Jax

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2017

The slogan d’jour: One City, One Jacksonville. But the city’s boards and commissions are largely white and male. And it will take time and work to change that imbalance. Of 332 people currently serving, 65 percent are male — a number not substantially different between City Council appointees (64 percent male) and appointees from other […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2017

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry had a symbiotic relationship with former Duval Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, including advocating for Vitti’s job security at one point when Vitti was under fire. Vitti has moved on to Detroit. And now Curry is building relationships anew, as exemplified Wednesday morning when the Mayor met with current Interim Superintendent Pat Willis and School […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2017

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s autonomous vehicle program is progressing apace, and the next step: a test track. Emails between city officials reveal that track may be in one of the highest-visibility areas in the city. A Friday email from Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa laid it out. Mousa wrote that “the JTA has approached the City […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 15, 2017

Another day, another port of call — or two — for Florida Gov. Rick Scott. In Jacksonville Tuesday, Scott reprised a call he made in Orlando Monday: to put a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot that would require any tax or fee hikes to be approved by a supermajority of the Florida Legislature. While it’s still […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 15, 2017

During a Jacksonville press gaggle Tuesday, Mayor Lenny Curry warned of “chatter” heard by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in the wake of Council President Anna Brosche‘s proposal to remove Confederate monuments. Curry comments came during questions to Gov. Rick Scott and him regarding the proposed removal of these monuments — a proposal fraught with controversy locally, with that controversy […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 15, 2017

Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche shocked many in local politics when she announced commencement of a process to remove Jacksonville’s Confederate monuments. “I intend to propose legislation to move Confederate monuments, memorials, and markers from public property to museums and educational institutions where they can be respectfully preserved and historically contextualized. It is important to […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 14, 2017

In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville this weekend, which included one person killed by a domestic terrorist, protesters in Jacksonville renewed calls to remove Confederate monuments in the city. Such calls have increased in intensity in recent weeks, with interesting contretemps at Jacksonville City Council meetings between Confederate enthusiasts and progressives who believe […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 14, 2017

Early in the term of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Australian financial sector titans the Macquarie Group came to town. Jacksonville beat out other competitors in what was called a robust global search in 2015; in 2017, Macquarie doubled down with an expansion of its Southbank Riverwalk location. The incentive package driving that was rolled out in […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 14, 2017

When it comes to fundraising in Duval County 2019 races, the landscape comes down to two City Council candidates, then everybody else. As has been the case in recent months, Jacksonville City Council hopefuls Matt Carlucci and Ron Salem are the two declared candidates demonstrating fundraising traction thus far. Carlucci is in an especially impressive position; just […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 14, 2017

Certainly, this will be a different story in 2018. But in July 2017, fundraising for Northeast Florida State Representatives and Senators was slow. The two incumbent state Senators on the ballot, Republican Aaron Bean and Democrat Audrey Gibson, each raised under $10,000 in July. Bean raised $9,500 and spent $1,915 in July, giving him just under $31,500 […]

Jax
Gold Coast Eagle Distributing;s Javier Bermudez and Chad Fraser bring water to Helene victims in Bradenton. Image via Gold Coast.

Diversity presents recurring challenge for Jacksonville boards, commissions

Lenny Curry urges Duval Schools to retain Interim Supe through academic year

JTA autonomous vehicle test track headed to Jax Sports Complex

Rick Scott brings tax initiative roadshow to Jacksonville

Lenny Curry warns of ‘chatter from outside groups’ opposed to Confederate monument removal

Hate mail won’t change Anna Brosche’s resolve to remove Jax Confederate monuments

Jacksonville pols, civic leaders urge Confederate monument removal

‘Jacksonville is hot,’ says Lenny Curry at Macquarie ribbon cutting

Matt Carlucci clears $100,000 on hand in 2019 Jax City Council race

Summer doldrums dog northeast Florida lawmakers’ fundraising