Hillsborough School Board District 2: The Choice Between Proven Dedication and Outside Ambition

Is a seat on our local school board up for grabs by the highest out-of-county bidder? For months, the District 2 race was a focused contest between candidates with deep, functional ties to our classroom, including professionals like veteran educator Chris Taylor, who has spent years in the trenches of our district. Chris understands student achievement because he has managed it from the front lines, and his commitment is rooted in the actual lives of the students he has taught and the teachers he has led. His vision is focused on stability, inclusivity, and the professional integrity our schools need to thrive.

In sharp contrast, the late entry of attorney Brittany Lyssy introduces a jarring shift toward outside influence and corporate-backed interests. While Chris Taylor’s support is local and organic, an analysis of Lyssy’s campaign finance reports reveals that nearly 45% of her total donations—excluding personal loans—flow from outside Hillsborough County. Backed by Tallahassee-based PACs and out-of-county law firms, her candidacy suggests an agenda more beholden to a state-level political machine than to our community. Hillsborough deserves a board member whose only “client” is the child in the classroom, not a strategist using our schools as a policy laboratory.

Read more

The Tale of Two Doctors

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

In a political era where labels are often used as shields, few examples are as stark as the “Dr.” honorific Donna Cameron-Cepeda wears to project authority over Hillsborough County’s $12 billion budget. While she cites her background as a financial analyst for a global corporation, her actual policy record reveals a troubling pattern of “pulling up the ladder” behind her. Having once relied on the very social safety nets and affordable housing she now votes to dismantle, her leadership has become a case study in the disconnect between personal history and public consequence.

The upcoming election presents a rare, high-contrast choice as Dr. Neil Manimala, a board-certified physician, enters the race with a platform centered on “healing” the damage done by recent regressive shifts. While Cameron-Cepeda’s tenure has been defined by culture-war distractions and the defunding of vital community nonprofits, Manimala represents a return to verified, professional competence. With even members of her own party filing to challenge her, the message is clear: Hillsborough is ready for a leader who values evidence over ideology and people over performance.

To understand the full scope of this “Doctor vs. Doctor” showdown and why this race has become a focal point for the future of our county, read the full analysis.

Read more

The Ideological Tourist: Why Josie Tomkow is the Wrong Prescription for Tampa

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

Josie Tomkow is a career politician currently engaged in an audacious act of “ideological tourism.” Having spent years in rural Polk County, she is now attempting to transplant her record of institutionalized cruelty into the heart of South Tampa and Downtown. As the Chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, she hasn’t just been a witness to the state’s “campaign of terror” against marginalized communities—she has been its gatekeeper. From overseeing draconian abortion bans to weaponizing healthcare against the LGBTQ+ community, Tomkow has treated the law as a tool for “othering” rather than a safeguard for the public.

For a district that serves as the engine of Florida’s medical and research sector, Tomkow’s record is a fundamental mismatch. While Tampa’s doctors and researchers rely on scientific consensus, Tomkow has been the primary legislative enabler for a reckless anti-science agenda that threatens our schools and retirees. She is a “carpetbagger” who views our community as a political fallback, yet she brings with her a “patrimonial” system that prioritizes extremist loyalty over the actual health of our citizens. It is time to tell this opportunist that Tampa’s values—and our healthcare—are not for sale.

Read more

The Constitutional Squatter: Is Jay Collins Even Eligible to Lead?

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

For months, we’ve watched Tallahassee treat Senate District 14 like a “GOP Arrivals Lounge”—a place where political tourists drop a carpetbag just long enough to get their voter registration stamped.

Our latest investigation into Jay Collins pulls back the curtain on a system where residency is a shell game and public service is a family business.

Read more

Steel-Toed Integrity

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

When something breaks in the real world, you don’t call a politician to give a speech; you call someone with a toolbox to fix it. That is the leadership Brian Nathan offers Senate District 14. A Navy veteran and IBEW electrician who chose Tampa as his home during the Great Recession, Brian brings a craftsman’s perspective to a political system that is deeply broken.

Read about Brian’s vision for “steel-toed integrity”—a philosophy born on the job site that prioritizes practical solutions for working families over political theater. He is running to fight for affordable housing, good-paying local jobs, and quality education.

Read more

The Rubber Stamp Comes to South Tampa

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

Florida Senate District 14 is facing a choice between a local voice and a corporate transfer. Josie Tomkow, a term-limited rancher from Polk County, is attempting to buy a Senate seat in South Tampa with $3 million in special interest cash. This essay examines her record of voting against our interests—on insurance, abortion, and education—and why we need a representative who actually lives here, like Brian Nathan.

Read more

From Suppression to Sellout: The Laurel Lee Playbook

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

A recent critique of Laurel Lee’s time as Florida Secretary of State shows her history of voter suppression, but her actions in Congress are an even bigger betrayal. She has voted against jobs and insulin price caps, and taken large corporate donations while her district faces high housing costs. Lee has shown she works for special interests, not FL-15 families.

Read more

This Is What You Bought With Your Vote

Millions of Americans voted for Donald Trump in 2024, believing he would deliver for farmers, the working class, retirees, and the forgotten small towns. But as his administration’s policies take shape, those same groups are paying the price. Hospitals are closing across rural America. Farmers are watching debts rise as export markets disappear. Working-class families face climbing health costs. Retirees are seeing threats to the Social Security and Medicare benefits they worked their lives to earn.

This essay traces the immediate fallout of those choices, showing how the policies now harming these voters were exactly what Trump promised to do. It’s not betrayal. It’s follow-through. The question is whether Americans are ready to face the consequences of what their ballots actually bought.

Read more

James Stockdale: Resilience, Reality, and the Courage to Endure

This entry is in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This past Saturday, June 21, I attended a live performance of Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam. The theme of the show was how perception shapes our choices. It offered seven short insights, each compelling in its own way. But for me, the most powerful came right at the beginning. Vedantam opened with the story of Admiral James Stockdale. Most people remember him as Ross Perot’s running mate in 1992. In the vice-presidential debate, he opened awkwardly with, “Who am I? Why am I here?” That moment became a punchline, though I’m sure he was being his naturally insightful self. What didn’t make the headlines was the life he had already lived. That life included years of study, intense personal discipline, and an unmatched example of inner strength.

Read more

Mourn The Time But Stand With Resolve

To foster hope, we must remember the countless individuals working tirelessly for justice, unity, and compassion. These voices may seem drowned out by anger and division, but they are there—teaching our children better ways, forging connections across divides, and laying the groundwork for the future we long for. Change starts small, often unnoticed, but it accumulates and eventually becomes unstoppable.

Read more