Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 18, 2016

Wu-Tang Clan’s immortal question “Can it all be so simple?” does not apply to the race to be the next Jacksonville City Council vice president. By the end of Tuesday, four candidates will have emerged. What looked to be at first glance a binary contest for City Council vice president-elect now appears headed toward a […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

““Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” — John Adams “If we’d had a referendum in 1965, I’d still be on the back of the bus.” — Denise Hunt A light legislative agenda on Jacksonville’s City Council was offset by dozens of […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 5, 2016

Tuesday’s meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee was not without its highlights. — Chief Financial Officer Mike Weinstein was on hand, discussing the extension of the 1/2 cent Better Jacksonville Plan tax to pay for the Unfunded Liability on public pensions, a presentation he had made earlier on Tuesday in RCDPHS. Weinstein, on his […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 5, 2016

Jacksonville City Council’s Tuesday Recreation, Community Development, Public Health, and Safety (RCDPHS) committee meeting was highlighted by Pension Tax and Public Health talk, and an extended discussion of a controversial Fire and Rescue salary allocation from September’s budget hearings. The Health Department’s Kelly Wells announced new initiatives, such as the 60 Days to Better Health challenge […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 30, 2015

There’s no doubt 2015 was an amazing year in Jacksonville politics. A new mayor, 11 new members of City Council, and intrigue in Corrine Brown’s redistricting saga were among a few top-level highlights. While we have a reasonable sense of what happened in Jacksonville politics in 2015, the next question is what happens in 2016. Hence, a […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 21, 2015

On Monday morning, members of the Jacksonville City Council wrestled again with Consolidation Task Force recommendations. Just a few of the highlights: • A Jacksonville Strategic Planning Commission was discussed, with Finance Chairman Bill Gulliford pushing for it to be considered in Rules. Rules Chairman Matt Schellenberg then renewed his call for three terms, discussing […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 8, 2015

After a grueling round of committee hearings, the only question regarding the Jacksonville City Council’s approval of a $45 million investment into EverBank Field upgrades was this. Would it be 19 to 0? Or would dissident Danny Becton stand his ground and vote against the measure, as he did in two Committees? It turned out that […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 3, 2015

World AIDS Day was on Tuesday this year, and most people understood the significance of it, including in Jacksonville. However, there was one notable exception, one given a national forum by The New York Times. One who has been among the leading voices against the expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance to address the needs […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2015

Rules, the third Jacksonville City Council committee deliberating the bill, approved the EverBank Field amphitheater package on Tuesday afternoon without even a moment of committee discussion. The bill allocates $90 million for stadium improvements, including a new amphitheater, a covered practice field, and other enhancements to the Sports Complex. With no discussion at all, Rules […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2015

The vote, much like the Jaguars’ game against New England this year, was never in doubt. With heavy backing from the Lenny Curry administration throughout the process, Jacksonville City Council’s Recreation, Community Development, Public Health, and Safety Committee unanimously OK’d the city’s $45 million allocation for the improvements to EverBank Field, which include a covered practice […]

Tag: Doyle Carter
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Jax Council VP race to Balkanize on Tuesday

HRO expansion talk roils Jax City Council

Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee discusses pension tax plan

Jax rec committee talks public health, pension tax plan, JFRD budget

A.G. Gancarski’s 12 predictions in 2016 for Jacksonville politics

Jax Council members discuss term limits, committee structure

Jax City Council approves EverBank Field upgrades 19-0, a “legacy for this council”

HRO opponent Raymond Johnson victim blames on World AIDS Day

With no discussion, Jax Rules Committee greenlights Jags stadium improvements

2nd Jax city panel, recreation committee, OKs Jaguars’ amphitheater bill