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

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

On Friday, a major piece of news came from the White House, when President Barack Obama moved to further normalize of the United States’ relationship with Cuba. Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio was quick to condemn Obama’s latest moves toward rapprochement with the Castro regime, guaranteeing this foreign policy move will resonate in Florida politics for days, if not weeks, […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

Both Republicans and Democrats have prioritized the race in the Gainesville-centric Senate District 8 race, and Democrat Rod Smith‘s latest campaign finance report provides yet more evidence that, for Democrats, this one is a must-win. All told, Smith has raised $539,570, received $227,939 in in-kind contributions (largely staff and polling from the Florida Democratic Party), and […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

Former Jacksonville Mayor and current GATE Petroleum President John Peyton has been selected as the 2018 Jax Chamber chairman. The selection of the chair typically happens more than a year in advance, and Peyton will spend 2017 as the chairman-elect. Peyton, mayor from 2003 to 2011, knows the impacts the good times and the bad times have […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

Even as considerable acrimony has been shown by Jacksonville residents to JEA management during the post-Matthew period of sustained power outages, there is reason for hope. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the utility was down to 4,806 customers without power. That reduction is not a moment too soon for long-suffering customers, many of whom have been […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

On Thursday, Jacksonville City Council members Scott Wilson, John Crescimbeni, and Greg Anderson convened to discuss an issue of interest to Wilson: commercial corridors in need of re-development. Wilson, elected in 2015, has contended Jacksonville’s economic incentives policy doesn’t accommodate his district on Jacksonville’s Southside, where many neighborhoods have economic issues, but don’t qualify for incentives in the city’s recently […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

Duval Clerk of Courts Ronnie Fussell, as of September’s end, has raised $105,975 in his re-election bid. That sum was buoyed by a productive last two weeks of fundraising in September, with $9,500 coming into Fussell’s account. All but $1,000 of Fussell’s new money was from out of the area. And except for a maximum contribution ($1,000 in […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

State Sen. Travis Hutson, running a campaign against a lightly funded Democrat, probably doesn’t need a television ad this cycle. But he’s got one anyway. Hutson’s ad introduces viewers to his family: his wife, two kids, and his dog, Tia. “They remind me every day why the future is worth fighting for,” Hutson said, before the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

House District 15 Rep. Jay Fant, running against a write-in candidate in the Westside Jacksonville district where his family is iconic, spent almost $10,000 on production of a TV spot in late September. What did Fant get for that? A well-produced plate of red meat. The title of the ad is “November” and the premise: the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 12, 2016

As Hurricane Matthew becomes a memory, and yet another addition to the pantheon of tropical weather events affecting Northeast Florida, politicians — such as CFO Jeff Atwater, Sen. Aaron Bean, Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham, and Atlantic Beach Mayor Mitch Reeves — convened on a rainy, windswept Jacksonville Beach Wednesday afternoon to discuss last week’s destruction and the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 12, 2016

There is a marked difference between the primary and the General Election in Jacksonville’s 2016 congressional races. While there were debates and forums galore before both the Republican primary in Florida’s 4th Congressional District and the Democratic primary in Florida’s 5th Congressional District, there has been nothing of the sort since the nominees were decided. One […]

A.G. Gancarski

Marco Rubio blasts President Obama for moves to normalize Cuba relations

Big spending for and by Rod Smith in competitive state Senate race

John Peyton selected as 2018 Chair of Jax Chamber

Slowly but surely, JEA winnows down its power outages

Jacksonville City Council members consider struggling commercial corridors

City contracted third-party collectors back Ronnie Fussell’s re-election

Travis Hutson’s re-election ad is all about family

New Jay Fant ad takes on ‘Washington’

Northeast Florida recovers from Matthew, awaits comprehensive federal help

Glo Smith, Al Lawson clash in chippy congressional debate