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Kirby Wilson - Senior Politics Reporter
Kirby Wilson

Senior Politics Reporter

Since I joined the Times in September 2017, I’ve spent much of my time covering the people who lead Florida and what attracts voters to them. That includes a two-year stint covering state government from our Capitol bureau in Tallahassee. With my work, I hope to contribute to a more informed and curious community. I’m a native of Pinellas County who attended Duke University, where I majored in English. When I’m not in the office, I like to travel, sing show tunes and play chess. Email me tips and baseball trivia. If you’re nice, I might send back pictures of my cat.

  1. Top Florida House Democrat says she’s running for state Senate
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, announced she is running for state Senate.
  2. Does Ron DeSantis support Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not responded to questions from the Tampa Bay Times about his thoughts on the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
  3. Tampa Bay Times debuts Florida in Focus, a newsletter for statewide readers
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Every Wednesday, our free Florida in Focus newsletter delivers top news from across the state to your inbox.
  5. Why Rick Scott is a key player in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., talks with reporters as he leaves a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans for discussions on advancing President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, at the Capitol in Washington on June 4.
  6. Florida Republicans are selling ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ T-shirts
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
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  7. Who’s running for Florida governor in 2026? We check in on the race.
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida first lady Casey DeSantis speaks while Gov. Ron DeSantis listens during a news conference May 20 in Tampa. Candidates are starting to line up to replace the term-limited governor.
  8. How Florida reacted to Trump’s announcement of the US bombing Iran
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens.
  9. How Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will affect Florida
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump stands before addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on March 4. Trump is trying to get federal lawmakers to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill, his signature tax and spending bill.
  10. How Anna Paulina Luna is more conservative than her Pinellas district
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., represents a district that includes most of Pinellas County, which has had a history of electing moderate Republicans and Democrats.
  11. ‘Legal morphine’ will stay on Florida shelves as lawmakers fail to act
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    7-hydroxymitragynine products pictured on the shelves at a local smoke shop on Thursday, April 17, 2025 in Tampa. These and other 7-hydroxymitragynine products are widely available around Tampa Bay. The chemistry of the compound is particularly worrying to researchers, who say 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is chemically similar to a pure opioid.
  12. DeSantis on Republican sales tax cut: ‘Dead on arrival’
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to veto an idea to cut the sales tax.
  13. Pam Bondi claim that Trump administration saved ‘119 million lives’ goes viral
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Attorney General Pam Bondi operates a tablet press machine as it manufactures simulated fentanyl pills at a Drug Enforcement Administration research laboratory on Tuesday in Northern Virginia.
  14. DeSantis’ Hope Florida saga, explained
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Ron DeSantis, speaks at a campaign event at The Grass Wagon on Jan. 13, 2024, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
  15. In DeSantis feud with Republicans over Hope Florida, there’s more to the story
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Gov. Ron DeSantis, center right, is applauded by, from left, House Speaker pro tempore Rep. Wyman Duggan, House Speaker Rep. Daniel Perez, and Senate President Ben Albritton, as he gives his State of the State address to a joint session on the opening day of the 2025 legislative session on March 4 at the state Capitol in Tallahassee.
  16. ‘Sabotage’: DeSantis team blasts texts across state criticizing Republicans
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with reporters after delivering his State of the State address during the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol on March 4 in Tallahassee.
  17. Tampa Bay anti-Trump protesters keep showing up. Here’s why
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Michelle Radicioni, 58, from Clearwater, clutches her fists as she chants while dressed like a handmaid from 'The Handmaid's Tale' novel and television series as she and fellow anti-Trump protesters chant and wave signs on the streets surrounding Williams Park on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in St. Petersburg. “I don’t want us to go back. It’s our bodies, our choice,” Radicioni said. “I see this coming,” she said, referring to her 'Handmaid's Tale' attire.
  18. ‘Legal morphine’ is for sale in Florida. Will officials act?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    7-hydroxymitragynine products are pictured on the shelves at a local smoke shop on Thursday in Tampa. These and other 7-hydroxymitragynine products are widely available around Tampa Bay. The chemistry of the compound is particularly worrying to researchers, who say 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is chemically similar to a pure opioid.
  19. Are the Florida special election results good news for Democrats?
    • Elections
    Democratic nominee Josh Weil speaks during a campaign stop at the Silver Springs Shores Community Center on March 26 in Ocala. Weil lost Tuesday to Republican Randy Fine for the Florida Congressional District 6 seat.
  20. Tampa Bay was set for millions in storm repairs. Then Congress voted.
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    The view looking south down Dr. Martin Luther King Street at 26th Avenue S showing the flooding from Lake Lake Maggiore (on right) after Hurricane Milton on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in St. Petersburg.
  21. Trump says he wants a third term. What do Florida Republicans think?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    U.S. President Donald Trump displays an executive order he signed announcing tariffs on auto imports in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 26.
  22. Marco Rubio’s role in the Trump administration, explained
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump, right, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 24.
  23. DeSantis pitches Ladapo to lead the CDC. Could it happen?
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joeseph Ladapo looks on following a roundtable discussion at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.
  24. How the Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE cuts are hitting Tampa Bay
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters near a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, March 11, in Washington.