The St. Petersburg City Council unanimously passed a plan late last night to fulfill the city’s commitment to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. [Read more…] about St. Pete approves roadmap to 100 percent renewable energy
St. Petersburg
Vinoy Golf Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month
Secretary of State Laurel Lee announced today that the Vinoy Golf Club in St. Petersburg has been chosen as the featured course on the Florida Historic Golf Trail for the month of February. [Read more…] about Vinoy Golf Club Featured as Florida Historic Golf Trail Course of the Month
More than 1,200 Floridians Attend CRC Public Hearing in Tampa Bay Area
More than 1,200 Floridians attended a public hearing held by the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) on Tuesday, March 13th at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP). The public hearing marked the sixth and final public hearing held on the CRC’s 2018 “Road to the Ballot” public hearing tour. The CRC has held a total of 15 public hearings since 2017.
At the public hearing, more than 430 individuals requested to speak before the CRC and more than 1,200 attended the public hearing. The public hearing lasted more than 10 hours (1:00-11:30 PM) and all Floridians who attended the public hearing and wanted to speak were given an opportunity to be heard.
To watch the public hearing held in St. Petersburg, visit the Florida Channel’s website which has a page dedicated to all CRC public hearings and meetings. A complete transcript of the public hearing, appearance forms and documents received will be available online at flcrc.gov/Meeting/PublicHearings as soon as possible.
The CRC will begin its floor session in Tallahassee on Monday, March 19th. Visit flcrc.gov/Meetings for additional details on the CRC’s upcoming schedule and to view documents from previous CRC public hearings held in 2018 and 2017.
Crime Victims’ Rights Advocates Hold Press Conference in St. Petersburg to Announce Major Endorsement of Marsy’s Law for Florida
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Advocates of crime victims’ rights are holding a press conference tomorrow to announce a major endorsement of Marsy’s Law for Florida, an effort to amend the state constitution to provide equal rights for crime victims. Marsy’s Law for Florida is currently under consideration by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) as Proposal 96. If approved by the CRC, a proposed constitutional amendment providing equal rights for crime victims will be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot.
WHO: Senator Lauren Book
Senator Darryl Rouson
CRC Commissioner and Proposal Sponsor Tim Cerio
CRC Commissioner Belinda Keiser
Justice Coalition Executive Director Michael Liles
Connie Rose, Tampa/St. Petersburg area survivor
Victims and Victim Advocates
WHEN: Tuesday, March 13
9 a.m.
The press conference can also be viewed via Facebook Live on the Marsy’s Law for Florida Facebook page.
WHERE: Grand Ballroom Salon 2
St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater
12600 Roosevelt Blvd. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
CRC Rules and Administration Committee Meeting
MEDIA ADVISORY
The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) Rules and Administration Committee will hold a meeting on Tuesday, March 13 from 12:00-1:00 PM at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Please note that this meeting is scheduled to take place immediately before the CRC public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 from 1:00-7:00 PM at the same location.
WHAT: Public meeting of the CRC Rules and Administration Committee
WHEN: Tuesday, March 13 from 12:00-1:00 PM
WHERE: University of South Florida St. Petersburg, University Student Center, 200 6th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
St. Petersburg man claims $2 million POWERBALL® prize
The Florida Lottery announces that Joseph Brelsford, of St. Petersburg, claimed a $2 million prize from the POWERBALL® drawing held on March 3, 2018. The winning Quick Pick ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers, but did not match the Powerball.
Brelsford purchased the winning ticket from Sunoco, located at 6231 Haines Road North in St. Petersburg. The retailer will receive a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the winning POWERBALL ticket.
The POWERBALL jackpot has continued to roll since January, resulting in an estimated $348 million jackpot for the drawing to be held tonight, March 7, at 10:59 p.m. ET. National POWERBALL drawings are broadcast live, in high-definition, from the Florida Lottery’s state of the art draw studio in Tallahassee. Florida Lottery game drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.
