DOJ

Backers release ‘intent’ statement for medical pot amendment

Published on October 24, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

The team behind this year’s medical marijuana amendment has released an 11-page “intent” memo for voters to “understand the purposes” of the initiative. “Voters should vote for an amendment fully understanding the intent of the drafters,” said the document, obtained by FloridaPolitics.com on Monday. “Fostering voter understanding is the central purpose of this memo, and we do so by expressing the intent of the individuals who drafted the language.” The proposed change, which will be Amendment 2 on the November…

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Bike citations in Tampa down 81 percent from a year ago

Published on August 25, 2016 in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by Mitch Perry

Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward told the City Council Thursday that citations of bicyclists in the city are down 81 percent this July, compared to a year ago. The department made only four citations in July, compared to 21 in July 2015, an 81 percent decrease. There was an even greater reduction in May, when the TPD made only six citations, compared to 32 in May 2015. Those citations did spike up in June, with 11 cyclists cited this year, versus…

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Mitch Perry Report for 6.30.16 — The GOP’s Tom Steyer?

Published on June 30, 2016 in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by Mitch Perry

There are many people in the world concerned about the pace of climate change, and are our leaders doing enough to combat it for future generations? Most of those people aren’t elected officials in the Republican Party. In recent years, the GOP has castigated San Francisco-based environmentalist Tom Steyer, tagging him with famed boogeyman George Soros as among the biggest liberals they love to loathe, ostensibly because of their financial resources to help out Democrats. Steyer’s passion is combating climate change, and his…

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Justice Dept. review of Tampa Police Dept. to be released Tuesday

Published on April 25, 2016 in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by Mitch Perry

A long awaited report from the Justice Department regarding the Tampa Police Dept.’s bicycle stops and citations policies will be released to the public on Tuesday. A press conference has been scheduled for Tuesday morning at the offices of the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. Scheduled to appear will be U.S. Attorney Lee Bentley III, Ronald Davis from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa Police…

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Reggie Fullwood indicted on federal fraud charges

Published on April 15, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Associated Press

A Florida lawmaker is facing federal fraud charges after authorities say he used campaign money to pay for personal expenses like liquor, jewelry, flowers and groceries. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville announced Friday that Democratic Rep. Reggie Fullwood was indicted on 10 charges of wire fraud and four counts of failing to file tax returns. The indictment says Fullwood funneled about $65,000 in campaign contributions through his business and used it for personal items. If convicted, he faces a…

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Bob Buckhorn still ‘looking at’ possible run for governor in 2018

Published on October 12, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Mitch Perry

For several years now, it’s been a given that Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn was going to try to take his brand of leadership to a new level in 2018 and run for the Democratic nomination for governor. Facing just token opposition in his bid for re-election, Buckhorn won with nearly 96 percent of the vote in March, setting himself up perfectly for a presumptive run for higher office. But, as Jeb Bush said recently, stuff happens. It began in late April…

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Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor calls Times piece unfair, yet agrees to call in Justice Dept. to review citations of black bicyclists

Published on April 22, 2015 in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by Mitch Perry

In her five-and-a-half-year tenure as chief of the Tampa Police Department, Jane Castor has received mostly laudatory treatment from the media and the community, even though there have been some high-profile misdoings at the department during that time. But nothing has rocked the department back on its heels more than the revelations reported by Tampa Bay Times‘ Alexandra Zayas and Kameel Stanley over the weekend that the department has been disproportionately singling out black bicyclists for infractions. Facing the media for the…

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