Author
Ray Roa
Everyone now knows that—despite his popularity and presence in local politics since 2016—Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera will not run to be the next mayor of Tampa. “It’s not my time right now,” Viera, who...
Led by its Republican supermajority, Florida’s state legislature gaveled in for a special session last Monday and managed to pass an immigration bill that aims to help President Donald Trump make good on his agenda....
Egmont Key is more fascinating than we could ever imagine
You probably don’t know five people who’ve set foot on Egmont Key, a roughly 250-acre island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The rapidly-disappearing land mass is visible from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, but only...
Meet Alan Henderson, the first candidate in 2027’s Tampa mayoral race
There are 721 days left until 2027. That’s when Tampeños will vote on a successor to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who won re-election in 2023 and is term-limited. Alan Henderson would like a shot. Last...
“You can’t underestimate the toll it takes on people’s mental health,” Rep. Lindsay Cross said on WMNF's The Skinny.
Talking Cuba with Al Fox, and Florida maternity homes with Laura C. Morel
After South Florida, Tampa’s population of Cubans is larger than anywhere else in the United States And still, the Bay area feels closer to the Caribbean island than almost anywhere else in America. Albert A....
Tampa Bay’s electeds, candidates and politicos check in as Election Day approaches
This is it, the last episode of The Skinny before the end of the 2024 General Election. For a packed show dedicated to what the country—and our own counties and cities—might look like come Wednesday,...
Let’s talk about Hillsborough’s school tax, and Florida’s fight for recreational weed
The 2024 general election is on, and outside of candidates, voters in Hillsborough County will decide on whether to renew a Community Investment Tax, plus make a decision about a 1% millage increase that would...
Katie Blaxberg and Craig Latimer talk Tampa Bay elections, storm response, and more
Florida’s voter registration deadline is on Monday, Oct. 7, and mail ballots are on the way to addresses across the Tampa Bay area. On the top half of the show, Katie Blaxberg spoke about her...
Rep. Christine Hunschofsky talks Florida school safety, and more
It’s been less than two weeks since a Georgia school shooting that killed four and injured nine others—and six years since a shooting at Florida’s Parkland school shooting that killed 17 people. Rep. Christine Hunschofsky,...
Talking preservation and planning in Tampa Bay, plus the upcoming Uhuru trial
Preservation is often associated with old buildings, and the past, but working to keep historic structures and neighborhoods from being demolished not only opens the door for a city’s residents and visitors to continue their...
Pat Kemp is beyond busy these days. After a career that started in the office of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, she was first elected to Hillsborough County Commission in 2016 where she is now term-limited....
