Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 21, 2016

Jacksonville is wrestling with a pension crisis decades in the making. And national media and political pressure groups are taking notice. The venerable American Spectator magazine — a bible of movement conservatism — waded into the Jacksonville public pension debate last week, throwing sharp elbows at the Northeast Florida city’s pension crisis. The Spectator hit on Jacksonville is […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 12, 2016

Some things don’t change in Jacksonville. Just as was the case before August’s County Referendum 1, an overwhelmingly approved vote that allows the city to extend a current half-cent sales tax to address the unfunded pension liability, there is a November County Referendum 1 also. The first mailer selling the slots vote looks just like the […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 22, 2016

On Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry offered opening remarks ahead of pivotal collective bargaining talks between administrators and the Jacksonville Supervisors Association. The collective bargaining is necessary, as new pension plans for new hires must be negotiated to unlock the guaranteed revenue offered after the passage of County Referendum 1, which allows the city to extend […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 2, 2016

Now that County Referendum 1 is in the books and secured financing for the city’s unfunded pension liability assured after collective bargaining, there is a reason for optimism on the Jacksonville City Hall fourth floor. A review of city emails shows that those outside the St. James Building feel the same way. A hallmark of […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 31, 2016

The northeast Florida primaries have been in the books for almost 24 hours at this writing. A review of the winners — and the losers — goes beyond the election returns to look at what happened to create these outcomes that will, in historical retrospect, seem inevitable. Winners Lenny Curry — The chattering classes told him he couldn’t get […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 30, 2016

County Referendum 1 — which will authorize the extension of Jacksonville’s half-cent sales surtax and dedicate it to funding the $2.8 billion unfunded pension liability — was passed Tuesday by a resounding number. At the time of publication of this post, the referendum was up 65 to 35 percent, with all but two precincts reporting. Jacksonville Mayor […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 29, 2016

The last eight months in Jacksonville politics have been dominated by one referendum. County Referendum 1, which would allow Jacksonville to extend a current 1/2-cent sales surtax past its sunset and to dedicate it to a $2.8 billion unfunded pension liability, is that referendum. Mayor Lenny Curry and his political machine have done everything they could […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 27, 2016

With final fundraising numbers in, “Yes for Jacksonville,” the committee selling County Referendum 1 in Duval County, raised and spent over $2.1 million. Though the effort fell shy of the $3 to $4 million some had theorized would be necessary to market the referendum, which allows for the extension of a sales tax slated for […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 26, 2016

When it comes to the “Yes for Jacksonville” campaign, designed to authorize an extension of a current half-cent sales tax pending renegotiation of public pension benefits, the best argument arguably has been saved for last. That argument: from the first lady of Jacksonville, Molly Curry, who makes the closing pitch in a mailer targeted to female voters. […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2016

What if someone called a press conference and Jacksonville City Council “public comment” broke out? That was the scene Wednesday as a half-dozen opponents of County Referendum 1 — the so-called “pension tax” vote, which would extend a current half-cent sales tax past its current sunset date in 2030 and devote it to the $2.85 billion […]

Tag: County Referendum 1
A nice warm evening in Tallahassee on a very busy street while taking this shot.

Jacksonville’s pension reform efforts get national attention

Pro-slots political committee gears up in Jacksonville

Lenny Curry speaks to negotiators ahead of collective bargaining

Financial sector reassured by Jacksonville resolving pension problem

A rundown of the winners and losers from northeast Florida’s primary elections

County Referendum 1 passes big, allowing Jacksonville to resolve $2.8B unfunded liability

Jax referendum opponents coalesced, but too late to matter

Shad Khan, Peter Rummell help ‘Yes for Jax’ finish above $2.1M raised, spent

Molly Curry features on closing argument ‘Yes for Jacksonville’ mailer

Jax pension tax opposition limps to campaign finish