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

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2017

Friday was judgment day for former State Rep. Charles Van Zant and his wife, Katherine Van Zant, via a hearing of the state ethics commission. The ethics complaints against the former state representative and his wife involve failure to disclose ownership of a condo in Orange Park. The income and co-ownership of the condo with Mrs. […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2017

As in the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which a weatherman relives the same day until he gets it right, those following the Jacksonville City Council will notice a certain repetition this February 2. Despite there being no committee meetings for the council that week, one council member decided to call a public notice meeting to […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

How bad was Hurricane Matthew for Northeast Florida? Here’s the take of one Jacksonville Republican, Rep. Jason Fischer. “Last fall, Hurricane Matthew crawled up the coast of Florida, hitting Northeast Florida particularly hard. Some of my constituents lost power for almost a full week following the storm,” Fischer noted. With that example in mind, Fischer filed […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

There is a movement afoot in the United States to allow reformed criminals to have a second chance, and a couple of bills in the Florida House could be part of that. Earlier this month, Rep. Shervin Jones filed House Bill 31, which would remove the requirement on job applications for an applicant to disclose whether […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

Cities and counties often impose conditions on contractors and who they hire for public works products. But a bill filed Thursday in the Florida Senate would change some of that. Senate Bill 534, filed by Gainesville Republican Keith Perry on Thursday, would prohibit cities, counties, local taxing districts, schools, and other such “political subdivisions” from dictating […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

A bill filed Thursday in the Florida Senate would reduce harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee and increase water storage capacity. Senate Bill 10, filed by Republican Rob Bradley, would bond money backed with Amendment 1 funds to purchase land south of the lake for water storage. Bradley, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

Abuse of the elderly is a problem gaining increased visibility. And a bill filed Thursday in the Florida Senate looks to mitigate that. Senate Bill 518, filed by Jacksonville Democrat Audrey Gibson, would create elder abuse fatality review teams to be supervised by the Department of Children and Families. These teams would look at “fatal and […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

Friday is judgment day for former State Rep. Charles Van Zant and his wife, Katherine Van Zant. The two will be the stars of the show at Friday morning’s meeting of the state ethics commission. Former Rep. Charles Van Zant and his wife Katherine each face separate hearings covering the same material. The ethics complaints against the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2017

As with the morning collective bargaining session with the city’s fire union, the city of Jacksonville’s afternoon session with the police union saw a sweetened offer for police and corrections. But with the sweet comes the sour. The Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police held firm to the #YesToFRS position for new hires … and opened […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2017

A bill that passed the House 107-0 Thursday would provide shelter for Florida principals who had a questionable foreign court issue a cash judgement against them. HB 623, filed by Northeast Florida Republican Cord Byrd and co-sponsored by Rep. Frank White, offers additional circumstances in which an out-of-country foreign judgment need not be recognized. White, a candidate for Attorney General, […]

A.G. Gancarski
Image via St. Pete Catalyst.

Ethics commission fines Charles Van Zant, wife for financial disclosure flubs

Jacksonville HRO public notice meeting slated for Groundhog Day

Florida House mulls tax breaks for early-season storm prep

Florida House to mull ‘ban the box’ bills

Florida Senate bill gives public works contractors more hiring discretion

Lake Okeechobee reservoir bill filed in Florida Senate

Florida Senate bill would create ‘elder abuse fatality review teams’

Leslie Dougher hammers Charles Van Zant ahead of Friday ethics meeting

Jacksonville, police union haggle over body cameras, pensions

Cord Byrd bill nixing questionable foreign court money judgments clears House