Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMarch 3, 2016

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday morning, Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Schellenberg talked about Uber and the taxis, the John Keane deal and John Delaney’s role in it, and Katrina Brown. Schellenberg, the chair of the Vehicles for Hire committee, was lambasted by a cab company executive for pushing back the next committee meeting date until March 22, with […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 25, 2016

Jacksonville’s Zakee Furqan achieved prominence during the 2015 Jacksonville mayoral campaign when he was part of a group of “business leaders” endorsing Alvin Brown. That endorsement became a liability when news of his felony rap sheet, including a murder conviction, was reported. The Brown campaign quickly repudiated that endorsement, and donated Furqan’s campaign contribution to charity, yet […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 18, 2016

Of late, Jacksonville media has been trying to reconcile what seemed to be a pro-HRO expansion position during the 2015 campaign with more muted support by candidates this time around. Councilwoman Katrina Brown was one candidate identified as pro-HRO expansion, according to comments she made to The Florida Times-Union last year, that were given a new […]

Melissa RossFebruary 16, 2016

She was appointed in the fall of 2008 to lead former Mayor John Peyton‘s ambitious attempt to dethrone Jacksonville as Florida’s murder capital. She left the job during the tenure of former Mayor Alvin Brown, when the Jacksonville Journey changed focus, and lost funding (the recession also played a role in that, it’s been pointed […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 14, 2016

In an email, Jacksonville’s CAO, Sam Mousa, told one of those A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Next Level stories about the Alvin Brown administration. This one affects the Bob Hayes Track Meet. “It came to our attention via the Council Auditor this week that the Brown administration did not have a contract executed before […]

Melissa RossFebruary 10, 2016

JAX Chamber Chairwoman Audrey Moran has made it clear she’s comfortable with diverging from City Hall on the issue of the the city’s human rights ordinance. Moran, herself a former mayoral candidate, says “she really doesn’t understand the motives” behind recent moves to table two competing pieces of legislation looking at covering Jacksonville’s LGBT residents […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 9, 2016

Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is gone from City Hall, but not forgotten, if WJXT’s latest slab of anti-Brown red meat is worth noting. The issue this time: inventory control. $4.3 million of city property was lost from 2010 to July 1, 2015. And a big part of the reason? A lack of a meaningful inventory […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 4, 2016

One of the more surprisingly compelling political stories in Jacksonville in the second half of 2015: the chaos at the local utility, JEA. You saw the mayor, Lenny Curry, sending emails to top staff members asking “what the hell is going on” with the board of directors. You saw board members blasting media for covering its […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 3, 2016

In the 2015 May election, Tommy Hazouri was the leading citywide vote getter. The former mayor was buoyed by an interesting coalition: voters who remembered his tenure as mayor with fondness, along with young people energized by his proactive stance on Human Rights Ordinance expansion. His appeal crossed party lines; his messaging hit the same […]

Melissa RossFebruary 3, 2016

The city of Jacksonville is no longer taking part in the Rockefeller Foundation’s “100 Resilient Cities” Initiative. The program awards cities around the world $1 million grants to address issues such as sea level rise and extreme weather. Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown applied for the grant and received it, but under the Lenny Curry […]

Tag: Alvin Brown
Israel after Iranian missile strike. Image via AP.

Matt Schellenberg talks Uber, John Keane, “Teflon John” Delaney, and Katrina Brown

Hung jury in Zakee Furqan voter fraud case requires March retrial

Katrina Brown: “HRO was not my campaign”

Jax Journey 2.0 to look at jobs for at-risk kids: “our teenagers haven’t had enough focus”

Sam Mousa drops another amusing Alvin Brown administration anecdote

Audrey Moran on Lenny Curry: “I made it clear to him I was disappointed” on HRO

Debit-gate revisited: WJXT hits Alvin Brown over inventory control

After bad press and board flux, JEA on path to stability again

Tommy Hazouri contemplates leadership, legacy, and the HRO

Jacksonville drops out of “100 Resilient Cities” initiative