Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiOctober 5, 2015

The first Northeast Florida State House hopeful to file a fundraising report for September, HD 12 Republican Don Redman, had an easy time of it. Redman, a Jacksonville Republican who served two terms on City Council from 2007 to 2015, has raised just over $8,000 since launching his campaign in January, 2015. However, he had nothing to report […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 21, 2015

On Thursday night, Tim McGraw played Jacksonville. Virtually everyone but this writer seemingly was there. Among those attending: three of the biggest power players in #jaxpol. Jax Chamber President Daniel Davis, Council President Greg Anderson, and, wearing a 10-gallon hat that his childhood idol Dusty Rhodes would have endorsed, Mayor Lenny Curry. Davis has spoken often in public, as recently […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 17, 2015

Jacksonville is known for its discussion of art in public places. From former Council President Clay Yarborough‘s exquisite pearl clutching over an exhibit in MOCA that dared to show bare breasts to Chip Southworth and the furor he created as Keith Haring’s Ghost, Jacksonville has spirited discussions with strong opinions on both sides. (Let’s leave aside, for a […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 9, 2015

June was another month of underwhelming fundraising for former Jacksonville City Councilman Don Redman. He raised $1,020, bringing his not-so-grand total to $3,930. No big-name contributors donated and many contributions were less than $100. We await his opponent, fellow former Councilman Richard Clark, to report June numbers. He raised a little more than $48,000 through May Clark […]

Melissa RossJune 22, 2015

Arguing that Jacksonville is becoming an increasingly diverse community, city activists who’ve long pushed for “inclusive prayer” to open city council meetings say they’ll make their voices heard again at Tuesday night’s session. Under the leadership of outgoing Council President Clay Yarborough, a Christian invocation typically has been recited to open the government meetings. That […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2015

When it comes to the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension, nothing is easy. Not even a 4-1 vote by the Police and Fire Pension Board to approve 2015-304, the agreement passed by Jacksonville’s City Council by a 14-4 margin at last week’s meeting. A lot of passions were stirred; passions about making sure the first […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 11, 2015

The strain of medical marijuana legalized in Florida is Charlotte’s Web: a high-CBD variant of the plant with minimal THC content. For the Legislature, Charlotte’s Web has been more like a Russian novel, with a panoply of twists and turns involving virtually every part of the regulatory framework. In Jacksonville, it’s going to take at […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 10, 2015

The big news that came out of Jacksonville’s City Council meeting on Tuesday night is the passage of 2015-304: the Police and Fire Pension Deal, by a 14-4 margin. Those against it (Lori Boyer, John Crescimbeni, Bill Bishop, and Matt Schellenberg) made their arguments. But the fact was that Councilman Bill Gulliford and his impassioned […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 3, 2015

There are, to be sure, a few secrets that are closely guarded in Duval County politics. However, the new Jacksonville City Council president and vice-president were not among them. Councilmembers-elect were confirming even last week that the new president would be Greg Anderson and Lori Boyer would be the next vice-president. So it was written. And […]

Melissa RossApril 29, 2015

He hasn’t even been sworn in yet, but incoming Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson is already experiencing the headaches of leadership. Susan Aertker of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has emailed Anderson to ask him to (once again) change the rules about Council meetings and sectarian vs. inclusive prayers during the invocation. Under […]

Tag: Clay Yarborough
Gabrielle Russon

HD 12 Don Redman fundraising flatlines in September

Cowboy up: one picture shows the coalescing of Jax power

Controversial Falun Dafa exhibit debuts in Jacksonville City Hall

Don Redman struggles with fundraising in HD 12

Activists to Jax City Council: Go back to “inclusive prayer”

Emotions run high as Jax Police and Fire Pension Board OKs deal

Medical marijuana distribution in Jacksonville needs more enlightened approach

Bill Gulliford wins: Jacksonville passes police and fire pension deal 14-4

Greg Anderson, Lori Boyer elected as Jax Council officers

Email insights: Sectarian prayer issue flares up again at Jax City Council