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Steve Contorno - Former Times Reporter
Steve Contorno

Former Times Reporter

  1. DeSantis criticizes traditional media. Fox News doesn’t count. (From 2021)
    March 6• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as seen on the FOX News program of Sean Hannity during a GOP town hall on Cuba broadcast live from Versailles Restaurant on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
  2. TyRon Lewis’ killing reverberates in St. Pete mayor’s race, 25 years later
    Oct. 21, 2021• Elections
    Fighting broke out between police and local residents after the 1996 death of TyRon Lewis.
  3. Trump won Florida, but online and at your door, his supporters are trying to force an audit
    Oct. 15, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    National and Florida groups are pushing officials to audit the 2020 election.
  5. Trump to headline Tampa fundraiser for House Republicans
    Sept. 29, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on Sept. 25 in Perry, Georgia.
  6. Nikki Fried helped elect Republicans leading Florida’s vaccine fight
    Sept. 24, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried speaks during a meeting addressing the importance of the state applying for available federal food assistance for children, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, at the St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church in Dania Beach.
  7. Everyone is talking about DeSantis — except in St. Pete’s mayor race
    Sept. 23, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Former Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch (left), Gov. Ron DeSantis (middle) and City Councilmember Robert Blackmon
  8. Newsom used DeSantis to win California recall. Does it mean anything in Florida?
    Sept. 18, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Governor Gavin Newsom speaks ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally against the California gubernatorial recall election Sept. 8, 2021, in San Leandro, CA..
  9. Death of Hillsborough GOP member from COVID-19 causes financial problems for party
    Sept. 16, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Only Gregg Prentice knew how to operate software that tracked donations to the Hillsborough County GOP and supplied data for the organization’s monthly finance reports, the party told regulators.
  10. Trump endorses Anna Paulina Luna in GOP primary for Pinellas House seat
    Sept. 14, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Anna Paulina Luna at a campaign stop at the Tampa Convention Center on Oct. 11, 2020.
  11. How Robert Blackmon can win the St. Petersburg mayor’s race
    Sept. 14, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    St. Petersburg Mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon waves to potential voters in their vehicles along with his supporters on 4th Street and 22nd Ave S, on primary election day Aug. 24 in St. Petersburg.
  12. How Ken Welch can win the St. Petersburg mayor’s race
    Sept. 14, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    St. Petersburg Mayoral candidate Ken Welch talks with the media after voting along with his family at Lake Vista Recreation Center, 1401 62nd Ave S, during the St Petersburg primary election day on Aug. 24 in St. Petersburg.
  13. DeSantis delights record crowd at Pasco GOP dinner with Biden barbs
    Sept. 11, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives opening remarks before Vice President Mike Pence gives a campaign speech during the "Keep America Great" rally at the Venetian Event Center at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Tampa on Jan. 16, 2020.
  14. Nikki Fried files financial disclosures two months after deadline
    Aug. 31, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
  15. Doctor advising DeSantis promoted ivermectin to treat COVID-19 despite FDA warnings
    Aug. 28, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Dr. Mark McDonald, a California psychiatrist, speaks on a panel of medical professionals summoned by Gov. Ron DeSantis on July 26, 2021.
  16. Struggling Hillsborough GOP turns to Marjorie Taylor Greene
    Aug. 27, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
  17. Democrats challenging DeSantis in 2022 criticize his pandemic policies. What would they do?
    Aug. 19, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist
  18. How Florida lawmakers reacted to Taliban takeover in Afghanistan
    Aug. 16, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.
  19. Inside Fox News, DeSantis is ‘the future of the party.’ And he’s taking advantage.
    Aug. 13, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Ron DeSantis signed a controversial elections law Thursday in West Palm Beach, but only Fox News was allowed to show it.
  20. Crist to DeSantis: Require Florida state employees to get vaccinated
    Aug. 3, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Palm Beach County firefighter Nelson Ramirez administers a Covid-19 vaccination to a female outside the Palm Beach County Public Health Department in Lantana, FL, July 28, 2021. The vaccinations were being organized by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County.
  21. Would Trump leave Florida to make DeSantis his running mate? He might have to.
    July 28, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump walks with Governor Ron DeSantis after arriving on Air Force One at PBIA on Nov. 26, 2019.
  22. DeSantis defends state response to Red Tide in Tampa Bay amid calls to declare emergency
    July 21, 2021• Environment
    Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, backed by wildlife experts, marine business owners and politicians, talks about the state’s overall effort to combat the recent Red Tide outbreak plaguing Tampa Bay waters, during a press conference held at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. At this moment, the DeSantis was pushing back on a question from a reporter who said the St. Petersburg Mayor, Rick Kriseman accused the governor of politicizing Red Tide. In rebuttal, DeSantis said it was Kriseman who introduced politics into the Red Tide discussions.
  23. Florida Republicans investigated chairman for harassment; accusation was unsubstantiated
    July 20, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Joe Gruters proposes a reciprocity agreement with other states that would grant in-state university tuition to students with grandparents who reside there, during debate on March 23, 2020.
  24. Investigation into Rick Scott ends with regulators deadlocked on campaign violations
    July 16, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    U.S, Sen. Rick Scott speaks during the Road to Majority convention at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee on Friday, June 18, 2021.