Tampa's Little Swamp

What took so long? Some candidates running for Tampa mayor are concerned or asking questions about Vinik's money and influence.

According to this Tampa Bay Times report, Vinik was the subject of a question asked at a mayoral forum by moderator Mike Deeson, a former investigative reporter. Deeson asked "What "controls" should be put over the city government's interactions with Vinik".

After former county commissioner Ed Turanchik said the next mayor should follow an "arms-length relationship" with Vinik, Straz weighed in. 

"The Vinik question. Ladies and gentleman, we need more transparency. And that is, what kind of money is going into Channelside? Who's behind the St. Pete (Tampa Bay) Times? Who's behind All for Transportation? Who's behind a number of these things around town? Let's get some transparency and find out what's going on. If you look at some of the blogs you can get a feeling that not everything's great. We need to investigate that much more further," Straz said.

Did All for Transportation Unlawfully Appropriate Earmarks for 30 Years?

Earmarks are used to set aside funds for a specific purpose or allocate a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization.

Earmarks in government are often associated with pork barrel spending, hand outs and wasteful spending without due diligence. In government, earmarks are handed out with little to no planning and the general public now has wary eyes on earmarks.

It may be after the election but the big mess All For Transportation (AFT) created is unfolding. While local media continues to ignore what is actually in AFT's charter amendment and all the issues swirling around it, we will continue to expose those issues.

AFT knew their transit tax hike did not fund any existing transportation plan. They knew it because the AFT tax hike is not just a tax hike referendum, it is an appropriations bill full of earmarks.

AFT, a political committee accountable to no one and funded by wealthy special interests, made up their own mandated earmarks with no transparent due diligence, planning or plan.

An Offer You Can't Refuse: Who is Peter Schorsch?

Crosspost from Jordan Kirkland, Roundtable Politics



Mob and gangster movies are a dime a dozen. From The Godfather to Goodfellas, the genre has taken the U.S. by storm since the early 1900’s.

On a yearly basis, directors like Martin Scorsese churn out mafia sub-genre movies, allowing viewers to peer into a world of crime and corruption and fantasize about an underground world that revolves around power and persuasion.

While some autobiographical films touch on what really happened in the past, many are just speculative works that sprinkle in exaggerated death tolls. So it’s safe to say that these fantasy crime dramas are just that: fantasy. Right?

Well… not exactly. While the Corleones aren’t gunning down unsuspecting victims in crowded streets, there are real “crime lords” that are pulling the strings behind the scenes. One in particular, lives in Florida…

Confusion Reigns with All for Transportation's Transit Tax Hike

The All for Transportation (AFT) 30 year $16 Billion transit tax hike charter amendment is one big mess. It is 5 pages of misleading spending regulations confusing to all.

Commissioner White's lawsuit is beginning to unravel the big mess AFT created. The unraveling continues as White sheds more light on the big mess at the January 24th BOCC meeting.

Propaganda Protects and Promotes Agenda of the Times Financial Benefactors

The Tampa Bay Times did not provide a link to the All for Transportation (AFT) 5 page charter amendment so they were not compelled to refer to actual language in the tax hike document. This allowed the Times to run with AFT claims with no evidence to back them up and no questions asked.

Tax Hike Lawsuit Raises Serious Legal Issues That Must Be Resolved

Commissioner Stacy White filed a lawsuit in December against numerous defendants related to All for Transportation's $16 Billion transit tax hike charter amendment challenging the language used in the charter amendment. It is case #18-CA-011749.

AFT, some county commissioners and others who supported the tax hike have called the lawsuit ridiculous, a political stunt and "nonsense".

But their rhetoric may be the "nonsense".

Newly Elected County Commissioner's "I Said I Would" Turns into "No I Won't"

County Commissioner Kimberly Overman

As a county commission candidate, Kimberly Overman supported the All for Transportation 30 year $16 Billion sales tax hike referendum. Commissioner White filed a lawsuit contending the charter amendment language was misleading and violated state statute.

As a newly elected commissioner, she stated in a December 4 Tampa Bay Times article about Commissioner White's lawsuit:

County Commissioner Kimberly Overman said the referendum language was vetted closely...“This is a waste of taxpayers’ money and that’s a shame,” Overman said.

Overman made her public claim about the referendum language being vetted as if it was a fact not her opinion.