Jax

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee, again, addressed Bill Gulliford and his bill prohibiting Council members from texting or exchanging other written communication with lobbyists, union representatives, or members of the Council on Wednesday. As was the case two weeks ago, there was pushback, including from Council members whose verboten texts in September led to the […]

Melissa RossFebruary 17, 2016

The Duval County School Board continued its work this week looking at proposed boundary and program changes for a number of Jacksonville schools proposed by Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Vitti (so far) has not followed through on threats to sue after public records revealed board member Connie Hall sent controversial text messages about him to a […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

After the Committee of the Whole meeting on Jacksonville’s HRO expansion Thursday, there will be a special meeting of City Council where both HRO bills can be withdrawn, Council President Greg Anderson said This is the “same process we put in place” ahead of the establishment of this process, Anderson said. It will allow for […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

The key to understanding how Jacksonville’s current pension tax proposal will retire the unfunded liability rests in understanding the concept of “deferred contribution” outlined in the projections for the use of the extension of the Better Jacksonville Plan to pay off the unfunded pension liability. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is not prone to exaggeration. When […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has a variety of “individual meetings” scheduled in Tallahassee Wednesday to push the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill. Four of them are set up with Senate Rules Committee members, which will be the final Senate committee to deliberate the bill. The bill has cleared two of three Senate committees, and both House committees. […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

The Carlos Lopez-Cantera Senate campaign has talked a lot about the grassroots being its path to the nomination. In Jacksonville at least, that’s true. Two prominent Republican Party of Duval County leaders are members of the CLC Grassroots Leadership Team: Committeeman Alexander Pantinakis and Vice Chairwoman Karyn Morton. It’s important to note they are supporting CLC as […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

In recent months, a bill designed to increase the value of property that can be donated to non-profits and for-profits from $25,000 to $50,000 has been moving through Jacksonville’s City Council. The goal of the bill: to spur development in areas prone to blight. The bill moved through Finance Monday, and had Recreation, Community Development, […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 16, 2016

Tuesday afternoon finds Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry “headed back over to Tallahassee” to sell the pension tax bill, he told FloridaPolitics.com. Though the “Discretionary Sales Surtax” bill is not up for any committee hearings this week, Curry plans “individual meetings” with lawmakers. The next stop for the bill, Jacksonville’s plan to deal with the unfunded pension liability, […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 16, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is more identified with his love of commercial rap than jazz, so one might have wondered what his first jazz festival would have held. The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, held on an annual basis since 1981, has featured a wide range of artists, ranging from Dizzy Gillespie in its first year, to a […]

Melissa RossFebruary 16, 2016

She was appointed in the fall of 2008 to lead former Mayor John Peyton‘s ambitious attempt to dethrone Jacksonville as Florida’s murder capital. She left the job during the tenure of former Mayor Alvin Brown, when the Jacksonville Journey changed focus, and lost funding (the recession also played a role in that, it’s been pointed […]

Jax

Jax Council Rules Committee OKs ban on in-meeting written communications

Duval School Board tensions simmer as charter fight escalates

Jax City Council to meet Thursday evening after HRO Committee of the Whole

“Deferred Contribution” key to how proposed Jax pension tax works

Lenny Curry lobbying Senate Rules Committee members

Duval GOP leaders line up behind Carlos Lopez-Cantera for U.S. Senate

NW Jax pushback stalls housing donation bill in Council committee

Lenny Curry, pension tax on his mind, heads back to Tallahassee

Jacksonville Jazz Festival unveils 2016 lineup

Jax Journey 2.0 to look at jobs for at-risk kids: “our teenagers haven’t had enough focus”