Jax

A.G. GancarskiJune 20, 2017

Tuesday saw a big project for Jacksonville’s transportation future break ground: JTA’s Regional Transportation Center. The JTA center, to be constructed in Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood, will accommodate Greyhound, Uber, Megabus, the Skyway, First Coast Flyer and other modes of travel, in what is designed to be a regional focus. Greyhound will go online in January […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 20, 2017

Just months ago, Jacksonville passed its pension reform package, which will give the city approximately $150M of budget relief from costs of its unfunded pension liability in terms of next year’s budget. While raises for city workers, to be phased in over the next three fiscal years, will consume a lot of that relief, rest […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 20, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran will be the featured speaker at Thursday night’s St. Johns County Republicans’ Lincoln/Reagan Dinner. Corcoran, who is reportedly mulling a run for Florida Governor commencing after the 2018 Legislative Session, is uniquely positioned to build relationships with the Jacksonville area donors who will turn out en masse for the event at Sawgrass […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

As we continue to read the tea leaves in the current Florida House Speaker’s race, we see evidence of how Northeast Florida is folding in behind Paul Renner. The latest example: an email sent out by Renner on behalf of Rep. Jason Fischer, pitching a big-dollar fundraiser with a deep host committee and an even more interesting […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

Jacksonville’s opioid crisis, as is the case around the country, is taking lives and resources from the budget all at once. Is a turning point imminent? Months back, Councilman Bill Gulliford began sounding the alarm about the increased casualty rate and the increased burden on emergency services from the crisis. Multiple meetings followed, then a bill […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

Jacksonville City Council President-Designate Anna Brosche announced new committee assignments starting in July, when she takes over. [2017-2018 Council Committee Assignments Letter ] Some interesting takeaways abound. One of which: veteran Republican Bill Gulliford is not on any standing committees, with Brosche apparently calling a bluff Gulliford made in the pledge process when he vowed not to serve […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

In May 2016, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Councilman Garrett Dennis came together to announce a drowning prevention initiative. Swim lessons for children in poorer areas of town were paid for by private grants, and at the time it was one of those stories that some observers didn’t even think was worthy of coverage. Over a year […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

A little over two weeks ago, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and a number of City Council members called a presser to announce a stopgap resolution of a problem months in the making: insufficient funding for summer camps. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission, which greenlighted the process, was trying to privilege quality over quantity. Yet, as camp […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

As part of our continuing coverage of the budget process in Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s office, we were on hand for Friday’s consideration of non-departmental expenditures heading into the next fiscal year. The biggest news? A potential increase of the city’s emergency reserve level, something that was discussed in Jacksonville City Council committees months back. The city […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

A year ago, when the city of Jacksonville was formulating its budget, there was a different State Attorney in Florida’s 4th Circuit. Angela Corey was running for her third term, facing a challenge from the woman who destroyed her in the GOP Primary months later: Melissa Nelson. Nelson ran on a platform of “smart justice,” a […]

Jax

Ground broken on JTA Regional Transportation Center

Hard choices loom for Lenny Curry’s staff in Jax capital budget

Richard Corcoran to speak to St. Johns County Republicans Thursday

Paul Renner headlining major fundraiser for Jason Fischer

Is a turning point imminent for Jacksonville’s opioid crisis?

Seismic change awaits Jacksonville City Council in Anna Brosche Presidency

What $200K for swim lessons says about Jax fiscal philosophy

How reform might look for Jacksonville’s children programs

Jacksonville considers raising emergency reserve level

IT the focus of Melissa Nelson’s first budget as State Attorney