Jax

A.G. GancarskiOctober 20, 2015

Hot on the heels of a scathing dispatch on the sketchy financing of the Section 8 slum known as Eureka Gardens comes an internal email from Jacksonville Fire Marshal Kevin Jones regarding a “gas odor incident” at the same property. In related news, the email documents a pilot light problem in a unit that posed danger to […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 20, 2015

The situation at Eureka Gardens, the blighted Section 8 apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside, has become an embarrassment that has even been addressed by both of Florida’s United States Senators at this point. However, no commentary, up until now, has addressed the spurious nature of the complex’s financing. That changes now. And the blame is […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 20, 2015

The Jacksonville Recreation, Community Development, Public Health and Safety Committee had a light agenda Tuesday morning. The big bill on the agenda was an amended and restated golf course lease and management agreement with Comstock Golf Management’s financially struggling nine-hole golf club at Blue Cypress in Arlington. Councilman Matt Schellenberg pointed out that “if you don’t […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

One of the interesting things about the current permutation of the Jacksonville City Council’s Neighborhood Improvement and Enhancement Committee is how many complaints there are about it from the regulars. Not enough items on the agenda. They don’t do anything anymore. If you scratched the surface, you might hear similar complaints from those on City […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

One of the interesting developments of Lenny Curry as mayor is how easily the mainstream media has been sold. Part of the reason: He’s done a great job reaching out to media on its own terms. From the sports people at First Coast News, who prepared a feature on his coaching his son’s youth football […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

One of the major issues in Jacksonville is vacant properties, stemming from the foreclosure crisis and other issues. Estimates say about 30,000 such properties dot the various neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Even in a time where we’ve seen equity markets surge to record numbers, the struggle is real … even in “good neighborhood[s],” according to one […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry gets many letters, and a certain percentage of them involve promised/threatened legal action. One of them was sent Oct. 13, naming Curry, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, and Tara Wildes, director of JSO’s Department of Corrections, as defendants in a proposed action for “declaratory, punitive, and any other damages the court deems […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

It seemed simple enough on the agenda for the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee on Monday morning: a bill to allow a vehicle allowance for Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan. However, the Wu Tang Clan “Can it all really be so simple?” rule definitely was in effect when the bill led to much broader discussion […]

Melissa RossOctober 19, 2015

A new poll shows Donald Trump still leads among Florida’s Republican primary voters, taking 21 percent of the vote if the election were held today, with Ben Carson closing in at 19 percent. The new University of North Florida statewide poll shows Marco Rubio coming in third with 14 percent and Jeb Bush at a […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 18, 2015

It’s a measure of, well, something that it took almost a week after Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry interviewed with the Florida Times-Union editorial board for his best quote to come out. Curry dropped science on former mayor and current City Council adversary Tommy Hazouri, by channeling some late-period Jay-Z. “He’s loud as a motorbike but […]

Jax

“Gas odor incident” at Eureka Gardens spotlights even more neglect

Jax Housing Finance Authority chair blames Eureka Gardens bond issue on Alvin Brown

Jax recreation panel backs Blue Cypress golf course deal

Jax NICE Committee, against all odds, passes a bill

Florida Times-Union lauds Lenny Curry’s first 100 days

Jax resident proposes property confiscation to deal with vacancy crisis

Jax inmate threatens legal action against mayor, sheriff

Jax Council Finance Committee looks to revisit city vehicle allowances

UNF Poll: Donald Trump holds slight Florida lead

Lenny Curry, Jay Z, and the rhetorical future of Jax politics