Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiApril 12, 2017

A Wednesday afternoon meeting of the Jacksonville City Council was intended to facilitate deeper inquiry into Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s ambitious pension reform package. However, the big news was the downward impact of adjustments to payroll growth projections and COLA calculations after Monday’s meeting of the Police and Fire Pension Fund. “We still save a lot. […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 11, 2017

An important milestone for proposed pension reforms by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was given the green light by the state of Florida this week. State retirement system actuarial experts signed off on the reform package, saying that the financials are clear and consistent with law, for all three plans: General Employees, Corrections, and Police and Fire […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 10, 2017

Prologue: A Monday meeting of the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund centered around the ultimate actuarial impact of Lenny Curry‘s pension reform package, with presented actuarial analysis from the board proving to be more pessimistic than that of the city about rates of tax revenue growth, payroll growth, and amortization schedule. Ultimately, not much of that mattered […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 10, 2017

Thursday saw FloridaPolitics.com offer up three stories on discussions of Jacksonville’s pension reform pitch to the Jacksonville City Council. If you are looking to read reportage of Mayor Lenny Curry‘s remarks, long-form presentation of Curry’s chief lieutenants, reaction of the Jacksonville City Council, use the helpful hypertext links below. However, if you’re looking to read analysis of […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 7, 2017

As Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry prepares to sell his package of pension-reform bills to the City Council, his political committee has been busy fundraising in case it is needed to help close the deal. March saw Curry’s “Build Something That Lasts” raise $68,000, a figure spurred by $25,000 donations from Shad Khan and Florida Blue. Curry’s committee spent $29,729 […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 7, 2017

In an unsurprising move, the influential Jacksonville Civic Council gave its seal of approval to Mayor Lenny Curry‘s pension reform package on Friday. The Jacksonville City Council spent much of Thursday in a workshop, where they had the bills explained to them. The bills — fourteen in all — would implement collective bargaining agreements, establish defined […]

Phil AmmannApril 7, 2017

You may notice a running theme with this issue of Bold: much of it deals with crossroads situations (to borrow a phrase from 90s rappers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony). Will the city dredge JAXPORT? Or will years of deliberation and consternation lead — as they so often do — to nothing? Will Corrine Brown beat the rap […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 7, 2017

Thursday evening saw cable news broadcasts offering Strange New Respect for President Donald Trump after the bombing of a Syrian military base. The bombing, a response to the Syrian regime’s alleged use this week of Sarin gas in its ongoing civil war, was framed as a humanitarian measure by President Trump. “Assad choked out the lives […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

Mayor Lenny Curry offered his presentation of pension legislation on Thursday afternoon, leaving it to the Jacksonville City Council to hash out. They were helped along by CFO Mike Weinstein and Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, who helped to explain the pension situation to the legislators. The short version: if pension reform passes, the city could see big […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

After weeks of speculation as to hard costs and real benefits of the Lenny Curry approach to Jacksonville’s pension reform, the first-term Republican Mayor talked it out with the Jacksonville City Council Wednesday afternoon. The Curry administration feels the fierce urgency of now. With pension costs, already $290M in the current fiscal year, slated to be […]

Tag: Lenny Curry

‘Slight adjustments’ drive City Council pushback to Jax pension reform projections

Florida Division of Retirement gives green light to Lenny Curry pension reform

Jax PFPF questions payroll growth assumptions in city pension plan

Critics ‘chirp’, while Lenny Curry surges to the end zone

Lenny Curry political committee hauls in $68K in March; Shad Khan among donors

Jacksonville Civic Council urges passage of Lenny Curry pension plan

Jacksonville Bold for 4.7.17 — See you at the crossroads

Jacksonville progressives plan Friday protest of Syrian military action

Lenny Curry’s team sells big pension savings to Jacksonville City Council

Lenny Curry frames pension-reform push as ‘new beginning for Jacksonville’