; beaten to a bloody pulp by an under-funded group of powerful grassroots masterminds by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent. But that doesn’t mean the conversation about…

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The Greenlight Pinellas referendum has failed but its supporters weren’t crying in their coffee this morning. While I’m sure private words were exchanged between friends and families who looked forward to watching plans for passenger rail and bus rapid transit unfold throughout the city, publicly those leaders have been eloquent and optimistic. In an email from the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Chris Steinocher, he reminds supporters that the conversation will continue. “Great markets throughout this…

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Governor Rick Scott narrowly defeated former Governor Charlie Crist in a tight and divisive re-election bid. With more than 95 percent of precincts reporting, Scott has secured 48.3 percent of the vote with Crist carrying 46.91 percent. The 1.39-point lead is not enough to trigger an automatic recount. Elections are automatically re-counted if a race is within a half point. In Florida’s case, that’s about 30,000 votes. Scott has a little over 81,000 more votes than Crist. The battle between…

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Floridians will not get to blaze up any legal doobies to cure their medical woes, despite the measure receiving broad support. Amendment 2 rounded out election night with nearly 57.5 percent of the vote. It needed 60 percent to pass. The measure would have allowed doctors to prescribe pot to patients to remedy various ailments associated with things like cancer, neurological disorders and even PTSD, among others. Supporters, backed by Florida attorney powerhouse John Morgan, painted it as common sense…

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Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham won’t be leaving the board despite being term limited out of his current seat. In a narrow victory over Democrat Pat Kemp, Higginbotham eeked by with 51 percent of the vote. Higginbotham raised a total of $366,272 throughout his entire campaign. His opponent, former Hillsborough Democratic Party chair Pat Kemp, only brought in $102,100. Kemp has just shy of $8,000 left in her campaign coffers as Tuesday’s Election Day looms just around the corner. Higginbotham…

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Largo Mayor Pat Gerard has narrowly defeated state Representative Ed Hooper for the Pinellas County Commission district 2 seat. Gerard brought in 51 percent of the vote verses Hooper’s 49 percent. Hooper raised $241,000 throughout his campaign while Gerard only managed to bring in $200,000. Both candidates took turns swapping ethics accusations at one another. Gerard kicked off the negative campaigning with a claim that Hooper was using his influence as a Tallahassee lawmaker to rake in profits in his…

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State Senator Jack Latvala unsurprisingly beat out Libertarian Tony Caso 72 percent to 28 percent. Republican Chris Sprowls has ousted incumbent Rep. Carl Zimmerman 52 percent to 48 percent. Incumbent Rep. Larry Ahern has commanded a victory over Democrat Lorena Grizzle. With 53 of 55 precincts reporting Ahern has 57 percent of the vote. Chris Latvala has beat Democrat Steve Sarnoff 53 percent to 47 percent with 46 of 51 precincts reporting for the district 67 House seat being vacated by Ed Hooper. Hooper…

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