Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 2, 2018

2018 began for the Jacksonville City Council with some holdover business from 2017: a proposed lessening of residency distance requirements for sexual predators. The bill has been around since September, and is headed toward the graveyard of dead bills. Councilors spiked it by a 2-5 margin Tuesday in the Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 14, 2017

The opioid overdose epidemic continues in Jacksonville, and a Jacksonville City Council Special Committee is still addressing the matter. Even as legislators mull a path forward on treatment, the city is also considering legal action against pharmaceutical companies — continuing a trend we are seeing nationwide. Committee Chairman Bill Gulliford told a story of a 29 […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 6, 2017

A Jacksonville City Council bill that would lower distance requirements between the residences of sexual predators and day care centers/schools was deferred Monday in its first committee. Current ordinance mandates a 2,500 feet distance; the bill would lower the distance to 1,500 feet, which is still higher than the state requirement of 1,000 feet. Councilman Bill Gulliford, the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 17, 2017

On Monday and Tuesday, Jacksonville City Council panels OK’d a resolution (2017-674) to allow the city’s general counsel to “investigate and pursue” a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. Full Council approval will be a formality and will almost certainly be conferred next week. The resolution calls out “pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors” as potential lawsuit targets, yet […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 9, 2017

To the surprise of no one plugged into Jacksonville politics, Neptune Beach City Councilor Rory Diamond is making a play for the Jacksonville City Council. Diamond launched his campaign this week to replace termed-out Bill Gulliford in District 13, after setting up a political committee (“For the Beaches”) that will offer help as needed. Diamond, an […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 3, 2017

Rory Diamond, a member of the Neptune Beach City Council, filed Tuesday to replace termed out Bill Gulliford on the Jacksonville City Council. Diamond, a former federal prosecutor and current CEO of “K9s for Warriors“, currently has no opposition on the 2019 ballot. Diamond was first elected in 2016; the Island Times reports that in 2014, a […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 26, 2017

Jacksonville television viewers spent Friday evening watching footage of Jacksonville City Councilmenbers accusing local cops of racial profiling. On Tuesday evening, those Councilors — Reggie Gaffney, who was pulled over for driving with a tag he’d reported stolen; and Katrina Brown, driving behind Gaffney, who accused the officers of racially-profiling her Council colleague — will be two of 19 […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2017

Sewage spills. Flawed communication with customers. Dead stoplights and live wires in the street. A board not accountable to City Hall. These are just a few of the issues vexing local policy makers as the week ends. A story percolating just beneath the surface of Jacksonville coverage of Irma: disquiet of local officials with the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 31, 2017

Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche requested an inventory of the city’s Confederate monuments from the Parks Department, and it was provided this week. What it reveals: three monuments, put in place between 1898 and 1926; and eight historic markers. The monuments include the Confederate Monument in Hemming Park, the ‘Monument to the Women of the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry prioritized improving the city’s financial picture as a candidate in 2015, and in 2017 there was strong evidence that happened. The city has strong bond ratings — AA- — and the market’s confidence was reflected in $388 million of offers on $145M worth of bonds this week. Curry noted Wednesday that “demand […]

Tag: Bill Gulliford
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Jacksonville Council panel rejects change to sexual predator distance requirements

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Jax Council panel defers bill changing sexual predator distance requirements

Jacksonville City Council to sue Big Pharma over opioid distribution

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Rory Diamond launches run for Jacksonville City Council

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