Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryApril 10, 2017

With less than a month to go for the Florida Legislature Regular Session, several major issues remain unresolved. No issue is more entertaining — on a purely political basis — than the debate among Republicans on the viability of Enterprise Florida. That’s the public-private partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders where recent records show has […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 5, 2017

A Wednesday meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee moved the council one step closer to a resolution of support for the beleaguered state incentive program Enterprise Florida. Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Office of Economic Development offered its own take on Enterprise Florida, and incentive programs in general. _____ The pro-Enterprise Florida resolution cleared the Rules […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 4, 2017

When it comes to Gov. Rick Scott and Northeast Florida, is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? For the fourth time since the beginning of March, Gov. Scott was in Jacksonville Tuesday, as Scott held another “business roundtable” with Mayor Lenny Curry and other Jacksonville notables, including former mayor and UNF President […]

Mitch PerryApril 3, 2017

Bob Buckhorn announced last month that he won’t run for governor next year, saying it wasn’t worth separating himself from his family over the next couple of years. It’s certainly not for lack of how he would run his campaign, based on remarks he made on Monday in Tampa. Appearing with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, the two […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 3, 2017

Friendship on the installment plan. Golf carts at the county line. A date with Joe Camel? You’d better be 21. A “bully” on a commission. A gag rule for the public. And incentives for the donor class. These are just a few of the concepts and bills the Jacksonville City Council mulls in committees this week. […]

William PatrickApril 2, 2017

Enterprise Florida Inc. could survive 2017 after all. Established in 1996, the taxpayer-funded organization has awarded nearly $2 billion in economic incentives to private businesses to create jobs and boost the state economy. Its record is mixed, and its reputation has been scarred by exorbitant executive pay, high-profile taxpayer losses and a failure to match private […]

Peter SchorschMarch 30, 2017

In a sense, Jacksonville is the cradle of Republicanism. The city has a politically active Republican mayor. The City Council: majority Republican. Republican Governor. Republican Legislature. What could go wrong? How about the imminent end of the economic boom? Look at what’s happening to CSX. Hunter Harrison, 72, was brought in to run the operation, […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 30, 2017

In the world of search engine optimization, a discouraged practice is keyword stuffing: where a search phrase is inserted in the copy with such frequency that the search engine recognizes it as spam. The latest press release from Gov. Rick Scott may not qualify as keyword stuffing, per se. But when it comes to two of […]

Guest AuthorMarch 30, 2017

Right now, jobs and the future of Florida’s economy are in jeopardy. That’s because some politicians in Tallahassee want to eliminate Florida’s economic development programs and slash the state’s tourism marketing efforts. Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA, Florida’s economic development and tourism marketing programs, are essential to the economic well-being of our state. Eliminating Florida’s […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 29, 2017

For the second time in a fortnight, Gov. Rick Scott came to Jacksonville on Wednesday to outline the importance of Enterprise Florida. This time, he discussed the Florida Defense Alliance, which has helped bring in grants within the last year to Clay County for academic enrichment and land buffering near Camp Blanding, and Duval via Defense […]

Tag: Enterprise Florida
Uloma Ekpete Kama. Image via campaign site.

St. Petersburg officials make the case for Enterprise Florida

Drumbeat for Enterprise Florida thumps in Jacksonville’s City Hall

Encore performance: Rick Scott messages economic incentives in Jacksonville

At economic lunch, Bob Buckhorn blasts ‘Koch Brothers led ideology’ in Tallahassee

Friends with benefits: Committee week for Jacksonville City Council

House speaker’s ‘corporate welfare’ crackdown runs into Senate roadblock

Jacksonville Bold 3.31.17 — Too much of a good thing

Rick Scott touts Enterprise Florida in job growth press release

Mark Wilson, Dominic Calabro: Strangling Enterprise Florida, VISIT FLORIDA costly to Sunshine State future

Rick Scott, Lenny Curry talk economic incentives in Jacksonville