Lisa Montelione’s second term as the District 7 Tampa City Council member has just begun, but murmurs have arisen about a possible bid to take on Dist. 63 Rep. Shawn Harrison (R-New Tampa, see story on page 4) for his seat in the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee in the 2016 election. Rep. Harrison also served two terms on the Tampa City Council representing New Tampa, before taking a run at what is now the Dist. 63 seat in 2010. He was followed by fellow New Tampa resident Joseph Caetano in 2007, who lost to Montelione in 2011.Continue reading
Rep. Shawn Harrison Recaps The Legislative Special Session

By Rep. Shawn Harrison
In the 2015 Florida Legislative Special Session, the State House and Senate came together to pass a $79-billion budget that includes $400 million in tax cuts, returning money to the pockets of hard-working Floridians, and of special note, extending the normal, three-day “Back to School” sales tax holiday to 10 days. The 2015-16 budget allocates a record-breaking $19.7-billion in funding to Florida’s public schools, approximately $7,097 per student. It was my pleasure to serve on the House K-12 committee, looking out for our New Tampa public school students. Continue reading
Rep. Harrison Returns To Tally Following Mediocre Midterm Election Turnout
It’s been nearly a month since the 2014 Midterm General Election and the completed, “official” results are in. While our state’s governor keeps his seat and medical marijuana likely will appear again on a future ballot, a New Tampa resident who used to represent our area in the Florida House of Representatives has unseated the incumbent (and fellow New Tampa resident), who defeated him for the same seat in 2012.Continue reading
Republican Primary Opponents Harrison & Wedding Already Campaigning For Dist. 63

By Matt Wiley
Longtime New Tampa resident Shawn Harrison wants his seat back in Tallahassee and already has begun campaigning to once again become the State Representative for District 63, which includes the New Tampa area that has been represented by incumbent Dist. 63 Rep. Mark Danish (D-New Tampa) since November 2012.Continue reading