About State of Sunshine
The State of Sunshine started in June 2006 as a place in the blogosphere dedicated to politics in Florida, among other things. It focuses on state-level politics, and political happenings in the Tampa Bay area. Occasionally, it may delve into national-level politics — although there are a plethora of blogs that discuss national issues.
The approach is “center-right” — which is to say that those who post here are Republican, but not so hardcore that they can’t see good in other parties or bad ideas from the GOP.
Jim Johnson, Publisher
Jim Johnson, the editor and publisher of The State of Sunshine, has more than a decade of political experience, starting as Student Body President at the University of South Florida. He has worked for five members of the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 through 2004, and managed several campaigns through 2006. in 2002, he ran unsuccessfuly for State Representative in Tampa.
After leaving the legislature, Jim worked for a software development company in Tampa. Currently, he works as Director of Public Strategies for Affari Edge, a full-service advertising agency, where he handles public relations strategies for clients across the country.
Darren Shields, Contributor
Darren Shields has been involved in politics for over fifteen years. During his college days, he served as chairman of the University of Florida’s chapter of College Republicans. He then went on to hold the chairmanship of College Republicans for the entire state of Florida. At that time he was involved in several political projects and ran a couple of campaigns.
Leaving politics to focus on his studies, he transferred to the University of West Florida and earned a degree in Computer Science. Since that time he has held a number of jobs in information technology and now lives in Tampa where he owns Workflow Mobility, Inc., a technology consulting firm. Politics never being far from his mind, he continues to be involved in local campaigns.
Bruce Cotton, Contributor
Bruce Cotton is a native Floridian who has Political Science and Public Administration degrees from the .
After graduation from UCF Bruce spent 10 years working as a Legislative Assistant for 3 House members (Evelyn Lynn, Ormond Beach; Margo Fischer, St. Pete and Leslie Waters, Seminole) has worked numerous campaigns as well as campaign manger for Rep. Lynn in 1996.
Bruce ran unsuccessfully for the Florida House in 2006 (hey, gotta put that experience to use somehow) and is considering a run in 2008 Bruce currently is the Job Placement Specialist for the Baccalaureate Programs at St. Petersburg College, and lives in Largo with his wife and son.
The State of Sunshine will not be a place for gossip or insider notes; rather, it will be a commentary on the current happenings in Tampa Bay, Tallahassee, and the rest of the Sunshine State. Feel free to suggest a topic or request more information about something you read here.
Thank you for stopping by, we hope you check back frequently.
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