Jax

A.G. GancarskiApril 7, 2017

Thursday evening saw cable news broadcasts offering Strange New Respect for President Donald Trump after the bombing of a Syrian military base. The bombing, a response to the Syrian regime’s alleged use this week of Sarin gas in its ongoing civil war, was framed as a humanitarian measure by President Trump. “Assad choked out the lives […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

Jacksonville City Council members, upon hearing the details of the Lenny Curry pension reform plan, seemed optimistic upon first hearing. However, as they were not at the bargaining table, they questioned the parameters of collective bargaining agreements, and wanted more detail on the actuarial projections. ____ Councilman Bill Gulliford, instrumental in the 2015 pension reform deal, said […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

Mayor Lenny Curry offered his presentation of pension legislation on Thursday afternoon, leaving it to the Jacksonville City Council to hash out. They were helped along by CFO Mike Weinstein and Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, who helped to explain the pension situation to the legislators. The short version: if pension reform passes, the city could see big […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

After weeks of speculation as to hard costs and real benefits of the Lenny Curry approach to Jacksonville’s pension reform, the first-term Republican Mayor talked it out with the Jacksonville City Council Wednesday afternoon. The Curry administration feels the fierce urgency of now. With pension costs, already $290M in the current fiscal year, slated to be […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

The city of Jacksonville is girding up for a looming late-April audit of post-Hurricane Matthew spending, much of which could be reimbursed by FEMA. Reimbursement is contingent on a number of factors, according to a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Jacksonville CAO Sam Mousa. FEMA requires a lot of detail. Among the asks: […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

The next time I will see Corrine Brown — whom I still call “Congresswoman” — will either be inside a federal courtroom or walking to a federal courtroom. I won’t speak to her. She won’t speak to me. For days, for weeks of trials. That’s one of the rules of her trial regarding One Door for Education, her […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 5, 2017

Prologue: Nine months ago, a 24 count federal indictment dropped. It changed Jacksonville politics — forever. Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, were named as co-defendants in a federal suit about One Door for Education. One Door was a charity, marketed with Brown’s name and likeness, that did a great job bringing money […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 5, 2017

A Wednesday meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee moved the council one step closer to a resolution of support for the beleaguered state incentive program Enterprise Florida. Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Office of Economic Development offered its own take on Enterprise Florida, and incentive programs in general. _____ The pro-Enterprise Florida resolution cleared the Rules […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 5, 2017

Controversial Jacksonville commission nominee Mike Anania had his day in the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee Wednesday. And that, it turns out, is the end of the road for his nomination. Anania, originally nominated for the city’s TRUE Commission in January, saw his nomination stalled out in recent months, with the Rules Committee having voted to approve […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 5, 2017

Consider the source? A poll from the American Gaming Association says Jacksonville Jaguars fans want to lift the federal ban on sports betting, relegating authority to the state. From the release: “Morning Consult, on behalf of the American Gaming Association, conducted an online survey of 779 Jacksonville Jaguars fans from December 19, 2016 to January […]

Jax

Jacksonville progressives plan Friday protest of Syrian military action

Jacksonville Councilors embrace, question details in Lenny Curry pension pitch

Lenny Curry’s team sells big pension savings to Jacksonville City Council

Lenny Curry frames pension-reform push as ‘new beginning for Jacksonville’

FEMA audit of Jacksonville’s post-Matthew spending looms

The unparalleled performance art of Corrine Brown

No plea deal: Corrine Brown gears up for epic late-April fraud trial

Drumbeat for Enterprise Florida thumps in Jacksonville’s City Hall

Citing controversy, Mike Anania withdraws from consideration for Jacksonville board

Poll: Jacksonville Jaguars fans back sports betting