FDLE Agents arrest St. Petersburg man for computer crime
FDLE Agents today arrested Ivan Ross Marik, 36, of 3924 N. 45th Ave., St. Petersburg, on one charge of offense against computer users. The offense resulted in combined revenue loss and recovery costs estimated at $277,000.
In March, agents launched an investigation after the St. Petersburg Police Department received a complaint alleging that Marik destroyed work product files at a graphics company where he worked. Marik had been terminated just hours before the files were destroyed. The investigation showed the IP address where the activity originated was associated with the specific street address where Marik resides.
FDLE Agents obtained and executed a search warrant at Marik’s address today and arrested him.
Marik was taken to the Pinellas County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 6th Judicial Circuit.
St. Petersburg says no to money in politics
The City of St. Petersburg City Council made history today becoming the first municipality post-Citizens United to abolish Super PACs and limit foreign corporate spending in local elections by passing two campaign finance reform ordinances. The first ordinance abolishes Super PACs by limiting individual and/or corporate contributions to the pre-Citizens United limit of $5,000. The second ordinance limits foreign owned corporations from spending money in local elections. A third ordinance also passed that increases transparency and creates a disclosure reporting requirement for all contributions. The first two ordinances passed by a 6-2 vote and the transparency ordinance passed by a 7-1 vote.
The League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area, American Promise and Free Speech for People teamed up with Ordinance Sponsor St. Petersburg City Council Chair Darden Rice, to introduce the Defend Our Democracy Ordinance in St. Petersburg in July of 2016. The Ordinance was later co-sponsored by City Council Member Karl Nurse. Nearly 30 local, state and national organizations with St. Petersburg roots, representing thousands of local residents, later joined to form a coalition that worked to get the ordinances passed over the last 15 months.
Dr. Julie Kessel, President of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area, explained the goal of the coalition formed more than two years ago. “The League believes in the beauty of our representative democracy and we are strongest when everyone participates and has a voice. She went on to say, “We believe that “big money” in politics is a root cause of a compromised democracy, every bit as corrosive as gerrymandering, governmental abuse of power and voter suppression. When money is as important to a candidate or an elected official as a citizen’s vote, the sovereign power of the people to elect officials to represent their interests has been corrupted.” Karen Lieberman, of American Promise, said “What we did in St. Pete is historic. It is a great first step in taking back our democracy for our city, our state and our country”.
“Today, St. Pete took a historic and critical step forward to challenge the scourge of Super PAC money in elections. The fight begins here for common sense campaign reform to take back our democracy”, said Darden Rice, Chair of St Petersburg City Council. City Council Member, Karl Nurse, said of the vote, “The citizens of St. Pete made it clear that defending our democracy is a value that we are prepared to defend”.
According to Free Speech for People, Super PACs were the progeny of the 2010 DC Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals SpeechNow.org v. FEC holding the federal law limiting contributions to political committees to $5,000 per person each year and did not apply to a political committee that promised to make only “independent expenditures.” Free Speech for People indicated that while some appellate courts have applied the ruling to cases within their jurisdiction, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction for the state of Florida, has not ruled to date on the merits of this type of case. The Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court have not yet ruled on the issue.
John Bonafiz, Esquire, Co-Founder and President of Free Speech for People said today, after the historic St. Petersburg City Council vote, “The City of St. Petersburg is leading the way in the fight to reclaim our democracy. Today’s vote by the St. Petersburg City Council marks a huge victory for the people all across the city who have stood up to demand an end to super PACs and foreign-influenced corporations threatening the integrity of their local elections. This ordinance will be a model for communities throughout the nation on how to fight big money in politics and defend the promise of American self-government. Free Speech for People congratulates the St. Petersburg City Council on this historic vote, and we thank the many grassroots activists and citizens of St. Petersburg who have worked tirelessly to achieve this victory.”
