Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiDecember 8, 2015

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, the final one before the Jacksonville public utility’s trip to New York for pivotal meetings with bond-rating agencies, was not expected to have drama. One pragmatic reason for such an expectation: Bond agencies might not look favorably on the kind of morality play theater that has become a staple of JEA […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 3, 2015

A recent Jacksonville politics controversy has been over largesse from the Jaguars to members of Jacksonville’s City Council. The largesse included passes to the owner’s box, distributed outside of approved channels, and the gift of Tiffany champagne flutes. Jaguars lobbyist Paul Harden and city Ethics Officer Carla Miller had exchanged emails on acceptable gifts recently, and so […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 30, 2015

A packed Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee meeting Monday included what Chairman Bill Gulliford described as a “dog and pony show” related to Jaguars stadium upgrades and an update on the Police and Fire Pension Fund imbroglio, among other issues. If this were pro wrestling, it would be a supercard. Paul Harden, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ superlobbyist, was on […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 25, 2015

If you’re reading this, you likely have a positive relationship with the Thanksgiving holiday. This should be especially true for the doughty stalwarts of the #JaxPol universe, where seemingly everyone, from the congressional level down to City Council, have tangible things for which they should be grateful. U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, for one, can be grateful […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 24, 2015

The penultimate Jacksonville City Council meeting of the year, on “getaway day” before Thanksgiving break unofficially begins, had, in theory, a light agenda with expected heavy public comment on the HRO and related issues. In practice, though the agenda was light and the public comment was robust, the HRO commentary was surprisingly muted. The agenda […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 24, 2015

The JEA Agreement Committee meeting last week brimmed with optimism over getting close to an accord on the contribution proposal. Would Tuesday’s meeting brim with similar good feeling and bonhomie? Not so much. JEA CEO Paul McElroy noted that “given where we are with our governance structure,” it would be necessary to have the board consider […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 24, 2015

On Tuesday at high noon, a conference room in Jacksonville City Council’s offices had a Vehicles for Hire committee meeting, including Councilmen Bill Gulliford, Matt Schellenberg, Garrett Dennis, Jim Love, Anna Brosche, Reggie Gaffney, and Council President Greg Anderson. The Tuesday meeting’s main event: a phone-in presentation from Broward County Assistant County Attorney Annika Ashton regarding Broward’s Transportation Networking Company regulations, recently imposed […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 23, 2015

The name of the south Jacksonville sign shop where Florida Governor Rick Scott unveiled his “Florida First” budget on Monday, Harbinger Signs (a business in Jacksonville for 53 years now), had a Thomas Pynchon quality. Expected going in, as a “harbinger” of the Monday event: an announcement that Florida would have a record $29.8 billion of general […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 18, 2015

Bill Gulliford celebrated his 72nd birthday by chairing the JEA Agreement meeting, promising, at long last, an extended discussion of the contribution formula, before a vote on it next Tuesday. The proposal specs: a 10-year agreement, starting October 2016; a contribution floor of $114,187,538; a reset of tax millage to achieve the floor; an annual […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2015

On Monday, Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson met with Rules Committee Chair Matt Schellenberg (and a room full of interested parties from the taxi cab industry) regarding vehicles for hire, a legislative issue that Council has, of yet, no easy answers to. A special subcommittee might change that. Anderson: “where we left this off… we […]

Tag: Bill Gulliford

JEA Agreement meeting addresses contribution “floor”

The Case of the Tiffany Champagne Flutes, revisited

Jax Finance Committee OKs amphitheater deal

Thanksgiving, the #JaxPol edition

Jax City Council light on agenda, heavy on public comment

JEA Agreement contribution negotiations snag because of board turnover

Broward County Assistant Attorney presents to Jax Vehicles for Hire Committee

Rick Scott unveils “Florida First” budget at Jax sign shop

JEA Agreement meeting addresses contribution formula proposal

Jax Vehicles for Hire subcommittee being formed, to meet 11/24 at noon