Jax

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 24, 2016

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Just hours after the final Senate committee OK’d the bill Wednesday, the Florida House overwhelmingly approved the (HB 1297) Discretionary Sales Surtax bill, the key to Jacksonville defraying its unfunded pension liability. The surprising thing about the process: how smoothly the proverbial “heavy lift” went. Senior staff in the mayor’s office expected resistance from the House […]

Melissa RossFebruary 24, 2016

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Vowing to reintroduce it “in two months,” Jacksonville City Councilman Tommy Hazouri says he’ll keep bringing back HRO legislation because it’s “simple and to the point.” “We have a human rights ordinance that covers everybody but the LGBT community, and all we’re wanting to do is include them,” he told WJCT’s First Coast Connect. “It’s […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 24, 2016

Wednesday saw the Jacksonville-centric Discretionary Sales Surtax bill clear the Senate Rules Committee (SB 1652), scheduled at the same time as the third reading in the House (HB 1297). Central to the pitch: bill sponsor Rob Bradley and Mayor Lenny Curry, whose sales job gets better with every committee stop… especially important because Curry will have to sell […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 24, 2016

Notable about Tuesday night’s Jacksonville City Council meeting, in which a settlement agreement with John Keane and the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund was “indefinitely postponed,” were the comments of Councilman Matt Schellenberg. They were laden with direct address toward Keane. And they were personal, almost to the point of calling in question Council’s stance as good-faith […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 23, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council’s big bill involved attempting to finalize its ongoing conflict with former Police and Fire Pension Fund head John Keane with a settlement agreement. Instead, they “postponed indefinitely,” after a long and tortuous process of discussion and amendments. The goal is to get answers to questions and, seemingly, to show Keane […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 23, 2016

Momentum builds behind the re-election of Angela Corey for State Attorney, with a number of Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach elected officials endorsing her this week, supporting her commitment to what the campaign calls “public safety vigilance.” The elected officials include Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham, and Jacksonville Beach Councilmembers Phil Vogelsang, Lee Buck, Christine Hoffman, Bruce […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 23, 2016

At an event celebrating the Jacksonville office of MacQuarie, which will create 125 jobs by the end of next year, Gov. Rick Scott and Mayor Lenny Curry took questions on subjects that were just a bit more contentious than job creation, including the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill making its way through Tallahassee, and the stalled […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 23, 2016

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The Florida House held a second reading Tuesday of Jacksonville’s “pension tax” bill, which would facilitate a referendum to extend the current half-cent sales tax 30 years and devote it to paying off Jacksonville’s $2.6 billion of unfunded pension liability. The debate before the full House went well. Going into the House session, those familiar […]

Melissa RossFebruary 23, 2016

The Hillary Clinton campaign, already aggressively running phone banks across Florida, will kick off its first door-to-door canvassing effort in Jacksonville on Saturday morning. “We’ve got a huge focus on field, making phone calls and knocking on doors, really to have those conversations with as many people as possible to let them know the primary […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 23, 2016

Another big endorsement for HD 11 Republican Sheri Treadwell was revealed Tuesday, in the form of former Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford. “Effective public servants must have strong core convictions and the courage to act on them. That’s exactly the kind of leader Sheri Treadwell is,” said Rutherford in a statement. “She will be a strong conservative presence […]

Jax
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Florida House OKs Jax Pension Tax bill 86-23

Tommy Hazouri: will reintroduce HRO “in two months,” challenges Bill Gulliford to on-air debate

Jax Pension Tax bill clears final Senate committee

Matt Schellenberg’s evolution on John Keane worth noting

Jax Council “postpones indefinitely” John Keane settlement

Jax Beach Republicans line up behind Angela Corey

Lenny Curry, Rick Scott talk pension tax, HRO, 2016 election

Jax pension tax bill passes 2nd major House hurdle

Hillary Clinton campaign to kick off first Jacksonville canvassing on Saturday morning

John Rutherford endorses Sheri Treadwell in HD 11