Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 7, 2016

On an otherwise quiet Tuesday in the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee, the panel moved to remove the provision that the inspector general shall not have been employed by city government or any other governmental entity within two years before before being selected, unless the appointment was in the IG’s office. The bill, moved on an […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee, again, addressed Bill Gulliford and his bill prohibiting Council members from texting or exchanging other written communication with lobbyists, union representatives, or members of the Council on Wednesday. As was the case two weeks ago, there was pushback, including from Council members whose verboten texts in September led to the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 20, 2016

The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee had an active agenda on Tuesday, highlighted by term limits, texting, and other hot button issues. The most interesting thing on the agenda: a bill they all voted against. Rules came together and downed a measure to increase the statute of limitations on ethics complaints from 2 years to […]

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 delightful #jaxpol subplot has been the continuing controversy over what gifts are acceptable outlays from the Jacksonville Jaguars to Jacksonville’s City Council members and members of the executive branch. Even as Jacksonville public officials wrestle over the seemingly inevitable $45 million capital outlay on the latest round of stadium improvements, with THREE more committees […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 3, 2015

Jacksonville residents often see the cutely titled Kismet on the Riverwalk. That’s Shad Khan‘s yacht: the embodiment of the new Gilded Age, gleaming from end to end, with brass rails reflecting the unrelenting Jacksonville sun like a smile from God himself. However, relatively few have access to the Kismet. This writer has yet to be […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 3, 2015

Tuesday’s meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee drew a less robust crowd than the one two weeks ago, both in terms of interested parties and interested media. The highlight: Jacksonville Ethics Commission Chairman Joe Jacquot came to discuss the pending legislation barring texting during Council meetings. Jacquot noted that, during the Ethics Commission […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 21, 2015

In a Wednesday evening memo, Jacksonville General Counsel Jason Gabriel took issue with City Council for a variety of deviations from best practices regarding text messages during the budget deliberations, and their slow responses to public records requests. Gabriel was explicit in contending that willful violations of Florida’s Sunshine and public records laws carry potential criminal […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 16, 2015

Does Shad Khan need an even bigger scoreboard? It would seem that way, given the free and easy access Jacksonville City Council members apparently have to the owner’s box as indicated by an email by Ethics Director Carla Miller. She sent the missive to local Jags-and-everything-else lobbyist Paul Harden and General Counsel Jason Gabriel over owner’s […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 16, 2015

For a measure of how seriously people in Jacksonville City Hall take the recent spate of imbroglios related to boards and commissions, look no further than an exasperated email from Jacksonville Ethics Compliance and Oversight Director Carla Miller to Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa. “We need to step up Board Ethics training; they need to come […]

Tag: Carla Miller

Jax Council Rules committee relaxes inspector general ‘2-year rule’

Jax Council Rules Committee OKs ban on in-meeting written communications

Jax Council Rules Committee spikes ethics proposal

The Case of the Tiffany Champagne Flutes, revisited

Jaguars lobbyist Paul Harden mansplains, throws shade at Jax Ethics office

How much does it cost to party on Shad Khan’s yacht?

Ethics Commission chairman talks texting ban with Jax City Council Rules Committee

Jax general counsel smacks down City Council for budget night “Text-Ghazi”

Jags box tickets “flowing” to council members draw ethics slap

Jax ethics chief urges after-hours training sessions