Tampa elections
The last day to vote in the City of Tampa elections is next Tuesday, March 7th. Early in-person voting started today. The two candidates running for City Council District 4 – Bill Carlson and Blake Casper — debated Friday on WMNF’s The Skinny. Hosts Mitch Perry and Ray Roa asked Carlson to respond to suggestions from former Mayor Bob Buckhorn that Carlson follows conspiracy theories. You can hear the full debate on our website, wmnf.org.
New Florida Democratic head
Nikki Fried was selected Saturday to chair the Florida Democratic Party as it looks to recover from its latest disastrous election cycle. She was the last Democrat to hold a statewide office in Florida. Fried emerged the winner in a four-way contest near Orlando, fending off a major challenge from former state Senator Annette Taddeo of Miami. Fried was elected as state agriculture commissioner in 2018 but did not seek reelection last year. She lost a bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to former governor and congress member Charlie Crist. Fried will oversee a party that has struggled with finances and voter-registration efforts, been eclipsed in the Florida Legislature and Congress, and lost traction among Hispanic voters.
Hate crimes in Florida
Florida officials are concerned about potential hate crimes, especially surrounding last Saturday’s National Day of Hate. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has increased its efforts to protect Jewish communities.
State execution
On Thursday, Florida executed a prisoner for the first time in three and a half years. Opponents of the death penalty gathered in Pinellas County to protest the execution. Donald Dillbeck was the first person executed by the state of Florida since 2019.
In related news, Craig Trocino, director of the Miami Law Innocence Clinic, spoke Friday to the Florida Roundup. He drew a connection between Dillbeck’s execution and new legislation being introduced in the state. The new bill would broaden the authority of the judge presiding over a case to choose between the sentences of life without parole or death — a call that’s traditionally left for the jury.
