A.G. Gancarski, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

Jacksonville’s opioid crisis, as is the case around the country, is taking lives and resources from the budget all at once. Is a turning point imminent? Months back, Councilman Bill Gulliford began sounding the alarm about the increased casualty rate and the increased burden on emergency services from the crisis. Multiple meetings followed, then a bill […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

Jacksonville City Council President-Designate Anna Brosche announced new committee assignments starting in July, when she takes over. [2017-2018 Council Committee Assignments Letter ] Some interesting takeaways abound. One of which: veteran Republican Bill Gulliford is not on any standing committees, with Brosche apparently calling a bluff Gulliford made in the pledge process when he vowed not to serve […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

In May 2016, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Councilman Garrett Dennis came together to announce a drowning prevention initiative. Swim lessons for children in poorer areas of town were paid for by private grants, and at the time it was one of those stories that some observers didn’t even think was worthy of coverage. Over a year […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

A little over two weeks ago, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and a number of City Council members called a presser to announce a stopgap resolution of a problem months in the making: insufficient funding for summer camps. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission, which greenlighted the process, was trying to privilege quality over quantity. Yet, as camp […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

As part of our continuing coverage of the budget process in Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s office, we were on hand for Friday’s consideration of non-departmental expenditures heading into the next fiscal year. The biggest news? A potential increase of the city’s emergency reserve level, something that was discussed in Jacksonville City Council committees months back. The city […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

A year ago, when the city of Jacksonville was formulating its budget, there was a different State Attorney in Florida’s 4th Circuit. Angela Corey was running for her third term, facing a challenge from the woman who destroyed her in the GOP Primary months later: Melissa Nelson. Nelson ran on a platform of “smart justice,” a […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

Though it’s the summer of 2017, things are heating up already in the 2019 race for Jacksonville City Council District 8. And reaction to a town hall event held by incumbent Councilwoman Katrina Brown won’t cool the temperature. Diallo Sekou, who filed this week to take on the embattled first-term Democrat, posted to Facebook last night his […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

A takeaway from a conversation we had with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Thursday evening: Big changes are coming to children’s programs in Jacksonville, and the Mayor is frustrated with how the city is handling public safety right now. When Curry was on the campaign trail in the Spring of 2015, he pledged to turn around trends […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 15, 2017

New Town is one of those Jacksonville neighborhoods where most new development is that of the franchised corporate variety. That could change soon, as the Jax Chamber, JP Morgan, and the city of Jacksonville are collaborating to let local small business owners know what resources are available. Among those resources, discussed during a Thursday evening […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 15, 2017

When Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry ran for office, he pledged to revive the Jacksonville Journey. Once in office, Curry took steps to do just that, reviving and rebranding the John Peyton initiative as Jax Journey, a Version 2.0 of the original. As Curry nears the halfway mark of his first term, his office deals with the reality of […]

A.G. Gancarski

Is a turning point imminent for Jacksonville’s opioid crisis?

Seismic change awaits Jacksonville City Council in Anna Brosche Presidency

What $200K for swim lessons says about Jax fiscal philosophy

How reform might look for Jacksonville’s children programs

Jacksonville considers raising emergency reserve level

IT the focus of Melissa Nelson’s first budget as State Attorney

Jax Councilor Katrina Brown town hall: a ‘dog and pony show’?

Lenny Curry: ‘Big reforms are coming’ to Jax children’s programs

Microloans, economic development for Jax New Town small businesses

Looming reforms cast cloud over Jax Journey budget