Author

Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.
FL Democratic women slam Ron DeSantis for 2013 vote opposing Violence Against Women Act
By: Mitch Perry - September 14, 2018
A group of Florida Democratic women is calling GOP gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis “radical” and “extreme” for his 2013 Congressional vote against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. The legislation funds rape crisis centers and hotlines and community violence prevention programs. It also helps victims evicted from their homes because of domestic violence or stalking, […]
Matt Gaetz once again hangs out with alleged Holocaust denier Charles Johnson
By: Mitch Perry - September 13, 2018
Northwest Florida U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz said he made a “poor decision” back in January when he invited controversial alt-right blogger Charles Johnson to be his guest at President Trump’s State of the Union address. Apparently all was forgotten by this summer, because Johnson – who once solicited donations on Twitter to help “take out” […]
Even Trump’s Republican Bros say he’s off-base in denying the number of Puerto Rico deaths from hurricane
By: Mitch Perry - September 13, 2018
President Trump’s controversial tweet that questions how many Puerto Ricans were killed by last year’s Hurricane Maria ignited a furious reaction by Florida lawmakers on Thursday, including rare criticism from his closest Republican allies. Trump tweeted that “3,000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico,” claiming that the number “was […]
Conservative Koch Industries-backed group joins organizations across political spectrum backing the effort to restore Florida felon voting rights
By: Mitch Perry - September 13, 2018
Freedom Partners, a Virginia-based libertarian group funded by the nationally known Koch Industries, is endorsing Amendment 4 in Florida, the measure that would automatically restore voting rights to ex-felons. “We believe that when individuals have served their sentences and paid their debts as ordered by a judge, they should be eligible to vote,” said Mark […]
U.S. House passes animal welfare measures sponsored by Florida lawmakers
By: Mitch Perry - September 13, 2018
It’s not a subject most people want to talk about, but animal protection advocates say it’s necessary to put into federal law. To that end, two Florida congressmen sponsored a bill that would prohibit anyone from slaughtering dogs and cats for human consumption and levy fines up to $5,000. The bill, sponsored by Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern […]
Rick Scott asks for Supreme Court candidates, though it’s unclear if he’ll get to nominate any of them
By: Mitch Perry - September 12, 2018
Governor Rick Scott has begun the process to replace three Florida Supreme Court justices who must retire in January. On Tuesday afternoon Scott said that he had asked the nine-member Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) to begin reviewing highly qualified successors to longtime serving Justices Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis, and Peggy Quince, who are […]
Courting Puerto Rican voters – grassroots group descending on Central Florida
By: Mitch Perry - September 11, 2018
With a month to go before the registration deadline, a progressive group called For Our Future Florida announced Tuesday that will send organizers to three Central Florida counties and partner with Latino organizations to register Puerto Rican voters in advance of the November election. There are estimates that at least 50,000 Puerto Ricans have migrated to Florida […]
Bill Nelson and Rick Scott agree to two campaign debates
By: Mitch Perry - September 11, 2018
UPDATE: Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Gov. Rick Scott have come to an agreement to debate at least twice in their campaign for U.S. Senate. The first takes place on Tuesday, October 2 in Miami, and be broadcast on Telemundo’s stations in Miami, Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando and West Palm Beach, and streamed […]
Ron DeSantis takes on Obama
By: Mitch Perry - September 11, 2018
In 2011, Ron DeSantis, the man who is now Florida’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, published a little-noticed book that was a sort of conservative call to arms in the heyday of the Republican Tea Party movement. DeSantis structured the book as a counterpoint to Barack Obama’s 1995 best-selling memoir, Dreams from My Father: A Story of […]
Ron DeSantis quits Congress to devote full time to governor’s race
By: Mitch Perry - September 10, 2018
With eight weeks to go before Election Day, Ron DeSantis is quitting his day job as a U.S. Representative to devote all of his energies to running for governor in Florida. “As the Republican nominee for Governor of Florida, it is clear to me that I will likely miss the vast majority of our remaining […]
Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist call for federal reform of marijuana policy
By: Mitch Perry - September 10, 2018
Even though allowing medical marijuana use is the law of the land in Florida and 30 other states, access to basic financial services for those in the burgeoning industry is nonexistent. That’s something that Democratic Agriculture Commissioner candidate Nikki Fried says needs to change. “Let’s take a new approach with forward thinking laws,” Fried said […]
What do we know about Chris King? The Phoenix asked, he answered
By: Julie Hauserman, Diane Rado, Mitch Perry and CD Davidson-Hiers - September 7, 2018
With Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum choosing affordable housing executive Chris King for his running mate this week, the pair has been described as the most progressive Democratic ticket in modern history in Florida. But what do voters know about King’s views? He was a candidate competing against Gillum in the primary, and now joins […]