The Tampa Tribune

New Bill Would Ticket Floridians for Driving Slowly in the Left Lane

Sorry snow birds, the Florida Senate is mulling whether to pass a law that would directly target one of your worst driving habits. A part of a new bill would make driving slow in the left lane a ticketable offense, meaning going 50 in the left lane on the interstate could have bigger ramifications t ... More >>

No Newspaper Has Endorsed Connie Mack for Senate (And They're Not Nice About It Either)

Poor Rep. Connie Mack IV. He's trying his damnedest to turn the fact that he shares his name with his ex-senator dad into a Senate career of his own, but the latest polls show him trailing boring old incumbent Bill Nelson by anywhere from 5 to 8 points (a practical landslide for Florida's deeply div ... More >>

Boom: Sun-Sentinel Endorses Romney

We're not sure how much newspaper endorsements even matter anymore, but The Sun-Sentinel dropped a bomb this morning by endorsing Mitt Romney. This comes after years of endorsing the Democratic presidential candidate, and despite the fact the paper serves Broward County, the most solidly Democratic ... More >>

Charlie Crist Endorses Democrat Bill Nelson Over His Former Supporter Connie Mack

Florida's most moderate former Republican has endorsed Florida's most moderate Democrat, Bill Nelson, over his Republican challenger, Connie Mack IV, in a move that should surprise no one but is sure to have people talking. Since leaving the Republican Party during his own bid for Senate, Crist has ... More >>

Cheetah the Chimp Died in Florida, But There's Little Evidence He Was Actually in Tarzan Movies

​To hear the story repeated from fine bastions of journalism like the New York Times, NPR, and CNN, you'd be lead to believe that the chimpanzee who played Cheetah, Tarzan's ape companion in the famed 1930s movie series, recently died in an animal sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida. Don't believe e ... More >>

Florida County May Use Tax Dollars to Attract Nude European Tourists

​Miami-Dade County may soon get some stiff competition in attracting naked tourists. Pasco County, located just north of Tampa Bay, is considering using tax dollars to actively promote its numerous nudist resorts to rich European travelers looking to expose every last inch of their skin to the war ... More >>

Disappointed Dad? Rick Scott's Daughter Was an Anthropology Major

​Rick Scott's bizarre attack on anthropology majors seemed completely random. Well, apparently his remarks may have had some family drama implications. Turns out that Rick Scott's own daughter majored in anthropology and never found a job in her field.

Only God and LeBron Can Improve Sales of Florida Specialty License Plates

​Florida offers 122 specialty license plates, and all but two saw declines in sales between 2009 and 2010: The "In God We Trust" plate and the Miami Heat plate. Yep, unless you're God almighty or LeBron almighty, Floridians just don't want to shell out the extra cash to worship you on their bumper ... More >>

Allen West Says "It's Just a Matter of Time" Before Gays "Break Down the Military"

​In another public reaffirmation of his belief that gay people are going to make America lose wars, Florida Republican Congressman Allen West said at a dinner in Plant City Saturday night that "when you take the military and you tell it they must conform to the individual's behavior, then it' ... More >>

No, 70 People Were Not Trapped in an Airport Hangar Due to Central Florida's Crazy Weather

via Bay News 9​It's in the 80s and perfectly sunny here in Miami, but our state-mates in the central part of Florida aren't enjoying the same good weather. An apparent tornado that ripped through Tampa has left many areas in Central Florida in disarray. But a report carried by numerous national me ... More >>

Prisoners Butt Out: Cigarettes Will Be Banned in Florida Prisons

The ban will also bring an end to many Lady Gaga-inspired prison fashion trends. ​Used to be that a couple cartons of cigarettes could buy you some protection in prison, but Florida inmates may want to start trafficking in boxes of Nicorette. That's because in six months time smoking will be compl ... More >>

Some Grocery Totes Contain Lead

Photo by Ily GoyanesSick of lax government regulations.​They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. That may be, but what about the road to learning disabilities in children and fertility problems in adults? Who knew that being environmentally conscious could make you sick?If you are ... More >>

Alex Sink Picks Up Endorsement From Every Major Newspaper in the State

In an age when the broadsheets are struggling and anyone can make their own mini-endorsements on Twitter or Facebook, do newspaper endorsements still matter? The Democratic Governor nominee better hope so. She's walked away with the support of every major newspaper's editorial board in the state. Th ... More >>

Marco Rubio is in A Whole Lot of Personal Debt, May Have Used Party Money to Redo His Kitchen

Marco Rubio talks a lot about fiscal responsibility and his ideas to save the economy. He also talks a lot about the national debt and ways to balance the budget. So you'd think the guy would have his own finances in order. Not true. Today, The Wall Street Journal singles Rubio out as one of the can ... More >>

Charlie Crist Hints at Vetoing Controversial Abortion Bill

via The Glow Box​When news broke that Charlie Crist would run for Senate as an independent, it was speculated that he'd spend the rest of his term as governor issuing a few controversial vetoes that would separate him from the Republican party. He already did so with the education bill, and is now ... More >>

Jeb Bush: No Endorsement in Senate Race Soon, If Ever

via Dem UndergroundEven though the entire state knows Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are in total political love, Bush continues to remain neutral in the Republican primary for Senate.The Tampa Tribune asked Jebbers if he plans to make an endorsement soon. "I don't know... I don't know if I'm go ... More >>

Who is Paula Dockery and Why is She Running for Governor?

After a few months of publicly flirting with the idea, Republican State Senator Paula Dockery of Lakeland officially announced today that she will run for Governor, and challenge Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican Primary. So, who is this lady and why is she doing it? Sh ... More >>

Personhood Amendment Could Outlaw Birth Control Pills

The Florida Personhood Amendment we wrote about last week would not only outlaw abortion in the state, but also potentially ban birth control pills and other forms of contraception.The American Life League, one of the main groups behind the push (when it's not busy printing tacky "Bury Oba ... More >>

Charlie Crist's Lame Attempt To Distance Himself From Obama

When Charlie Crist stood on stage with President Obama in February I wonder if Crist had any idea that he'd actually be running for Senate. As a popular incumbent running for re-election the political risk would be lessened. Well, the risk of standing with a popular, newly elected pre ... More >>

Legislators Looking to Beef Up Protections Against Dating Violence

For most of us, our psycho-ex's biggest offenses are sending locks of their hair in the mail, leaving 20 minutes long voice mails with self-penned poetry, or posting Photoshop manipulations of what our kids might look like on our Facebook walls long after we've broken up. Unfortunately though many h ... More >>

“White Marble Farms" Pork = Hog Wash!

“White Marble Farms" Pork = Hog Wash!

Having Seconds

A pair of high-end hotel restaurants gets a second look

Wrong Way Out

Why push diversity when you can complain?

Nixon Rewound

As Florida's GOP delegates head for New York, it's time to recall Miami Beach, 1972

Gang Related

Mass transit trouble and coked-up greyhounds

Letters from the Issue of March 13, 2003

Cuban trade, crabby cabbies, and peace marchers

Vox Populi

Opposition to developing an airport in Homestead continues to grow

News of the Weird

He Did a Job on the Mob

During the Forties and Fifties, Mel Richard fought organized crime's incursion into Miami Beach. He's still crusading.

Road Show

Want to know more about Jeb Bush? The machinations of Florida's Republican party? Vomiting? Get on the bus.

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

Bible thumper Norman Hickey believes the Day of Judgment is at hand. Which ought to make him a shoo-in for Miami Beach city manager.

Raising Cane

Home may be where the heart is, but sportswriter Gary Long's vote is in the state of Washington

Local Is As Local Does

Miami could take a rock lesson or two