Jax

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

The settlement agreement between the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund and the city itself, of what was to be pending litigation, exemplifies the politics of the possible. It isn’t pretty. But if (and it’s not really an “if”) the ordinance (2016-80) authorizing it, filed last week by the council president with a formal introduction […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

Jacksonville City Council Vice President candidates Matt Schellenberg and Aaron Bowman continue to solicit support in Monday meetings with Council members. Schellenberg, who has one signed on supporter as at this writing, seeks to court three supporters on Monday. He has an 11:00 meeting with Anna Brosche, who told us last week that she wasn’t planning to commit […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

Another one in an informal series of epistles from Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry to Jacksonville employees went out Friday: this on the pension tax. Curry updated employees on his trip to Tallahassee earlier in January: “Last week,” wrote Curry, “I traveled to Tallahassee to meet with state Senators and Representatives about a proposed solution for the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

An interesting narrative has been the decline in utility of the Jacksonville City Council Neighborhood Improvement and Community Enhancement (formerly Blight) committee. When Denise Lee was on City Council, Blight was a long meeting, but generally an effective if powerless committee. Since Lee has moved into the mayor’s office, NICE has gotten nasty. Clashes between Lee […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

On at least one public occasion, Jacksonville’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sam Mousa, groused that it’s cheaper to feed the meter and park on the street than it is to use the city’s parking garages. That, coupled with a focus on parking meter income in general this last month (both in terms of uncollectible debt from parking […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 22, 2016

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott said St. Johns County Commissioner Jimmy Johns and Jacksonville’s Curtis Hart were among two of nine gubernatorial appointees to the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council. As well, Nassau County Tax Collector John Drew and Clay County Chamber President Doug Conkey were appointed. Other appointees are Gregory Strong, Ron Timonere, Michael Bourre, Larry Harvey, and Helga Van Eckert.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 22, 2016

In Northeast Florida, Rob Bradley has a lot of pull. One of the most powerful Senators in the state, with a PAC to match, a measure of Bradley’s esteem is that he was chosen to carry the ball on the Lenny Curry plan to defray the unfunded liability of public pensions with a half-cent sales tax. In […]

Melissa RossJanuary 22, 2016

Child safety advocates are slamming legislation they say would endanger children and weaken Florida’s newly passed child passenger safety law, on the books only a year. SB 1394, filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, officially defines the terms “service patrol vehicle” and “driver-assistive truck platooning technology.” However, it’s the language referring to children that’s sparking outraged […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 22, 2016

JEA, Jacksonville’s community utility, has been in the news this year for reasons that have less to do with its performance than other issues. Still, the utility has a story to tell about customer service. J.D. Power reports that JEA has the highest business customer satisfaction in the South with midsize utilities. JEA achieved the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 22, 2016

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In a conversation Friday, state Rep. Lake Ray talked with FloridaPolitics.com about the biggest bill this session for Jacksonville: the proposed extension of the Better Jacksonville Plan half-cent sales surtax to address the unfunded liability with public pensions. Ray, a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, described the legislative effort as a “work […]

Jax
Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski leads a group to buy the Rays, aiming for a new Tampa stadium.

Jax Police and Fire Pension Fund settlement agreement goes to City Council this week

Jax Council leadership race continues Monday

Lenny Curry pitches pension tax to Jax employees

Has the Jax NICE Committee failed?

Sam Mousa to Jax employees: Stop feeding the meter

Jimmy Johns, Curtis Hart among 9 appointees to NE Florida Regional Planning Council

Rob Bradley talks Jax pension surtax, cannabis, and his political future

Child safety advocates slam car-seat bill they say will endanger kids

JEA touts business satisfaction kudos from J.D. Power

Lake Ray says “hurdles” remain in passing Jax pension tax plan