Friday, April 29, 2016

Bernie Sanders needs to fight on

Bernie Sanders has done a magnificent job of lighting the socialist movement fire.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

Bernie Sanders, the Senator from Vermont, has touched an interesting nerve in American society. Sanders', running for President as a Democrat, has never been a member of the Democratic Party. He has always been a political independent.

People put a lot of emphasis on Donald Trump's tapping into the anger of the US electorate. Sanders supporters think he has defined and brought to the surface the growing issue of inequity in our society.

Sanders has a distinctly different message. He is far left leaning some even calling him a true socialist.

Bernie has a strong following among young people and seems to have ignited a renewed interest in politics among college students and millennials.

There is an interesting biographical sketch in Wikipedia- Bernie Sanders.

From Wikipedia, In defining what democratic socialism means to him, Sanders said: "I don’t believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up, not down. I do believe in private companies that thrive and invest and grow in America, companies that create jobs here, rather than companies that are shutting down in America and increasing their profits by exploiting low-wage labor abroad."

Those who went to college and piled up tens of thousands of dollars in debt to prepare themselves for a future only to find out the education they paid for does not have near the value it promised or cost.  

Student loans are an anchor they will drag behind them for years and facing a political and economic system that could not care less they are taking a fresh look at socialism, and they like what they see.

Expecting to be in the upper class, the majority of the recent college grads and millennials find themselves struggling in the lower class and Sander's message rings home.

Sanders should not end his campaign for President, in fact, the movement Sanders has begun needs to define new leaders and continue past the 2016 Presidential election.

No matter, whom wins in November, Clinton, Trump or a Republican dark horse, the new President and the Congress will do little to address the growing unrest with the capitalistic form of government since these are the people that paid for their election.

With a fragmented Republican Party and a Democratic Party that cannot seem to agree on anything the opportunity for a ground-up socialist movement seems to be ripe.

Sanders has done a magnificent job of lighting the socialist movement fire now it needs careful nurturing to grow into a full-fledged political movement.

Keep on trucking Bernie, your political child is about to be born.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Rays to local businesses – pony up or we will leave

If no one wants the tickets, the expensive box is usually empty, and there is no one at the game to see your advertising what’s the point?


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
  
At the annual Rays luncheon, Rays owner Stu Sternberg put the touch on the Bay area business community citing a lack of corporate support.

Throwing out the old “you’ll miss us when we're gone,” Sternberg chided local business for not supporting the team you can read more in Charlie Frago’s Tampa Bay Times article: Stu Sternberg to Tampa Bay business community: Rays need corporate support now.

Frago’s article quotes Sternberg as saying Major League Baseball "had given up on Tampa Bay" during the long stalemate with the St. Petersburg City Council, the area's business community now needs to show MLB that it's serious about keeping a team in the region.”

If you go back and look closely at the record, I am not sure MLB was ever really on board with baseball in St. Petersburg.

This may be a chicken and egg question, but the fact is with the level of fan base the Rays seem to have it is not too surprising to me that local businesses are not lining up to by expensive luxury boxes and fists full of tickets.

If no one wants the tickets, the expensive box is usually empty, and there are no people at the game to see your advertising what’s the point?

MLB likes all of those business supporters because they are easily shamed into spending more money and supporting team initiatives.

Most business people in a position to consider a major sports team sponsorship investment are smart enough to know where that money will yield a good return.

Will a shiny new stadium with even more expensive luxury boxes and tickets really turn on the Tampa Bay business community?

Will threats to leave the bay area scare businesses into corporate sponsorships?

I really doubt it.

The Rays have yet to prove former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig wrong, when he said, “This is just not a major-league market.”

Until that happens, I suspect Tampa Bay Business will set in the cheap seats if they go at ll.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Baseball at the horse track

And you thought it was all about the baseball and the fans. Nope. It’s all about the cash.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

As expected things have quieted down a bit on the Rays exit from downtown St. Pete. While the activity in Tampa and Hillsborough County continues to move along, the pace seems to have slowed a bit as the baseball season gets under way.

Charlie Frago has an interesting article in the Tampa Bay Times, Could hunt for stadium lead Tampa Bay Rays to ... Oldsmar?

Oldsmar as the new home of the Rays?  120 acres of undeveloped land owned by Tampa Bay Downs lies just to the west of Race Track Road.

Probably a long shot, but Brian Auld's and Melanie Lenz's take was, "It definitely has the potential of funding from both counties." 

