Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Author

Bill Rufty - page 10

Bill Rufty has 71 articles published.

Former Ledger of Lakeland columnist Bill Rufty is Central Florida political correspondent for SaintPetersBlog and Florida Politics. Rufty had been with the Ledger from 1985-2015, where, as political editor, he covered a wide range of beats, including local and state politics, the Lakeland City Commission, and the Florida Legislature. Ledger editor Lenore Devore said about Rufty’s 30-year career: “[He is] a man full of knowledge, a polling expert and a war history buff … who has a steel trap in his brain, remembering details most of us have long since forgotten.”

Redistricting summons forces Tom Lee to cancel Polk Tiger Bay appearance

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Florida Senate Appropriations Chair Tom Lee missed his speaking engagement with the Polk County Tiger Bay Club on Thursday. The Brandon Republican had received a summons to Tallahassee, which Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis wouldn’t allow him to postpone. He was a witness for the judge’s hearings to decide from perhaps as many as seven maps of redistricting for Florida’s congressional districts. Tiger Bay members had their own questions on redistricting on which they had hoped to hear answers from Lee, particularly…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Political and judicial histories from Chiles Center for Florida History

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A rare double-book signing is being hosted at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Lone Palm Country Club in Lakeland for James Michael Denham, director of the Lawton M. Chiles Center for Florida History of Florida Southern College in the city. The most recent book, “Florida Founder William P. DuVal: Frontier Bon Vivant” arrived this summer about a month after the publication of Denham’s book covering the history of  federal court in Florida, “Fifty Years of Justice.” The rare coincidence prompted…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Robert Doyel makes it a race in HD 41

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Former 10th Judicial Circuit Judge Robert Doyel officially filed late last week to run as a Democrat for the Florida House. House District 41 is within eastern Polk County. Doyel is the fourth candidate to open a campaign account for the seat being vacated by state Rep. John Wood, a Winter Haven Republican, who will reach his eight-year term limit next year. There are also three GOP candidates in this district, which has slightly more registered Democrats than Republicans and a…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Central Florida grassroots Dems get busy early for Bernie Sanders

in 2017/Top Headlines by

The Florida Presidential Primary is six months away, and while the focus has been on Iowa and New Hampshire in the daily “he blinked … she said …” second-by-second coverage, the faithful in the Sunshine State are getting ready, none more than those working for the second-place runner for the Democrats. Already groups of supporters for Republicans Ben Carson, the former brain surgeon, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul have the only active and working organizations in Polk County and the…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Bill Rufty: A fourth candidate for House District 41

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A third Republican and likely to be the fourth candidate overall seeking the vacant Florida House District 41 next year filed his qualification papers today. Retired Second District Court of Appeal Judge Charlie Davis filed to run as a Republican for the east Polk County seat that will be left vacant by state Rep. John Wood, a Winter Haven Republican, in 2016 when he reaches his eight-year term limit. Davis, 67, spent 32 years on the bench as a Polk…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Robert Doyel announces HD 41 bid

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Former Circuit Court Judge Robert Doyel announced Thursday that he is running in 2016 for Florida House District 41, which encompasses most of the eastern portion of Polk County. County Democratic Party officials confirmed last week that they were trying to recruit Doyel to run against Lakeland Republican Sen. Kelli Stargel. “I was approached about running for the Senate a lot and I determined I would run for the House seat,” Doyel said. “I haven’t even filed for the race yet,…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Experts say Jeb Bush “laying up” for Iowa caucuses

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had been written off as “fading” or being too quiet with Donald Trump by some commentators and would-be experts in the pre-dawn of the 2016 presidential elections. Others took every minor refute he made toward Trump as a “weak retort.” A Florida Republican strategist and a political scientist along I-4 disagree; both adding that Bush is carefully set for the next five months leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Even Carl Hiaasen made note in…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

1 … 8 9 10 11
Go to Top