Ten Tiger Bay Clubs from around Florida have joined together this election season to present a series of virtual forums on the presidential race and proposed state constitutional amendments.
The last forum in this special series will be Thursday, November 12 at noon with a panel discussion looking back on the general election, including the Presidential race, state and local races, as well as what Florida voters decide on the amendments.
Confirmed panelists are Susan MacManus, voting expert and USF distinguished professor emerita; Marc Caputo, Florida-based reporter for Politico covering the presidential race; veteran Democratic operative Steve Schale; and Republican pollster Ryan Tyson.
The Central Florida, First Coast, Flagler, Gold Coast, Manatee, St. Johns, South County (Venice), Suncoast, Tampa and Volusia County Tiger Bay Clubs presented the forums free of charge as a public service and are shown live at noon on tigerbayclub.com, Facebook (
facebook.com/tigerbaytampa
) and the Tampa Bay Arts and Education Network Spectrum channel 636 & Frontier channel 34.
“These forums are a direct consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has forced so many in-person gatherings to the virtual world,” said Tampa Tiger Bay Club Yvonne Fry. “The statewide forums are a logical extension of the virtual forums our club has been presenting for several months. You could say this is an unintended benefit of our new normal.”
The first Tiger Bay Club in Florida was founded in Miami in 1964 by politically minded people led by Stephen Ross, a local political consultant. More Tiger Bay Clubs have since been formed throughout the state. All are non-partisan organizations that operate independently. The clubs do not endorse candidates or take sides in political campaigns.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, monthly meetings were held as paid luncheons to hear from political speakers. The meetings are known for the tough questions asked by the knowledgeable and politically engaged members and often attract media coverage.
Only members of the participating statewide clubs may ask questions, which they can submit in advance by emailing them to executivedirector@tigerbayclub.com or during the meeting on Facebook. To become a member, go to https://www.tigerbayclub.com/join-tbc/