Florida political journalist to share his insights on legislative session

March 14, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of Florida’s leading political journalists will be offering an in-depth look at what’s happening in Florida’s capital at 6 p.m. March 20 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service. The event and parking are free.

Steve Bousquet, who covers the governor and state Legislature for the Tampa Bay Times, will share his insights during an exclusive session examining what happened during this legislative session.

Bousquet will be fresh off a session that determined the particulars of Florida’s $70 billion budget. Among the issues that legislators faced this year were determining funding for public education, deciding whether to take $300 million from universities’ reserves and whether to make Florida Polytechnic the state’s 12th university.

Bousquet brings a deep knowledge of Florida, from the Keys to the Panhandle, in a 20-year career. Bosquet joined the Times in 2001 after 17 years at The Miami Herald, where he held a variety of positions including Tallahassee bureau chief. Previously, he was a reporter at TV stations in Miami and Providence, R.I.

Bousquet has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in history from Florida State University. He was a contributor to two editions of The Almanac of Florida Politics and to The Miami Herald Report: Democracy Held Hostage, an account of the 2000 presidential recount in Florida.