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Hillsborough County Commission opts to reject controversial scoring plan for medical marijuana applicants

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Although medical marijuana became the law of the land after Floridians overwhelmingly supported it in 2016, there remains considerable angst among its supporters on how state and local leaders will implement the legislation. Medical marijuana supporters (and some opponents) filled the County Center in downtown Tampa Tuesday night, with many of them blasting the county’s proposed licensing rules on who can run medical marijuana dispensaries in the county. The ordinance would offer points to applicants on a 100-point scale under…

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Hillsborough County Commission approve $811 million to fund roads, $1 million for transit

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Hillsborough County Commissioners approved a proposal Wednesday to spend $812 million on transportation over the next decade, with almost all of that money going directly for roads, rejecting a last-minute alternative offered by Commissioner Pat Kemp to redirect much of those funds to more transit projects. The 6-1 vote (with Kemp dissenting) came after more than 40 members of the public signed up to speak about the proposal, with many reciting desultory statistics about how the county is the worst in the nation…

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Hillsborough County calls for advisory board to study creating housing trust fund

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Concerned that the price of living in Hillsborough County is becoming increasingly unaffordable, the Board of County Commissioners approved a motion on Wednesday calling for its affordable housing advisory board to explore potential sources to create a Housing Trust Fund. The vote was 5-1, with Commissioner Al Higginbotham dissenting. “A trust fund is easy to create, but it’s impossible to fund,” Higginbotham said, referring to a similar proposal the board rejected less than a year ago. “That was the bottom line then,…

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Mitch Perry Report for 12.8.16 – Al Gore gets punk’d

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For the #NeverTrumper Republicans out there, this Trump presidency might work out pretty well, after all. Jeb Bush was seen doing cartwheels after Trump selected Betty DeVos to become his Secretary of Education. “I’m so excited,” Bush said last week at the National Summit on Education Reform, sponsored by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which Bush founded and chairs and on which DeVos serves as a board member. “President-elect Trump made an extraordinary choice with Betsy DeVos,” he added. Similar hosannas are being thrown out…

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Hillsborough Commissioners reject idea of rotating board chair

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

The Hillsborough County Commission opted on Wednesday not to support Les Miller’s proposal to make the selection of a Chair rotated between each member. Commissioners selected Stacy White last month to serve as their chairman for the next year, but also agreed to review an alternative way of choosing their leader. Under Miller’s proposal, District 2 Commissioner Victor Crist would automatically become Chairman in late 2017, with District 7 Commissioner Al Higginbotham serving as Vice Chair. Under his scenario, Higginbotham would then move up…

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Hillsborough Commission to copy Richard Corcoran’s proposal to ban texting by lobbyists?

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Hillsborough County Commissioners approved a motion on Wednesday directing their attorney to research and provide draft language on a proposal that would ban them from receiving text messages from a lobbyist during a board meeting. However, the proposal’s ultimate passage is unclear, based on comments from some members. “In the event that we did receive a text message during a commission meeting from a lobbyist related to official public business, we would have to disclose that communication by filing it with our…

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Joe Henderson: Look for Pat Kemp to turn Hillsborough Commission on its ear

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pat Kemp officially joined the Hillsborough County Commission when she was sworn into office Wednesday. If she stays true to her nature – and there is no to believe she won’t – Kemp might just turn the Commission on its ear. I hope she does. Most politicians like to play it safe and tell voters what they want to hear. Pat Kemp’s style is to tell what she believes they need to hear. Get used to it. Running for a…

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