Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 14, 2015

Monday’s meeting of City Councils Neighborhood Improvement and Enhancement Committee was to be highlighted by subcommittee presentations about the persistent issues of vehicle requirements and backing cars into driveways. However, the real highlight ended up being a committee inquiry into federal law, overly restrictive FCC guidelines relative to robocalls, and a potential lawsuit against Google […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 12, 2015

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Right now, first-time candidate Leslie Jean-Bart is running unopposed as a Democrat in HD 14, even though rumors are flying that certain veteran Democrats are eyeing the race to succeed Mia Jones. The candidate’s fundraising has been modest thus far. A $250 July raised her total to $13,686. The vast majority of her contributions thus far have […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 6, 2015

One of the hallmarks of the Lenny Curry administration thus far has been increasing the transparency of the process, which many people both covering City Hall and working inside it thought was necessary. The downside: It makes events like Thursday’s presentation of transition subcommittee reports, the culmination of a process begun shortly after Curry’s election, necessarily […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 22, 2015

Optimism is the watchword at the St. James Building these days. You hear it from people on the outside, such as Jax Chamber Chairman Daniel Davis, who sent Curry a note this week that said it all: “Really glad that you are my mayor.” Spoiler alert: Don’t look for any drama when the Chamber gets […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 30, 2015

As we reported on Monday, Denise Lee will be serving in the Lenny Curry administration as Director of Blight Initiatives. After her Blight Committee meeting as part of the Curry transition operation at Jacksonville University, we were able to sit her down for an interview, in which she talked about working with Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, about where […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 29, 2015

One veteran Democratic city council member endorsed Lenny Curry. The other one vilified Alvin Brown‘s ads accusing Curry of wanting to “turn back the clock” as “race-baiting.” They were together on the council. Now Johnny Gaffney and Denise Lee will be together on Curry’s staff. Gaffney was appointed as the mayor’s liaison to Boards and Commissions and Lee was […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 23, 2015

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By an 18-0 vote, the Jacksonville City Council authorized a resolution urging Housing and Urban Development to defund Eureka Gardens. It seemed clean enough at the time. Bill Sponsor Warren Jones noted that the legislation was being studied in Shelby County, Tennessee, where the same owner had eight properties. Denise Lee added that she wanted to extend […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 11, 2015

The first meeting of the Lenny Curry transition team’s Blight Committee, chaired by E. Denise Lee, carried on the work that the city council’s ad hoc Blight Committee has done for the past couple of years. The people in the room, by and large, had not been to a meeting of Lee’s council committee. The influx of new […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 11, 2015

Denise Lee is approaching the end of her tenure on Jacksonville City Council. She has a lot to be proud of as she exits for her next venue, with smart money having her headed toward the Curry administration. Her signature achievement, however, must be considered the Blight Committee, which she has used to take aim […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 8, 2015

If I had to write my “Winners and Losers” column about the Jacksonville election again, I would put E. Denise Lee on the winners side and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown among the losers. Neither ran in 2015, yet both might as well have, given the amount of time each spent with the campaign. My reasoning? […]

Tag: Denise Lee

Jax NICE committee questions federal law, proposes suing Google in snipe sign discussion

Quiet July for Leslie Jean-Bart HD14 fundraising

Curry transition reports push Neighborhoods, Jax Journey

Garrett Dennis takes over Jax Council Blight Committee, changes name to NICE Committee

Denise Lee talks blight and her new administration role

Lenny Curry appoints Kerri Stewart chief of staff, Denise Lee, Johnny Gaffney to staff jobs

Jax Council votes for resolution asking HUD to defund Eureka Gardens; controversy ensues

Lenny Curry transition Blight Committee carries on earlier work

Future Jacksonville undersheriff talks blight enforcement

Corrine Brown, Denise Lee, and “the politics of personal destruction”