Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 26, 2016

On Friday, President Barack Obama visited the Jacksonville Saft America Batteries facility, a success story from his first-term Recovery Act, and the stimulus dollars allocated to this facility and others like it. In what could be President Obama’s last visit to Jacksonville as President, he looked back at the challenges of the early months of […]

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 10, 2016

The Jax Chamber may not be aligned with Lenny Curry on the HRO. But on the “pension tax” bill currently in Tallahassee, the Chamber and Curry are in sync. Feb. 24 will see the Chamber take a bus trip out to Tallahassee to support Curry’s pension tax proposal, which involves an extension of the Better Jacksonville […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2016

The JAX Chamber of Commerce board of directors in a prepared statement Tuesday “reaffirmed its 1992 Declaration of Community Values and urged the Jacksonville City Council to pass an all-inclusive ordinance to ensure everyone in our community has equal protection against discrimination.” “The Chamber has a long history of leading on issues of equality in […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 7, 2016

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In the House District 16 money race, rumors of the demise of Dick Kravitz have been exaggerated. December was his second straight month of five-figure fundraising. The $10,025 haul brings the Jacksonville Republican’s total up to $59,150, against $3,864 spent. Notable Kravitz backers include Councilman Jim Love, Jax Chamber Chair-elect Audrey Moran, and former Councilman Stephen Joost. Of the […]

Melissa RossDecember 23, 2015

The messaging war over expanding Jacksonville’s HRO, or human rights ordinance, is heating up as Christmas draws near, with District 3 City Councilman Aaron Bowman the latest to enter the fray Bowman’s email inbox is already drawing hate messages, advocates say, after his piece in support of updating the ordinance to cover LGBT residents appeared […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 15, 2015

Ahead of the final Jacksonville HRO “Community Conversation.” the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality held a press conference spotlighting business community support for a fully inclusive HRO. Over 274 names long, and growing. The names: not surprising. Steve Halverson of the Haskell Co., an HRO supporter the first time around. Audrey Moran, the former mayoral candidate […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 10, 2015

On Wednesday evening, former Jacksonville mayoral candidate and current Jax Chamber Chairwoman-elect Audrey Moran, at Intuition Ale Works in North Riverside, made the case for expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance. Moran, who has been unstinting in this case for years, spoke at a Jacksonville Coalition for Equality “Happy Hour” event, opening her remarks with […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 19, 2015

A narrative circulating before Lenny Curry‘s election contended that Jacksonville wasn’t getting all it could out of the annual economic development trips to London. Some said, perhaps for political reasons, that former mayor Alvin Brown was ill-suited to make the sale to multinational companies that otherwise might be persuaded to relocate to or launch operations […]

Melissa RossNovember 9, 2015

They didn’t make their original goal of electing NINE in ’15. Instead, only four women currently sit on the Jacksonville City Council in the year 2015 – Lori Boyer, Joyce Morgan, Anna Brosche, and Katrina Brown. But the “9 in 15“ movement isn’t going away. Not by a long shot. That was the message sent by powerful North Florida philanthropist Pam Paul at a weekend luncheon […]

Barack Obama visits Jacksonville, talks about progress made via 2009 Recovery Act

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

Jax Chamber bus trip to Tallahassee scheduled in support of pension tax bill

Jax Chamber backs all-inclusive HRO

HD 16’s Dick Kravitz shows fundraising strength in December

Councilan’s pro HRO op-ed generates hate mail, positive mail pushback

Jacksonville Coalition for Equality makes its business case for HRO

Audrey Moran issues Jax HRO “call to action”

Lenny Curry, Jax establishment shine in latest British business deal

Jax “9 in 15” women’s leadership movement gears up for round two