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A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2018

Tuesday evening saw the Jacksonville City Council approve plans to remedy local food deserts Meanwhile, a bill authorizing a “hit-free zone” in City Hall died its final death, despite amendments to bring reluctant councilors around. _____ The “hit-free zone” legislation had trouble again on the Council floor, where it was for a second straight time. […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2018

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced Tuesday a $3,356,900 Passenger Ferry Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. The money is earmarked for improvements for the ferry slips, the vessel, and the ferry terminal. JTA took over the ferry’s ownership and operations two years ago, noted its CEO. “We have made a lot of […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2018

For Jacksonville’s safety-net hospital UF Health, money has been tight for a number of years. And the latest fiscal constraints are driving a change to the business model, per UF Health CEO Leon Haley. In a letter to Jacksonville City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche, Haley notes that the hospital is negotiating to sell its outpatient dialysis […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2018

Jacksonville City Councilman Doyle Carter was already termed out in 2019 before he threw in for the soon-to-be-vacant Duval County Tax Collector position. And Carter made it clear that he backed his old friend Randy White for the Westside seat. Like Carter, White is a Republican. And despite the absence of any real competition for the seat, […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2018

On a shoestring budget of just over $9,000, Jacksonville City Councilman Sam Newby won his at-large seat on the City Council three years ago, defeating a candidate who raised 15 times what he did in the May 2015 unitary general election. And, if his first month in the race is any indication, Newby figures he can win […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 7, 2018

Jacksonville’s director of intergovernmental affairs, Ali Korman Shelton, is leaving her position at the end of next week. On Monday, the office of Mayor Lenny Curry revealed the path forward for the team, with one promotion and two internal hires effective May 21. Jordan Elsbury, a previous “30 under 30 rising star of Florida politics” honoree on […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 7, 2018

House District 16, a seat on the Southside of Jacksonville, is a reliably Republican seat. The district leans Republican with a 55,593 to 35,171 voter registration advantage over Democrats, according to LobbyTools. Rep. Jason Fischer faced no Democratic opposition in 2016. And predecessor Charles McBurney had the same luck. 2018 is a different matter, however, with Ken Organes […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 7, 2018

When then-Jacksonville City Councilman Bill Bishop finished a strong third in the 2015 mayor’s race, the Republican vowed that he would run for Mayor again, before endorsing Democrat Alvin Brown over the eventual Republican winner, Lenny Curry. Both the early declaration of a mayoral re-do and the cross-party endorsement of Brown seemed like a safe bet at the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 7, 2018

As we reported last week, the position of Duval County Tax Collector is poised to open up in the coming weeks. Incumbent Michael Corrigan is moving on, to become CEO of Visit Jacksonville. His resignation letter suggests that he couldn’t serve his entire term before taking that position. Providentially, a group of Republican hopefuls, including Councilman Doyle Carter, […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 5, 2018

On Wednesday’s episode of First Coast Connect on Jacksonville’s WJCT-FM, Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche charged that her meetings were being followed and that someone in city government was snooping on the computer of her Council assistant. Citing a “trust issue,” Brosche mentioned that she was “not allowed to have meetings with department heads without clearing […]

Jax
Image via AP.

Jacksonville City Council smacks down hit-free zone bill again, OKs food desert fix

Feds give Jacksonville Transportation Authority $3.356 million for St. Johns River Ferry

Cash-strapped UF Health looks to sell outpatient dialysis service

Unopposed Randy White readies to replace Doyle Carter on Jacksonville City Council

Soft April fundraising in Sam Newby’s Jacksonville City Council re-election bid

Jordan Elsbury to replace Ali Korman Shelton, as Jacksonville revamps intergovernmental affairs team

Democrat Ken Organes banks $11K for challenge to Jason Fischer

Bill Bishop continues to bellyflop in Jacksonville City Council race fundraising

Duval Tax Collector special election poised for August, November votes

‘Twisted political game’: Cybersnooping, surveillance charges roil Jacksonville City Hall