Matt Florell’s main business is leasing and managing hosted phone systems from centers in Tampa and Virginia. Two years ago he started getting interested in local government because of his interest — and anger — with red light cameras — a hot topic in St. Pete. The more involved he got, the more he realized that much of the electorate was not engaged in local politics. So he thought he would begin polling, because it wouldn’t cost much and he had the means to do so. The rest is history. Though critics like to question the robo-call system that he employs, his polls proved to be extremely accurate in both the 2012 Pinellas County elections and this year’s St. Pete primary.
This article appears in Sep 19-25, 2013.