And you thought it was all about the baseball and the fans. Nope. It’s all about the cash.
All of that starts to make sense in light of the Hillsborough’s $40-million-dollar commitment to the Yankees for an update of their spring training facility.

Having funding available from both counties may sound intriguing, the Rays will probably rethink that once they consider all the strings that would be attached to a multicounty agreement to fund a new stadium.

Not sure where this site is located, head for the Oldsmar Flea Market and keep driving until you get to the race track. It’s back there somewhere.

All of this may sound a bit farfetched but stranger things have happened.

For now, Oldsmar Mayor Doug Bevis is having a good time.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Friday, April 22, 2016

Politics and Preservation

How much of this is preservation and how much is pure politics.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

Daniel Ruth has an insightful article in the Tampa Bay Times When preservationists become obstructionists regarding the plight of the Pheil Hotel and the Central National Bank building in downtown St. Petersburg.

Ruth takes the City's Preservation watchdog group St. Pete Preservation to task for their recent filing of a lawsuit to block the demolition of these two buildings to make way for continued redevelopment of downtown.

I previously posted in Bay Post Internet Old VS New: The Battle over the Pheil Hotel.

It seems this preservation effort is starting to spiral out of control. The properties are privately owned, have been vacant for decades and are an eye sore along with a liability to downtown St. Pete.

As Ruth points out in his latest article, "The mission of Belmont's (Peter Belmont, who is vice president of St. Pete Preservation) St. Petersburg Preservation to defend the city's history is laudable. And there is certainly more than enough legitimate at-risk properties to keep him busy. Go forth and preserve to your heart's content."

Therefore, I would raise a legitimate question. Preservation or politics?

I am sure there is some genuine concern for the gradual erosion of "old time" St. Pete and the never-ending replacement of familiar structures with high-rise condos and craft breweries, but staking your preservationist claim here seems counterproductive.

A much better approach than tying up the redevelopment project in an expensive and risky set of legal actions would be to try to negotiate some conditions and requirements into the redevelopment plan that would protect the spirit of what is being lost.

If the objective here is to try to force the City into the fray through the threat of extended legal actions and delays, I am not sure that is going to work. The Kriseman administration has very little play in this discussion and full plate of problems to boot.

St. Pete Preservation has done a lot of good work. It would be a shame to see their image tarnished by a failure of poor leadership, common sense and good judgment.

A good friend of mine once told me, "Be very careful when you decide to go to court because you never know what a judge or jury is going to do, and if you lose you usually end up paying the legal bills."

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Jeep night at the Winghouse in Pinellas Park

Bring your Jeep and come on over to the Winghouse on US 19 in Pinellas Park.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin 

 The folks at the Winghouse in Pinellas Park have started up a new event every Monday night is "Jeep Night."

The first one was Monday April 11, 2016, and it was a great start. There were between 30 and 40 jeeps of all ages.


Jeeps are among the most modified vehicles on the road, so there is always a lot to see at a Jeep event.

Jeeping is a family event and this weekend the largest Jeep rally in the Southeast is taking place in Orlando at the Daytona International Speedway Jeep - Beach. Last year, there were over 2000 jeeps at the event.

Come on out to the Pinellas Park Winghouse Monday. The beer is cold; the food is great, and the Jeeps are really neat. You don't need a Jeep to drop by but be careful you might just get hooked.

Looking for a new Jeep? Just Google Bay area Jeep dealers there is one near you.

 Looking for a used Jeep? They are hard to find this time of the year but send me an e-mail; I might sell you one of mine.

Want to see my photo gallery from Jeep Beach, the Orlando Jeep Rally? Click here Jeep Beach 2015.

Come on out Monday to the Pinellas Park Winghouse, just North of Park Blvd on US 19. Check out the Jeeps ask a few questions, and you might just come up with an exciting new hobby you can drive to work.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Friday Politics Baker passes on CD 13. Suprised?

Had Baker decided to run who ever the Democratic Primary winner is would have had a rocky road.

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin
  
Former St. Pet Mayor Rick Baker's decision to pass on the Congressional race for House District 13 did not come as a shock as much as it did a let down to the Republican establishment.

I am not sure why they wanted to throw a sacrificial lamb on the political alter in Pinellas County but then as we all know the Republican leadership over all has not been thing straight lately.

