Allison RossEditor, Government and Politics
I’m privileged to lead a talented team of journalists in Tampa Bay and Tallahassee who spend their time helping readers understand the implications of government decisions and politics on the lives of Floridians. Before moving into editing, I was a reporter on this team. And before joining the Times in 2019, I worked in Louisville, Ky., where I covered education and was part of the investigative unit at the Courier Journal. I also spent time working on the east coast of Florida, at the Palm Beach Post and at Bankrate. Reach out to me sometime with thoughts and ideas. I’m happy to chat.
/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tbt/e710e616-6e95-44cb-9240-f77e9f8d1549.png "Allison Ross - Editor, Government and Politics")
![Heavy traffic is seen along the southbound lanes of I-275 on the Howard Frankland bridge Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Clearwater.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 562 316"/%3E "Heavy traffic is seen along the southbound lanes of I-275 on the Howard Frankland bridge Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Clearwater.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3VYPUKF3SRDLVP4SILFYQ7K5AE.JPG "Heavy traffic is seen along the southbound lanes of I-275 on the Howard Frankland bridge Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Clearwater.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/FWVSQLDMOZABFIKEW3RWCAHLDQ.jpg "Kindergarteners Marlaysia Sanders, left, Armani Samuel, center, and Alaeya Nelson enjoy their lunches at Sandy Lane Elementary School on Monday in Clearwater. The Pinellas County School District is among the area districts experiencing supply chain interruptions that have forced staff to alter school menus.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/EBON2RSHDRHTHL3ADNUIIKGVUY.jpeg "National and Florida groups are pushing officials to audit the 2020 election.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/EXR52TQFX5GGVFDABZU4RE32OE.jpg "File photo of Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/5QMK46O26JH3JKUBM65SL7ZEVM.jpg "Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., questions former special counsel Robert Mueller as he testifies to the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/R6TAGNGKRDCGCFUTQIUDSFL5PI.jpg "Police tape")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/WHFX5FWK5FAIRMS6WZX3HIJP6A.JPG "People wait in a line on Tuesday that wraps around the West Tampa Community Resource Center, which at the time was the only free public COVID-19 testing site in Hillsborough County. Two more sites will soon be opened.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/2SXSOELBAFFEHCJONROSFQBKSM.JPG "Hillsborough County Center, located at 601 E Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/664PCQM6ZRIJFGQWP75CENJZJA.jpg "Family nurse practitioner Elyse Roelans draws a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS Minute Clinic in Davie on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/KCY75RPZMBFKRGGEX2BPPINQ5Y.JPG "A machine sorts packages at the United States Postal Service's Ybor City Package Support Annex in Tampa, on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/VGPOVTNHYRFCLMJFMGWRZ2ZG3I.JPG "Dionne Christian, the Straz Center special assistant to the COO, on left, checks the Covid vaccination card of Bob Sheehan, 67, and his wife Kathy Sheehan, 66, from Carrollwood, at the Covid entry verification check point as the couple enters the David A. Straz Jr Center for the Performing Arts as the Broadway season reopens with Tootsie after a year of sitting out because of the pandemic on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 in Tampa. Tampa Bay companies are evaluating new vaccine rules placed on employers that will go into effect on Jan. 4.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/IWHTF3YWHRCY5ENHNDMP5DF55M.JPG "Ken Welch is seen during a watch party Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 in St. Petersburg. Welch was declared the projected winner for St. Petersburg mayor.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JPXAI5YOTZHJDMERNYUNRWJVJA.JPG "Shanoah Washington-Davis en una imagen mientras trabaja con estudiantes en Largo.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/UCVAUBSMFVF5TCI7BF2LBZDRTQ.JPG "Shanoah Washington-Davis, 28, works with her students Arya Morales, 2, top, Tyson McCray, 2, far left, and Axel Vines, 3, front, at Washington-Davis’ home Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Largo.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JKKSC5DLWNANBFVSX22RAINVBE.JPG "Mayor Rick Kriseman.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/UZYO7C75OFH3FK3I2Y6OA4ITDU.JPG "Andrew Ranger, 30, displays his bandage after getting a COVID-19 vaccine dose at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Thursday, June 24, 2021.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/S3WOCYKKUFESFJXSV2LF7ECHXA.JPG "Tampa General Hospital is pictured on Thursday, July 16, 2020.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/34ORBNXWMJGXFNYUU5IDG6AM7A.jpg "A car drives through a puddle on Buena Vista Dr N following Tropical Storm Elsa on Wednesday in Dunedin.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/6PINXBLLTVHKJLICVKNGML2T44.jpg "Nurse Esther Martineau, left, administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot to Nelsida Fuenmayor, of Tampa, on Tuesday at the federally-run Tampa Greyhound Track site. The site is giving its last shot on May 25.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/UTCSU5EXUZBM7CHSFTKWBZB4J4.jpg "Lauren Bergold, 36, of Tampa, chats with hazel + dot owner, Allison Bernardi, while shopping for her new baby. Bergold felt comfortable with shopping unmasked at Bernardi’s store where going unmasked recently became okay due to the CDC guidelines changing for fully vaccinated people. A sign on the store’s door asks that unvaccinated people please wear a mask. “I wanted to give it a try here,” said Bergold about going maskless at Hazel + Dot, adding that going without a mask still feels “Vulnerable, a little uncomfortable.” Friday, May 14, 2021 in Tampa.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/RHEWRVPSLVCQLJGUNJ2FPQDQL4.JPG "The entrance to the one of the vaccine rooms at a Pinellas County health department site in April. The department has begun scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations for kids as young as 12.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/OISBQZW6N5EGPNMHXH7OMAG3DA.jpg "Groups of younger people make their way through the parking lot and to the entrance at the FEMA-run vaccination site located at the Tampa Greyhound Track, on the first day the eligibility age dropped to 18 and up, Monday, April 5, 2021 in Tampa.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/H7O2KVRDSBER5OL2HAGKUIR52Q.jpg "Governor Ron Desantis speaks in St. Petersburg, Monday, May 3, 2021 in St. Petersburg.")
