Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 6, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council Transportation, Energy, and Utilities (TEU) committee mulled a resolution regarding moving the Inspector General‘s office into the City Hall building and consolidating some employees and space with the Ethics Department. Ultimately, the bill was deferred for two cycles. Yet the discussion revealed unresolved conflicts between Council VP John Crescimbeni and 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 […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 20, 2016

“You won’t have Gulliford to kick around anymore.” Those Nixonian words, said by Finance Chair Bill Gulliford at the end of the last committee meeting under his chairmanship, kicked off the agenda meeting, a prelude to the last Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee meeting before leadership of the Council and committees changes at the end of […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 7, 2016

On an otherwise quiet Tuesday in the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee, the panel moved to remove the provision that the inspector general shall not have been employed by city government or any other governmental entity within two years before before being selected, unless the appointment was in the IG’s office. The bill, moved on an […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 31, 2016

So who won the Jacksonville City Council leadership elections last week? The prima facie answer: President-designate Lori Boyer and Vice President-designate John Crescimbeni. Beyond those two obvious winners, some people’s stock went up, and some people’s went down. The pitch Crescimbeni made to Danny Becton, one of his supporters in his 10-to-9 victory, was illustrative. To paraphrase: […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2016

In the Jacksonville City Council leadership elections, the main event was anticlimactic. Everyone knew current Vice President Lori Boyer would be voted in as president-designate, offering meaningful continuity after the presidency of Greg Anderson. However, the VP-designate race between Doyle Carter and John Crescimbeni offered considerably more drama, with both men deadlocked at eight pledges each ahead of the special […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 20, 2016

On Friday, the Jacksonville City Council’s Special Economic Development Incentives Committee finalized a draft version of the city’s public investment policy, which has been discussed at previous meetings, finishing two years of dedicated work spanning two mayoral administrations. Included: countywide programs; state programs, such as qualified targeted industries; programs for economically distressed areas; programs for […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 16, 2016

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An ordinance appropriating $250,000 from Jacksonville City Council contingency funds to construct a stage at downtown’s Hemming Park was approved Monday by a 6-to-1 vote of the Finance Committee after over an hour of discussion. There were some sticking points beforehand. Multiple members of the committee expressed serious qualms about this particular deal, and about the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 10, 2016

Passage of 2016-300, which authorizes the referendum to extend the half-cent Better Jacksonville Plan sales tax to address the city’s $2.7 billion unfunded pension liability, seemed to be a certainty before Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council meeting. After public comment, hand wringing from some council members, and tub thumping from others, it was approved 19 to 0 […]

Tag: Anna Brosche

Jax Council Finance committee addresses budget items

Jax council panel defers bill to move inspector general office into city hall

Jax City Council begins budget deliberations

Slots bill hits jackpot in Jax Council Finance committee

Jax Council Rules committee relaxes inspector general ‘2-year rule’

Who emerged as the winners & losers from Jacksonville’s City Council leadership elections?

Jax City Council elects Lori Boyer president, John Crescimbeni vice-president

Jax economic development incentives committee firms up public investment policy

Jax Council Finance OKs $250,000 for Hemming Park stage

Jacksonville City Council authorizes August pension tax referendum