Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 29, 2016

The Duval County School Board, when fully staffed, is a seven-person body. However, just one resignation or absence can turn the DCSB into a six-person panel. And, in the event of a controversial or closely contested issue, a 3-3 tie is quite likely. The board wasn’t at full strength earlier this year, after Rep. Jason Fischer […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

The Jacksonville Journey is in line to receive almost a million dollars in federal money, via a bill that passed Finance — the third and final Council committee to consider it — on Wednesday. This grant was first announced in the Jax Journey Oversight Committee meeting in late September. The two-year grant facilitates data analysis regarding the best way […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

On Wednesday, the Finance Committee of the Jacksonville City Council became the third and final committee to approve revisions to the Tourist Development Council schematic. The bill was approved 5-1, with Aaron Bowman in dissent. A sticking point in committees in previous days was a provision in the bill that the current and most recent council […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 7, 2016

House District 12 Republican Clay Yarborough faces write-in candidate Jerry Steckloff — whose sole distinction is being more socially conservative than the GOP nominee — Nov. 8. It’s uncertain whether Steckloff had a reason for getting in the race beyond the time-honored tradition of closing the primary. However, his continued position as an active candidate allows Yarborough to […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 27, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council passed a $1.18 billion budget that will add more and better-equipped police officers to city streets. However, the big talkers were swimming lessons, travel budgets, and special events allocations … adding up to a picayune $115,000 out of the council contingency budget. And another big talker: a failed but audacious […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 21, 2016

In the last Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee meeting before the full council passes the budget Sept. 27, a packed agenda was considered. Among the more compelling bills: a controversial measure to appropriate $5,000 to each of the fourteen district council members for “special events” in public parks; a bill tightening up regulations on burglar […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 20, 2016

In the Tuesday morning meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Public Health and Safety Committee, the panel voted to hold the funding level at $26.275 million for fiscal year 16/17. But there will be changes this year. Penny Thompson, vice president of government affairs for UF Health, noted that the money will be sent directly […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 8, 2016

It’s budget season in Jacksonville, and the city council’s finance committee spent a sliver of Thursday morning addressing seven budget bills, four of them action items, ahead of the Sept. 27 “budget night.” Discussed in the agenda meeting ahead of the full meeting, Chair Anna Brosche noted that, as of now, the budget balances; with that in […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 2, 2016

The city of Jacksonville requires pre-employment drug screenings for everyone but elected officials. How are those going? On the bright side, 98 percent of those tested passed, according to the most recent statistics. On the down side, those who fail: roughly 2 percent of those tested, according to Director of Employee Services Kelli O’Leary. “For the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2016

Spending will go up on public safety, stay flat in most other areas. Revenue will be up, though millage collection still isn’t back to where it was before the crash of 2008, and business tax collection is down almost 10 percent. These insights and others were to be heard in council chambers Thursday morning, as […]

Tag: Aaron Bowman

Bill would divest tiebreaking power from Duval School Board chair

Million-dollar Jax Journey grant clears final council committee

Duval County TDC tweaks clear final Jacksonville City Council committee

Running against write-in, Clay Yarborough raises union and PAC money

Jacksonville City Council passes big budget after robust discussion of small details

Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee addresses packed agenda

Jacksonville City Council panel OKs UF Health allocation

Jax Council Finance committee addresses budget items

City of Jacksonville drug screens show failure rate of only 2 percent

Jax City Council begins budget deliberations