Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 23, 2015

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In a long debate, Ordinance 2015-327, prohibiting collection bins for thrift stores and the like, passed 17-1 at Tuesday night’s Jacksonville City Council meeting. The sole abstaining vote was Councilman Reggie Brown, who essentially argued that banning such bins was a value judgement. Reggie Gaffney made a similar contention; however, he ultimately voted for the bill. Speaking […]

Ryan RayJune 23, 2015

Tallahassee attorney and political newcomer Mary Thomas is “considering” a run in Congressional District 2 in the eastern Panhandle. Thomas was seen working the tables, looking very much like a candidate, all the while sounding very conservative at Tuesday night’s Leon County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner. “I think we’ve found a candidate that can beat Gwen […]

Phil AmmannJune 23, 2015

Hillsboro Beach is a tiny sliver on the Broward County coast. With just under 1,900 residents, the town is mostly known for its “Millionaires’ Mile,” a strip of beachfront property containing many of Miami’s affluent and winter homes of wealthy Canadian snowbirds. But hidden within 1.5 square miles, Hillsboro Beach has some mighty big secrets, […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 23, 2015

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By an 18-0 vote, the Jacksonville City Council authorized a resolution urging Housing and Urban Development to defund Eureka Gardens. It seemed clean enough at the time. Bill Sponsor Warren Jones noted that the legislation was being studied in Shelby County, Tennessee, where the same owner had eight properties. Denise Lee added that she wanted to extend […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 23, 2015

The back and forth on a resolution against seismic testing off the Jacksonville coast has finally ended, as it went down in a 9-9 vote. Historians will find amusing a part of the process, which involved Councilman Reggie Gaffney attempting to not vote, because he didn’t understand the issue, before eventually voting against the resolution. His […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 23, 2015

The big news coming out of the Jacksonville City Council meeting: the repeal of 2015-436, the ordinance passed two weeks ago issuing a moratorium on Charlotte’s Web cultivation, processing, and distribution. Recall that two weeks ago, as almost the very last act in the Council meeting, the Council passed the moratorium by a unanimous vote. […]

Martin DyckmanJune 23, 2015

Pope Francis’s encyclical on saving the world — “our common home” — from what we are doing to it is a powerful appeal to everyone, not just to those who belong to the church he leads. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism — my denomination — praised Francis for having “shone a Catholic spotlight […]

Daniel TilsonJune 23, 2015

The tall, thin man stood surveying the inside of the giant warehouse full of forgotten, misbegotten and just plain old rotten rejects and has-beens. He stood frozen a few moments before looking up at countless 50-foot-high rows of hopelessly overloaded dark metal shelving and storage units as far as the eye could see. His head […]

Staff ReportsJune 23, 2015

In a blistering press release, state Sen. Geraldine Thompson said Gov. Rick Scott vetoed eight projects she supported in the state budget because she doesn’t “think like him.” “I championed eight projects for appropriations that would benefit low-income and minority communities, all eight were vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott,” she said in a prepared statement. […]

Phil AmmannJune 23, 2015

Three Democratic state lawmakers are endorsing Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay in her bid for the Treasure Coast congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. McKinlay, who was elected in November, is running for Florida’s 18th Congressional District, as Murphy runs for Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate seat. If elected, she will become one […]

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A woman wades through flood water from the St. Johns Rivers in the wake Hurricane Irma Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla.. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Collection bins prohibited in Jacksonville, backyard hens approved

Republican Mary Thomas considering challenge to Gwen Graham in CD-2

Blogger Chaz Stevens puts tawdry Hillsboro Beach shenanigans in his sights

Jax Council votes for resolution asking HUD to defund Eureka Gardens; controversy ensues

Gaffney spikes the ball: Seismic Testing resolution falls in Jacksonville City Council

Jacksonville City Council repeals Charlotte’s Web moratorium

Martin Dyckman: Jeb Bush cherry-picks where to enforce his faith

Daniel Tilson: Rick Scott phones it in with 2015 tax-cutting "victory tour"

Geraldine Thompson says her projects vetoed because she doesn’t “think” like Rick Scott

3 Democratic state lawmakers endorse Melissa McKinlay for Patrick Murphy’s seat