CD13 is almost a slam-dunk for the Democrats, but I do not think that is why Baker passed. I worked for him for eight years and he is not afraid of a fight even when the odds are stacked against him.
 
Had Baker decided to run who ever the Democratic Primary winner is would have had a rocky road.

Here is my take on the Baker/Congress issue from back in March. Friday Politics - Rick Baker a different take

Below are comments from some local media:


From the Tampa Bay Times Adam Smith: Rick Baker won't run for Congress in Pinellas County

I have had a couple of very informal conversations with the former mayor over the last few months, and it never seemed his heart was in the congressional race. When Baker is excited about something, you can feel the energy from a couple of feet away. I never really got that when the conversation turned to CD 13.

When Baker talks about "going back into public service," the old twinkle returns to his eye, and you can start to feel that energy.

I have also noted that Baker's consistent response has been I would like to go back into public service. Not politics – public service.

There are many places Baker could serve, and he will excel at whatever he takes on.

For now, Charlie Crist, whom I think will win the primary and the general election for CD 13 can breathe a sigh of relief.

As for Baker, look for him to go quiet until after the Presidential election. The outcome of the presidential race could have a big impact on Baker's next move.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

23 minutes on the 79

When you need to get there a PSTA bus is a good choice.

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

 Most of you who read my Blog regularly know I am not a particularly big fan of the PSTA and especially the PSTA Administration, so this Post may come as a bit of a surprise.

Last week, I needed to get to a U-Haul location on 66th Street to pick up a truck for a few days. I did not want to leave a car at the U-Haul store so I thought I would check PSTA Route 79 and see if it fit into my plans.

Sure enough, I could catch the 79 at 102nd Ave North and drop off at 40th Avenue North leaving just a short walk to my destination.

There was a small first mile issue the stop at 66th Street and 102nd is about a mile away from my home, but a 20-minute walk solved that problem.

The 79 was due to arrive at my stop at 4:58 and at 5:00, the bus pulled up.

There were about 20 people on the bus, including a man in a wheel chair.

We made several stops as we went south on 66th Street. At one stop, another gentleman in a wheel chair came on the bus using the automated ramp at the front door of the bus.

The driver helped the passenger into the second wheel chair spot, secured the chair, and we were back on our way. A few stops later, the first wheel chair passenger got off the bus with very friendly assistance from the driver.

The second wheel chair passenger exited the bus a couple of stops later assisted by the driver and his very friendly smile.

Several of the passengers seemed to know the driver well, and he was friendly, helpful and courteous.

Almost 23 minutes to the second, we were at 40th Avenue amazing given the traffic on 66th Street at 5:00PM.

As I exited the bus, "Thank you for riding" came as I stepped from the bus for my short walk to U-Haul.

Fare $2.25 a bargain to say the least.

The demographics of the passengers ranged from students to the elderly.

If you need to get somewhere in the County and you don't have a car or don't want to take your car check out PSTA at http://www.psta.net/index.php. There you will find all kinds of information and facts about PSTA that I will bet you do not know.

Try out the Transit Trip Planner and it will give you a route and schedule.

When you only look into the politics of public transportation, it is easy to forget that the PSTA serves a vital purpose in Pinellas County. Too many people it is more than a bus line it is a lifeline.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Funding St. Pete’s new pier

The Pier is Kriseman's problem and it needs to stay that way


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD

St. Pete City Council batted round how to pay for the Pier they thought they were getting in Thursday’s Council meeting.

If you have been following the blogs and local newspapers, you know by now what was proposed cannot be built from the amount of money in the budget.

It looks like the whole project is short $5 to $10 Million give or take a few bucks.

Kornell is totally against any more money, Gerdes and Kennedy want more info and the rest of City Council seems to be inclined to throw in the towel and give Mayor Kriseman the money.

City Council needs to give Kriseman all the money he needs to build the new Pier.
They need to make sure this whole mess stays Kriseman’s problem.

Over the public’s objection Kriseman and his team forced this design on the citizens of St. Pete, the total responsibility for Pier project is his and it needs to stay that way.

Republicans and Democrats on City Council need to make sure that the Mayor and his team stay in the responsibility seat.

Kriseman’s comment that we can “sharpen the budget pencil” is code for we are going to prune your pet projects so we can build a downtown playground.

