Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 14, 2017

Last week, Ron Salem became the first candidate to file for 2019’s Jacksonville City Council races. The Southside Republican, running to replace termed-out John Crescimbeni in At-Large Group 2, is almost immediately set up as the candidate to beat in that race. The proof: an invite for a fundraiser next week, featuring an all-star list of supporters that […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 10, 2017

Local Republican insider Ron Salem is the first of dozens of candidates to file to run for Jacksonville City Council in 2019. Salem filed to run in At Large Group 2 — a seat held by longtime Councilman John Crescimbeni, who will be termed out the same year. Salem has a connection to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. He […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 29, 2016

Jacksonville politics is like a Southern family reunion: there are characters of all types. The 2017 list points out ten of those members of the #Jaxpol family who are uniquely positioned to be in the headlines for one reason or another. We are hoping that 2016 was an outlier year for scandals, and are not projecting […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 29, 2016

The last eight months in Jacksonville politics have been dominated by one referendum. County Referendum 1, which would allow Jacksonville to extend a current 1/2-cent sales surtax past its sunset and to dedicate it to a $2.8 billion unfunded pension liability, is that referendum. Mayor Lenny Curry and his political machine have done everything they could […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2016

What if someone called a press conference and Jacksonville City Council “public comment” broke out? That was the scene Wednesday as a half-dozen opponents of County Referendum 1 — the so-called “pension tax” vote, which would extend a current half-cent sales tax past its current sunset date in 2030 and devote it to the $2.85 billion […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 17, 2016

On Wednesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry pitched County Referendum 1 — which would authorize a half-cent sales tax extension to address the city’s $2.8 billion unfunded pension liability — to the Southside Business Men’s Club, where one of his most recurrent political opponents is a member. After the March 2015 first election, when the endorsement of […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2016

Though two former Jacksonville City Council presidents, Bill Bishop and Stephen Joost, went to the press in opposition to County Referendum 1, which would authorize the extension of the half-cent sales tax through 2060 to deal with the $2.8 billion unfunded actuarial liability on public pensions, five more came out in support of the measure Thursday. Former […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2016

On a sweltering Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry convened with local police and fire union heads and AFSCME members to receive the union’s backing for County Referendum 1, the Aug. 30 plebiscite that would extend the current half-cent sales tax from 2030 to 2060, with the revenue used to guarantee payoff of the $2.8 billion unfunded pension […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 1, 2016

Former Jacksonville City Councilman and mayoral candidate Bill Bishop is considering a return to Jacksonville’s City Council in 2019, he told Florida Politics Monday. Bishop, who served two terms, is thinking over a run to fill what would be the open At Large seat of John Crescimbeni (assuming that Council’s proposal to extend its consecutive terms served from […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2016

U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis represents Ponte Vedra in Congress, and his wife Casey is a television chat show host. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has a campaign manager, Brian Swensen, who fulfilled a similar task for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. Yet it’s Todd Wilcox, the seeming dark horse of the Florida GOP U.S. Senate derby, who is best positioned (perhaps) to […]

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The investigator of the Alex Díaz de la Portillo's corruption case was not quite above board.

Ron Salem kicks off 2019 Jacksonville City Council race with high-powered fundraiser

Ron Salem launches 2019 run for Jacksonville City Council

10 people to watch in 2017 in Jacksonville politics

Jax referendum opponents coalesced, but too late to matter

Jax pension tax opposition limps to campaign finish

Lenny Curry sells the pension tax to Southside Business Men’s Club

Former Jax Council presidents back pension tax referendum

AFSCME backing illustrates unique marketing of Jax pension tax referendum

Bill Bishop mulling return to Jax City Council

Todd Wilcox cultivates serious Jacksonville ties