Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 3, 2019

Some good news emerged for Jacksonville budget hawks Thursday, with City Council Auditor Kyle Billy lauding recent budgetary performance. “Everything’s looking real good,” Billy said, presenting the FY 17/18 year end report to the Council Finance Committee. This year-end report will be the last before city elections, which happen in March, with a May runoff if […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 26, 2018

With Christmas celebrations behind us (some trees are already at the curb), 2018 is quickly reaching its terminus. Some Jacksonville political types have had years to forget. Below, some who have had years to remember. ________ Politician of the year: Lenny Curry “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man,” Ric Flair used to […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 3, 2018

Duval’s December begins as most months have begun the last four years: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and his ever-expanding political machine standing strong, even as political enemies recover from their latest rout. Last Tuesday saw a doubleheader: back-to-back events illustrating the futility of, as the phrase once went, raging against the machine. An older phrase […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 28, 2018

On Tuesday, the board of Jacksonville public utility JEA voted to make interim CEO Aaron Zahn permanent. Mystery shrouded the process for some observers, leading JEA board chair Alan Howard to decry notions that the board was not independent of the Mayor’s Office. A review of the seven-person board’s scoring matrixes backs up at least part of that […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 27, 2018

Electricity was in the air Tuesday, as the board of Jacksonville municipal utility JEA picked its new CEO. It turned out to be the guy who had been in that role for some time. Some members of the Jacksonville City Council and the media thought it was a done deal well ahead of the meeting, […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 23, 2018

Legislation is imminent for the city of Jacksonville to extend its agreement with municipal utility JEA, a contribution/funding formula that makes up roughly 10 percent of the city’s general fund budget. The Interagency Agreement, last ratified in 2016 to extend through Sept. 2021, would have two more years added if the City Council passes the […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 28, 2018

A draft of the final report from the Jacksonville City Council special committee on the future of JEA revealed a consensus to keep the utility local and publicly owned. However, the report was not memorialized by committee passage, due to a lack of quorum. And that worries committee Chair John Crescimbeni. “I would hope that the committee’s […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 13, 2018

On Tuesday evening, the Jacksonville City Council approved incentives for The District, a 30-acre Southbank development on the site of the former JEA Southside Generating Station. As part of that deal, developers Peter Rummell and Michael Munz have a deal via their Elements Development to buy the land for $18.6 million from the JEA Board. JEA interim CEO Aaron Zahn, in […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 12, 2018

The Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday backed a committee vote and stopped a resolution drafted last week that would expressly discourage interim JEA CEO Aaron Zahn from applying for the permanent position. The vote was 4-10 against the resolution, with sponsor Garrett Dennis, Council President Anna Brosche, and Councilmembers Joyce Morgan and Reggie Gaffney the sole no votes. The bill […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 30, 2018

Jacksonville City Councilmen Jim Love and Matt Schellenberg, both second term Republicans, had expressed different visions for the future of Jacksonville’s public utility. Schellenberg’s 2018-242 would encourage the Mayor and the JEA Board to explore a review of a potential sale; Love’s 2018-248 would represent Council opposition to a sale. Both bills will not see the Council floor, after a […]

Tag: Aaron Zahn

‘Looking real good’: Jacksonville budget picture rosy, despite caveats

Domination: Jacksonville politics’ biggest winners of 2018

2019 elections a referendum on Jacksonville’s strong mayor government

Gravitas, financial acumen, and stakeholder management sealed the JEA CEO vote

Temp to perm: Jax insider Aaron Zahn locks up JEA CEO gig

Credit concerns compel Jacksonville to re-up JEA Contribution deal

Aaron Bowman won’t bury Jacksonville City Council JEA report

JEA CEO proposes earmarking land sale proceeds for infrastructure issues

Jacksonville City Council won’t tell JEA who its next CEO should be

Jacksonville City Councilors will pull competing JEA privatization resolutions