Jax

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has as much local political momentum for his pension tax plan as he could want. Everyone on City Council co-sponsored a resolution of support, which passed Tuesday night. However, Senate co-sponsor Rob Bradley is the first to say that getting it through both chambers in Tallahassee is a “heavy lift.” To that end, […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

One of the big stories of last legislative session: Rick Scott was not on the “Bean Team,” with budget vetoes that shocked Aaron Bean, as Tia Mitchell wrote. Since then, Bean has attempted to mend fences. Steve Bousquet documented Bean’s awkward sounding attempt to rebuild a relationship last year. And now, Bean has kissed Scott’s ring anew, signing on in support of […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

Before the holidays, a great deal of talk revolved around David Santiago launching a run in CD 6. Now, we are hearing that Santiago has thrown his hat into the ring, joining four other Republicans in the race to succeed Ron DeSantis. “Our nation is at a crossroads. We need real leaders with the courage and proven […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

The big news coming out of Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council public comment marathon on expanding the Human Right Ordinance: Confessions of a child molester, advanced to negate the case for HRO expansion. Westsider Roy Bay, a 56-year-old Caucasian, said that when he was “10 or 12 years old,” he was “sexually assaulted by the homosexual community,” […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

““Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” — John Adams “If we’d had a referendum in 1965, I’d still be on the back of the bus.” — Denise Hunt A light legislative agenda on Jacksonville’s City Council was offset by dozens of […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, at least on the agenda, was dominated by two meaningful issues. The first: pension issues, in light of both the General Counsel ruling that Council, and not JEA, was the appropriative body for pay negotiations. This ruling overruled the previous General Counsel’s take on the matter earlier in the decade. As well, […]

Melissa RossJanuary 12, 2016

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Animal rights groups have scored a major victory against the Greatest Show On Earth, but that isn’t stopping the protests. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, America’s best-known circus, announced Monday it will relocate all its elephants to a conservation center here in Florida by the end of May. That pushes up the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

The two-man race for the Council VP-elect between Republican Rules Chairman Matt Schellenberg and Democrat John Crescimbeni heated up Tuesday. On Monday, Crescimbeni (rumored to have a lot of oral commitments some months back) got his first signed commitment, from Republican Finance Chairman Bill Gulliford, who crossed party lines to do so. Tuesday saw Schellenberg scoring the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has a packed schedule for the first day of the 2016 Legislative Session, truly paying the cost to be the boss. With a pension tax plan needing approval from lawmakers, Curry is bringing his A-game to the State Capitol; indeed, his phone calls started at 8 a.m., as his driver ferried his […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

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On Monday, incumbent Jacksonville Democrat Reggie Fullwood filed for re-election in HD 13. The two-term former City Councilman was elected to the House via Special Election last February, after a pitched primary battle against another former Councilman, Johnny Gaffney. As the only filed candidate in a safe Democratic seat, no such drama should ensue this time around.

Jax

Lenny Curry again scheduled to hilt in Tallahassee

Aaron Bean courts Rick Scott, backs Enterprise Florida

David Santiago files in CD 6

Who is Roy Bay? And why does it matter?

HRO expansion talk roils Jax City Council

Pension, contribution issues dominate JEA Agreement meeting

Ringling to retire elephants early; Jacksonville protests still planned

Jax Council VP race heats up; both candidates score commitments

Whirlwind Tallahassee Tuesday for Jax Mayor Lenny Curry

Reggie Fullwood files for HD 13 re-election