The Skinny

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote yes or no on an initiative to legalize marijuana for adults 21 years old and older. Amendment 3 would also allow individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana, with up to five grams in the form of concentrate (see full text of the…

You’re probably still hungover from the first presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump last Thursday night, and a diverse panel of Tampa Bay politicos joined “The Skinny” on-air to discuss the performance, policy (or lack thereof), and path forward for both candidates. Here’s who joined the party: Tara Newsom Political…

Harry Cohen has served on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners since being elected in 2020; he was re-elected in 2022. He doesn’t have to run for re-election this year, but still wears the enthusiasm he’s brought to local dais since 2011 when he started an eight-year stint on Tampa City Council. Cohen joined…

On Aug. 20, voters in Hillsborough County will participate in a primary ahead of the general election in November. One of those races on the August ballot involves Democrats hoping to represent their party in the House District 65 race where Republican incumbent Tampa Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman is running for re-election. One of those…

Alt-weeklies are getting increased attention this year, thanks in part to Tricia Romano’s new book about the Village Voice “The Freaks Came Out To Write” and a must-listen Audible podcast, “Hold Fast.” Tampa Bay has its own nearly-40-year-old alt-weekly, Creative Loafing (full disclosure: that’s where I work), but “Hold Fast” co-creators Michael Mooney and Sam…

It’s a busy morning on “The Skinny” and we zoomed in on the Tampa Bay area with St. Petersburg City Councilman Richie Floyd who updated us on the Tampa Bay Rays stadium saga, Orlando-based Rep. Anna Eskamani who spoke on abortion rights in Florida, and South Florida author Annabelle Tometich who talked about the nationwide…

Susan Glickman has been involved in environmental policy-making for decades. In January she was named Vice President of Policy & Partnerships of the CLEO Institute, aka Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities. The Miami-based nonprofit calls itself “the only women-led nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Florida exclusively dedicated to climate education, advocacy, and engagement.” Glickman talked about President…

Kathleen Beckman had not run for office before moving to Florida from Michigan in 2016, but she found herself called to action and earned a seat on Clearwater City Council in 2020 and fell short in her latest race to be the city’s mayor. She joined The Skinny to talk about her races, Florida’s abortion…