Author Archives: Kartik Krishnaiyer
Will Stephen Bittel be able to diversify funding sources for legislative races?
Stephen Bittel has been elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) in a decisive vote of the State Executive Committee. Bittel was a popular choice among establishment figures but raises lots of red flags among the activist base of the party and those who would like to see control of the party wrestled away […]
FDP Chairs Race 2017 – Alan Clendenin has already won the day
Democratic politics in Florida is about personalities, tribalism and losing elections. Understanding this is the key to grasping everything that happens around the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) and local DEC’s. Florida’s Democrats have been on a nearly two decade losing streak with results reaching historic low points in the last two election cycles. During the […]
Does Bill Nelson tip the scales in Stephen Bittel’s favor?
While Bill Nelson’s public endorsement of Stephen Bittel wasn’t much of a surprise to party insiders it does represent a risk for Florida’s Senior US Senator. Nelson’s willingness to make public his support for Bittel reflects the closeness of the FDP Chair’s race and the hope that by putting his finger on the scale, Nelson […]
Chasing FDP reform in 2017 Part 3: Analytics, data and political science
I found curious Dave Trotter’s pieces over at the Political Hurricane last week about political scientists – I sometimes don’t agree with Mr. Trotter on matters related to the party but on this he is spot on. The reliance of the Democrats on political operatives who have inherent biases and often do not use scientific […]
Allegiant opens Destin/Fort Walton Beach base
Controversial Allegiant Airlines which recently was the subject of an unflattering Tampa Bay Times investigation about safety has opened a base at Fort Walton Beach-Destin. It will be the Las Vegas-based airline’s fifth major base in Florida. The airline caters largely to vacation traffic making this newest base a logical add. Seasonal nonstop service […]
Democrats should be leery of those seeking to jump upward from FDP Chair
Allison Tant was the first Florida Democratic Party Chair since Charlie Whitehead that didn’t harbor any ambition of running for higher office. In that sense Tant, love her or dislike her was a unique figure fully committed to the party. But often through the years candidates for FDP Chair have seen it as a stepping […]
Alan Clendenin and being FDP First Vice Chair – beware of “dream teams”
The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Chairwoman/Chairman election is set for Saturday January 14. As we get closer to the day of reckoning the number of rumors that involve “dream teams.” In a fragmented five-way race, candidates are seeking a way to garner additional ways to find votes to make a second ballot or become chair. […]
Terror at FLL – Takeaways
Odd things sometimes happen in ironic ways. I was working on a long form piece on the international growth and competition out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) on Friday when the news struck. Suddenly focus shifted to the scene at FLL for the rest of the day. As with any act of terror or […]
US Soccer “war” temporary truce – how it impacts Florida
Five of Florida’s six men’s pro soccer clubs were impacted directly by the ongoing United States Soccer Federation (USSF) sanctioning saga at the lower division level the past three months. In the end the North American Soccer League (NASL) the long-standing USSF-sanctioned Division 2 has lost full sanctioning and now is a provisionally sanctioned D2, […]
Tampa Bay Rowdies sign Orlando City SC legend and fan favorite Luke Boden
The I-4 derby just got more interesting. The Tampa Bay Rowdies signed Luke Boden an English left back who had played every season of Orlando City SC’s existence with the club. Boden’s signing with the Rowdies means they have essentially swapped left backs with Orlando City after PC went the other way earlier this week. From […]
The Florida Squeeze 