Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiDecember 7, 2016

[Updated: 6:40 p.m. with commentary from Mike Weinstein, at the bottom of the piece.] In the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee Wednesday, Mike Weinstein, the city’s CFO, and Tim Johnson, the director of the Police and Fire Pension Fund, discussed a “waiver” in pension cost allocations that had been controversial in recent news cycles. Their joint appearance was […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 7, 2016

Two bills related to sports and entertainment cleared the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee on Wednesday. The first bill would increase city-imposed ticket surcharges for the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jax, and the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, while adding surcharges for events at the under construction amphitheater and flex field at […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 5, 2016

Sports and entertainment legislation took center stage Monday morning in a Jacksonville City Council committee, with three significant bills considered. The first was the biggest talker. A bill increasing city-imposed ticket surcharges for the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jax, and the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, while adding surcharges for events […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

The Jacksonville Journey is in line to receive almost a million dollars in federal money, via a bill that passed Finance — the third and final Council committee to consider it — on Wednesday. This grant was first announced in the Jax Journey Oversight Committee meeting in late September. The two-year grant facilitates data analysis regarding the best way […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

On Wednesday, the Finance Committee of the Jacksonville City Council became the third and final committee to approve revisions to the Tourist Development Council schematic. The bill was approved 5-1, with Aaron Bowman in dissent. A sticking point in committees in previous days was a provision in the bill that the current and most recent council […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 14, 2016

The revival of the Jacksonville Journey was a signature campaign pledge of Mayor Lenny Curry. But over 16 months into his term, violent crime continues in Jacksonville, with a spree of shootings over the weekend. Though the Jacksonville Journey has never been represented as a quick fix for violent crime so much as a program to drive […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 14, 2016

Jacksonville has changed a lot since the late 1970s. But the city’s tourist development plan remains as it was when originally implemented almost 40 years ago. With that in mind, Council President Lori Boyer brought forth a bill Monday morning to the Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services Committee with some revisions to charter language regarding the […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 2, 2016

Progress on the eventual re-development of the Jacksonville Shipyards likely will be measured in months, if not years, if a Wednesday meeting of the Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee is any indication. Back in 2014, an ordinance was passed by the same legislative body to fund cleanup of the Shipyards in advance of a sale […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 9, 2016

On Sunday, Governor Rick Scott toured damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in Jacksonville Beach. Scott, who has been adamant that President Obama expand his disaster declaration issued on Saturday, reiterated his desire to have that done. “We all pay our taxes,” the governor said, and “we ought to get reimbursed.” Meanwhile, the governor otherwise focused on the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 4, 2016

In July, the Florida Environmental Regulatory Commission fast-tracked a decision to weaken water quality standards, allowing more benzene and other wastewater chemicals to be released in Florida waterways. In October, a Jacksonville City Council committee (Public Health and Safety) approved unanimously a resolution to express opposition and urge reconsideration of the recommendations sent to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. In doing […]

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Rodney Guttman, image via University of West Florida.

Jacksonville CFO: money in $44M pension “waiver” is “hiccup” compared to total liability

Ticket surcharge, temporary seat bills clear Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee

Jacksonville City Council prepares to increase ticket surcharges

Million-dollar Jax Journey grant clears final council committee

Duval County TDC tweaks clear final Jacksonville City Council committee

Jacksonville Journey discussion reveals fissures on council panel

Jacksonville council panel OKs revision of tourist development plan

Glacial progress on revamp of Jacksonville Shipyards continues

Rick Scott tours Jacksonville Beach, discusses hurricane recovery

Jacksonville council panel pushes back on relaxed state surface water quality standards