Florida Delegates Talk Issues, Obama at DNC

Local delegates Alison Bereke Marano and Shannon Love said the Republican Party is doing a great service to Obama campaign by being ignorant.

Florida delegates attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., talked politics with South Carolina Patch Political Editor Shawn Drury on Monday. Last week, Ann Romney and Condoleezza Rice made an appeal to women voters during last week's Republican National Convention in Tampa. Alison Bereke Morano and Shannon Love talked about what President Barack Obama needs to do to reach out to women voters and to win their votes. "The Republicans are doing a great service by being so ignorant," Morano said. "And by showing their disregard for women and what they think we are actually about." Morano is the vice-chair of the Florida Democratic Party and lives in Pasco County. Love said that she didn't feel the gap in female voters …

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RNC Bus Snags: Florida GOP Hires Own Transportation

Fed up with problems from RNC-provided buses, the Republican Party of Florida hired a charter bus company to transport its delegates.

The Republican Party of Florida is hoping delegates will have a smoother ride for the rest of the convention, now that the organization has chartered a bus company to provide transportation. On Tuesday, delegates were late to the opening day of the Republican National Convention because RNC-contracted buses were not sent to pick them up. Then the delegates were stuck on buses for hours Tuesday after the convention ended for the evening. "It was an absolute mess up," said Florida delegate Pat Fahey of Daytona Beach. Fahey did not arrive back to Palm Harbor's Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club until after 3 a.m. Wednesday. "Nobody knew where the buses were located when we came out of the convention. Everybody was sending us to a different place. …

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Florida Delegates Face More Bus Problems

They’ll have to make a 15-minute hike to the convention tomorrow.

First they were left without transportation from Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort to the Republican National Convention in downtown Tampa. Then they were stuck on a bus for hours following the convention Tuesday night – not making it back to the resort until after 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to TBO. Now, Florida’s Republican delegation is facing a 15-minute hike from the security perimeter to the convention as officials try to straighten out the transportation problems facing the state’s top GOPers. "The (Republican National Committee) needs to fix this bus problem … We need to take care of our delegates," TBO quoted Adam Putnam, Florida’s agriculture commissioner as saying. “It was a complete breakdown.” According to TBO, the Republican …

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What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Did RNC Forget Buses to Pick Up Florida Delegates?

Delegates were ready to go today at Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort, but the buses didn’t arrive to take them into Tampa.

Florida’s Republicans are already in trouble with their party for holding the primary earlier than desired. They paid the price in the number of delegates allowed at this year's Republican National Convention. They may have also helped add fuel to a fire to enhance the penalties for states that host early primaries. Now it looks like might be paying more. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the buses meant to pick up the Florida delegation at Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort today at noon never arrived to bring them into downtown. “The RNC forgot to send them,” the Times story said. "Well, that sucks," the Times reported Hillsborough County GOP chair Art Wood as saying. "I guess it won't be the first glitch." Do you agree with Wood? Was it a …

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The Best RNC Headlines From Around the Web

We've compiled some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting Republican National Convention stories from Patch and other local and national media.

Are you a political junkie? Can't get enough of all the headlines about the Republican National Convention? Patch is bringing you hyperlocal coverage of the RNC, from the floor at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and from local angles in 23 different Patch towns across the region. We're also pulling some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting RNC stories from around the web and compiling the links here for your convenience. Below is just a sampling that we'll continue to update, and if you find an RNC-related link that's interesting, feel free to post it in the comments section at the bottom. Patch Other Local Media National Media

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Tropical Storm Warnings Remain Despite Isaac’s Western Shift

The storm’s size makes it a continued concern for the Tampa Bay area, forecasters say.

The latest projections call for Tropical Storm Isaac to move even further to the west of the Tampa Bay area, but forecasters at the National Weather Service are saying it’s still too early for the region to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s a pretty big storm,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Ernie Jillson. “Tropical storm force winds are extending 180 miles to the northeast of the center.” With this in mind, Jillson said tropical storm warnings remain in effect for the entire Bay area, including Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Pinellas counties. A warning means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 36 hours. Isaac was 80 miles southeast of Key West when the National Hurricane Center released its …

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