Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 16, 2016

Could Corrine Brown lose her primary in Congressional District 5? If the Florida Times-Union editorial page has something to say about it, yes. On Monday, less than 24 hours before yet another court date for the Jacksonville Democrat (this one a status of counsel hearing, seemingly re-affirming the hiring of Greg Kehoe last week), Jacksonville’s paper of record weighed in, […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 8, 2016

In a letter delivered Monday to Florida Times-Union editor Frank Denton, Public Defender Matt Shirk called on the Jacksonville newspaper to withhold endorsement in the 4th Circuit public defender race. The problem, said Shirk, stemmed from his late July editorial board interview, which “shocked” and “disappointed” Shirk. Hank Coxe, a supporter of Shirk’s opponent, is a citizen member of […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 25, 2016

On Monday, an emphatic Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry pushed back against the untimely release of a draft version of a sheriff’s task force report saying County Referendum 1 — extending the current half-cent sales tax to address pension costs — wasn’t going far enough without a millage hike accompanying it. The genesis of the Monday morning presser […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 27, 2016

The big story of the weekend in the Florida Times-Union involved a fillet knife being taken (metaphorically, to be clear) to Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Gaffney. Among the issues explored: the “tumult” in Gaffney’s first year in office; the councilman’s relationship with Rep. Corrine Brown; and the financial operations of his Community Rehabilitation Center (CRC), which was subpoenaed earlier […]

Jim RosicaJune 15, 2016

The liquid left over from making methamphetamine can be counted toward its weight for criminal charging purposes, an appellate court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal issued its unanimous opinion Wednesday in the case of Ryan Wilder. He was convicted on murder and methamphetamine trafficking charges following a February 2012 drug bust […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 4, 2016

On Saturday evening, Florida Times-Union President Mark Nusbaum announced to employees via email that the 1 Riverside property, the iconic HQ of the T-U for decades, will be put up for “sale or potential development” in the next few days. The email claims that the paper is on “sound financial footing” and will “continue to operate […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 3, 2016

On Thursday, the Florida Times-Union reported on a setback for a family business of Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown. Councilwoman Brown’s CoWealth LLC was found to be in default for $590,000 in loans and grants, related to Jerome Brown BBQ Sauce, a barbecue sauce manufacturing company that hasn’t ramped up as quickly as was intended when Brown’s family […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 3, 2016

Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown, in what some will frame as a response to a Florida Times-Union article delineating the slow progress at her family’s city-subsidized barbeque sauce company, notes that “we are currently still hiring” in a Sunday morning Facebook post. Resumes are to be sent to [email protected] and there will be live interviews […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 2, 2016

Jon McGowan, former owner of McGowan Firearms, should’ve had his Kevlar handy when The Florida Times-Union took aim Monday. Their charge is that overdue sales taxes should have blocked McGowan from getting a $150,000 grant from the Jacksonville Tourist Development Council to promote his Shooting and Outdoor Convention. The TDC guidelines require being current in […]

Tag: Florida Times-Union

Jax referendum opponents coalesced, but too late to matter

Corrine Brown has bigger issues than a newspaper endorsement

Matt Shirk calls on Florida Times-Union not to endorse in public defender’s race

Lenny Curry describes leak of task force draft report panning pension tax as ‘purely political’

Reggie Gaffney: ‘People believe the Florida Times-Union is a racist paper’

Meth juice can be counted for charging purposes, court says

Florida Times-Union HQ to be ‘for sale or potential development’ soon

A brief interview with Jax Councilwoman Katrina Brown

Jax Councilwoman’s BBQ sauce plant is hiring… finally

Jon McGowan: “I know I’m an easy target”