Jax

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

A bill to impose a 90 day moratorium on block parties in Jacksonville was withdrawn from the city council Tuesday evening by NW Jacksonville Democrat Reggie Brown, The legislation (2017-196) posited “a legitimate public purpose in imposing a temporary moratorium on permitting recreational street closings … ‘block parties’ within the City, to allow the City time to create appropriate local […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

Two of the most veteran politicians on Jacksonville’s City Council, Bill Gulliford and Tommy Hazouri, discussed the newly-introduced pension legislation with Mayor Lenny Curry Tuesday. In what may be a sign of a smooth process to come, as the council spends much of April workshopping and mulling the changes to the city’s pension plans, both Gulliford and Hazouri […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

Tuesday night saw a raft of bills introduced to the Jacksonville City Council, with the expected final result being implementation of comprehensive pension reform. While the mayor’s office negotiated pension reform, it is up to the 19-person legislative body to enact it. Bill 2017-257 would, if passed by the council, levy the 1/2 cent discretionary sales […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

Amidst a phalanx of meetings with Florida legislators for Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday were talks with two Northeast Florida Senators: Rob Bradley and Aaron Bean. As a measure of the governor’s efficiency, the meetings were back to back in the 11:00 hour, with a meeting with Ocala Sen. Dennis Baxley in between. Bradley’s summation of the meeting: “The […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

The national observation of Sexual Assault Awareness Month is in April, yet Jacksonville kicked off the month days early on Tuesday, with city leaders convening in the atrium of the city hall. Jacksonville’s Sexual Assault Advisory Council was created in 1998, intending to bring awareness to the issue and to let victims know they have […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

It’s an interesting political week in Jacksonville. And on Tuesday, Mayor Lenny Curry discussed a potpourri of current topics. At Monday evening’s ICARE event, a consortium of local pastors upbraided Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry for not showing up to commit to a homeless day resource center. And on Tuesday evening, expectations from the city council were that Curry’s administration would introduce […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2017

The Jacksonville religious group ICARE has been pressuring Mayor Lenny Curry to bring back a homeless day center that was once in Jacksonville. However, already-fractious discussions between Curry and the clerics broke down last month, and he wasn’t to be at the Monday ICARE “Nehemiah Assembly.” Moreover, the city’s data suggests there are better ways to spend finite resources, […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 27, 2017

Amidst a series of private appointments on the calendar of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was a meeting with Anna Brosche, the chair of the Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee. The timing of the meeting was purposeful, Brosche said. “I believe it’s going to be introduced tomorrow,” Brosche said, regarding a raft of legislation that may be introduced […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 27, 2017

Earlier this month, “KJB Specialties D/B/A Jerome Brown BBQ” a business owned by the family of Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With that filing comes a need to work out details: among them, salaries of the company’s officers. Last week, the councilor’s parents, JoAnn Brown and Jerome Brown, filed motions for an emergency hearing […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 27, 2017

A Monday “lunch and learn” of the Jacksonville City Council involved members getting educated on the finer points of collective bargaining. Not a moment too soon for that, as the council will have to vote later this spring on whether or not to ratify the latest pension reform package from the mayor’s office via 11 […]

Jax

Fiesta forever: Block party moratorium bill withdrawn from Jacksonville City Council

Key Jacksonville councilors warm to Lenny Curry pension bills

Pension reform legislation introduced to Jacksonville City Council

Rob Bradley, Aaron Bean get facetime with Rick Scott

Jacksonville leaders observe sexual assault awareness month

Lenny Curry talks ICARE, pension reform, Nikolai Vitti

Missing mayor casts shadow over Jax ICARE event

Ahead of legislation, Lenny Curry talks pension with Anna Brosche

Emergency hearing looms in Jax councilor’s family biz bankruptcy case

Ahead of ratifying pension reform, Jacksonville City Council looks backward