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

A.G. GancarskiApril 21, 2017

February ended with Jacksonville City Council VP John Crescimbeni storming out of the gate in the race for the council presidency. A bipartisan group of councilmen — Bill Gulliford, Greg Anderson, Jim Love, Scott Wilson and Tommy Hazouri — signed on very quickly, giving Crescimbeni, a Democrat, a real leg up. Rhetoric was pitched in the councilmen’s conclave: lots of talk […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 20, 2017

A bill seeking to expand what optometrists could do — namely, performing surgery and prescribing opiates — was an agenda item in the Florida House Health and Human Services Committee Thursday. However, the bill at the center of Florida’s Eyeball Wars went unheard. HB 1037, sponsored by Rep. Manny Diaz, barely cleared Health and Human Services […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 20, 2017

The ongoing legal battle between the city of Jacksonville and the family business of Councilwoman Katrina Brown was slated to continue Thursday in the Duval County Courthouse. However, the defendants failed to show. The issue Thursday: a “motion to strike” a response in the case from the councilwoman’s mother, which involves two Brown businesses — “CoWealth LLC” […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 20, 2017

Outdoor storage of tires for sale may eventually be a thing of the past in the city of Jacksonville, if an ordinance filed last month becomes law. Ordinance 2017-231 would require storage of tires for sale to be not visible from the street or adjacent properties within 5 years of the effective date of the ordinance. This would remedy […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

The question going into Wednesday’s “Committee of the Whole” meeting of the Jacksonville City Council was a two-parter. Would committee members vote on the bills as part of the four-hour committee proceedings? And would anyone dare vote against Lenny Curry‘s pension reform plan? On the first 11 bills, which will implement collective bargaining deals if passed […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan, a pragmatist, often invests in incumbent politicians. And when it came to the inauguration of Donald Trump, Khan invested bigly: $1,000,000, as the Daily Beast reported Wednesday. NFL owners, in total, donated $7.25M — 1/15 of what the Trump Inaugural Committee brought in total. Every NFL owner who donated gave a million dollars, […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

As the sordid story of Sen. Frank Artiles’ Monday night rant, replete with racist and sexist phrases, continues to develop, Florida Senate President Joe Negron issued a punitive action Wednesday morning. Negron removed Artiles from his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities. Kelli Stargel will replace Artiles. ___ Negron took his time […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

When looking for evidence of racism, sexism, and vulgarity, you don’t have to look farther than Tallahassee. Consider the example of Sen. Frank Artiles, who plumbed the depths of all three in an unhinged string of expletives directed primarily to Sen. Audrey Gibson. The Miami Herald, writing about this, made the indelicate decision to quote Artiles directly. “Miami […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

So much for not having a “partner” in the White House. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who bemoaned the lack of effective White House partnership for the first six years of his tenure, closes out his time in Tallahassee with close political ally Donald Trump heading the Executive Branch. Scott will be at the White House at 11:30 […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 19, 2017

The final Jacksonville City Council vote on Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s pension reform bills is still a few days a way. However, the “Committee of the Whole” meeting to be held Wednesday afternoon stands as an excellent preview of what is to come — a closing argument. The Curry team — especially the political side — […]

A.G. Gancarski

Why the next Jacksonville City Council President is still undetermined

‘Eyeball Wars’ bill, slated for House committee, goes unheard Thursday

Jax councilor’s mother no-shows hearing in lawsuit with city

Tire blight exhausts Jax Council patience

Jacksonville City Council ‘committee of the whole’ greenlights pension reform

Shad Khan gave $1M to Donald Trump inaugural

Frank Artiles dropped as Senate committee chair

How ‘F-bomb’ Frank Artiles shamed the Florida Senate

Rick Scott, Donald Trump to be together on Wednesday

Jacksonville City Council, Lenny Curry prep for pivotal pension vote