It may be tough to stomach, but unless City council wants to pull the plug on the Pier the reality is they have to agree to make the money available. Otherwise Kriseman will hang the failure of the Pier around their necks.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff


Friday, April 8, 2016

Donald Trump and Duct Tape

If you are a Trump Supporter, you probably already know Trump signs can be hard to come by.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

In his self-funded political campaign, the Trump staff manages all resources very carefully. If you are a Trump supporter and want a yard sign, they are available call Mike LaRosa at 727-455-5638, but they are a bit hard to find.

You can see many more and print one for yourself by simply Goggling Trump Signs.

I have a Trump Make America Great sign in my front yard, and a number of people have stopped by to ask where they could get one.

All, of which brings me to a trip my wife, and I were making last weekend. As we were returning from south Florida on Fl State Road 70, we were passing through Arcadia. For those of you, who do not know Arcadia is a small central Florida town where the economy is still catching up from the recession.

The Trump campaign did probably not make it to Arcadia.

As we were driving through the western part of Arcadia my eye caught a 10 or 12-year-old pickup truck and on the tailgate in grey duct tape the single word "TRUMP." The house was a bit ramshackle and the yard unkempt, but the message was clear.

The guy who owns this pickup truck is ready for a change.

I don't know if Trump or his campaign knows how much they are resonating with this demographic, but clearly they are. As we drove on across the State, I started looking for Trump signs, and it was surprising how many I found.

Even with all of his money and resources, Trump is finding out just how powerful and formidable the politically connected rich can be; and the ends to which they will go to beat him.

Trump did not help himself much this week. He gave the opposition a lot to hit him with and everyone from Mexico to the GOP leadership is learning from Trump's methods and using the media to attack him.

It is working.

The real question is will the guy with old pickup truck, and the Duct Tape "TRUMP" sign go vote in the election? We will never know if Trump is denied the nomination.

My guess is if the GOP pulls the plug on Trump these voters will simply not vote, and one thing is for sure if they do, they will not vote Republican.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Pinellas County failing schools – what now?

The problem is well defined those responsible are well known. Will anyone be held accountable?


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

With the investigations, closing in on all sides, the Pinellas County School District is in a mad scramble to get programs into place that look as if they are addressing the problems of the district's failing schools.

Here are some recent articles from the Tampa Bay Times:

The real question here is will anyone ever be held accountable for what happened to the Pinellas County School system?

The answer is probably no!

None of this is an accident.

Elected Pinellas County School Board members defined in the Tampa Bay Times article's Failure Factories made conscious decisions that denied resources, opportunities and security to these predominantly black schools while making sure similar conditions did not exist elsewhere in the school system.

There is a term for that it is discrimination based on race, it is illegal, and it is a crime. I for one think those who perpetrated this crime on our community should be held accountable.

The agencies currently "investigating" this debacle have little or no prosecutorial power and so far no law enforcement agency or the State's Attorney General has indicated any interest in pursuing those who caused this situation to happen.

In general, the investigating agencies only authority is to deny funding, the very thing needed.

Attempts to create or reopen cases that might ultimately lead to holding the School Board and possibly individuals accountable will continue to be delayed and stonewalled. 

 The mad scramble by the District administration to raise teacher pay, hire a "turn around leader" and what will likely be a highly paid and relatively ineffective staff is an effort to put a warm blanket over the ugly fact that the people we elected to past and present school boards don't love, like and respect these kids as much as they do the rest of the kids in the school system.

Harsh? Damn right.

Oh, they will bawl and whine and bleat "No it is not true; we do love and care for them." Unfortunately, their votes tell a different story.

We can solve this problem at the ballot box by simply voting out every current member on School Board regardless of political affiliation and getting a new team that will actually do their job. That will take at least three election cycles and almost six years.

In the meantime, the District administration will plod along looking over its shoulder at a governing body that at best will provide resources grudgingly to start resolving the mess they created.

Maybe it is time for the Governor to step in, remove some or all the current School Board members, and hold a special election so Pinellas County can get a new start.

While we are at it, let's do whatever it takes to put term limits on school board members.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Sunday April 3, 2016 some thoughts

A lot happened this week. Car theft tragedy, St. Pete Pier, PSTA operators and CEO get a raise

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

Car Theft Tragedy
Three girls lost their lives when the stolen car they were driving plunged into a pond in St. Pete. The tragedy of their deaths over shadowed by the fact all were their mid-teens. Two had significant criminal records, and one was beginning a criminal career.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had some strong words about the girls and the youth diversion programs.

These events just point out that there continue to be serious problems in south St. Pete and the approaches taken so far are not having much success. I am not sure the diversion process applies here, but the problems are real.

To me, the bigger question was why were the two with long rap sheets still out on the street recruiting a new comrade?

The juvenile justice laws need a major rewrite, and when that is done diversion needs to be part of the statute. There also needs to be a tightening of the incarceration portion of the law that gets repeat juvenile offenders off the street and keeps them off the street.

The State legislature needs to step up to this problem and write some laws that will work.

The new St. Pete Pier
The St. Pete Pier seemed to be imploding this week as the design footprint shrunk considerably while the firm anointed by the Kriseman Administration to build St. Pete’s newest land mark tried to stay within budget.

Kriseman has his foot in a deep bucket since his administration sent Mike Connors out to derail the selection process and ignore the wishes of the public. Had Kriseman simply gone along with the public’s choice the problem of cost and budget, had there been one, would have been the “publics” and coming up with an extra $5 or $10 million to make it work would have been much easier. Plus, the Mayor could blame the public.

The way Kriseman has screwed this thing up it is now his Pier, his problem and under budget and on the cheap or over budget and kind of nice, the Pier will be forever hung around his neck.

Keep your eye on the Pier approach it will probably be a boondoggle also.

PSTA
As most know, I have not been a big fan of Brad Miller, PSTA CEO, since the whole Greenlight misuse of Federal funds issue. While I am still a bit skeptical about Mr. Miller's ability to play by the rules, I do have to give him a lot of credit for rolling up his sleeves and going to work to make PSTA a better and more effective transportation agency.

Miller and his team get kudos for managing the grid conversion in downtown St. Pete, developing express bus routes and working with UBER and Lyft to create last mile solutions.

Last week's announcement of a new 3-year agreement with Service Employees International union makes PSTA workers the highest transit operators in Central or South Florida. Check out Drew Wilson's Post in saintpetersblog: PSTA strikes pay-increase deal with transit union, toughens rules on missed work.

What makes this a really big deal is Miller, faced with a looming revenue problem, has apparently figured out a way to fit this agreement into already tight PSTA budget.

Last week, Miller received a nice raise from the PSTA Board in a 15-0 vote. I am not quite up to the 15-0 vote, but I have to admit I am coming around.

Thanks for all the hard work Brad.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook.
See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Friday, April 1, 2016

Trump supporters are watching the nominating process

Where things got interesting was in the question and answer session.

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin 


Periodically, I get an e-mail from the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee that lists upcoming Republican events and includes this disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: 
This notice is for informational purposes only, provided as a courtesy to our subscribers and our Republican candidates. This is not an endorsement by the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee. 

Listed this past week was an event for the Donald Trump Campaign:

Monday, March 28, 2016
Trump Celebration & Strategy Meeting 
7:30 - 9:00 P.M.
Quaker Steak & Lube
10400 49th Street, Pinellas Park 33762

I stopped by Quaker Steak and Lube to check it out there were about 25 to 30 people in attendance.

Since the Florida Primary is over and there is little to do at the presidential level for now, I was interested in the theme of the meeting.

Typical at the Trump events I have attended so far, there is no begging for money and no contributions accepted.

The purpose of the meeting was to give supporters and campaign workers an update on the overall Trump campaign and to plan some phone banking for upcoming primaries in other states.

Mike LaRosa, Pinellas County Trump for President Co-chairman led the meeting giving information about the current state of the campaign and an overview of the delegate situation.

Where things got interesting was in the question and answer session.
The people in attendance represented a reasonable cross-section of Trump supporters. I expected questions about the latest Trump media issues, Muslims, wives, etc. Instead, this group asked detailed questions about the upcoming primaries, the nominating process, delegate counts and the convention process.

I cannot remember being in a political rally/meeting where there was as much knowledge of and interest in the nominating process.

There was some genuine concern about what the Republican Party might do at the convention and notably there was no one at this meeting from the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee.

My take away is this group is fiercely loyal to their candidate Donald Trump, and they have become very engaged in the nominating process.

Some of those really "good Republicans" who hold their nose every time they mention Trump's name probably needed to set in on one of these meetings. These are the people who will vote, and they don't seem to be in much of a mood to be messed with.

These meetings will continue about every two weeks. You can contact Mike LaRosa at 727-455-5638 or visit the web site trumpforflorida.com for more information.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff