Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiDecember 26, 2017

Another year is mercifully almost in the books, and with that comes another chance for this writer to offer self-recrimination for yearly predictions that looked good in January. — Prediction 1 [TRUE]: The Duval Delegation will struggle to deliver. On this one, I have to consider what the Mayor told me was the key priorities. […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 3, 2017

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The rappers Whodini posed the question way back: “Friends … how many of us have them?” When it comes to a downtown Jacksonville plaza, the once-controversial Friends of Hemming Park look poised to get a six-month extension to its contract — and some money for material improvements to the “front door to city hall” — […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 10, 2017

In Jacksonville, friendships aren’t meant to last forever. But in the case of Friends of Hemming Park, they are renewable in six-month terms. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry wrote senior staff this week with the news that the once-controversial FOHP contract would be re-upped through the end of September. “Based on our discussions with Bill Prescott, it is […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 20, 2016

Compared to other members of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s administration, Policy Director Robin Lumb has a behind the scenes role. He’s rarely at meetings of the city council – an irony, of sorts, given his term spent among that body. However, Lumb has been working on the policy side, on issues that largely are under the radar […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

On Wednesday afternoon, Jacksonville City Council members convened to discuss a recurrent topic: enforcing regulations in Hemming Park. The so-called “front door to city hall” has encountered challenges of late, with the most recent narrative twist being the mayor’s office saying last week that it was time that the “Friends of Hemming Park” experiment end. […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2016

Can new rules and stricter enforcement help to regulate the unruly denizens of one of Jacksonville’s showcase parks? Jacksonville City Council members John Crescimbeni and Scott Wilson convened Wednesday to discuss issues related to code and ordinance enforcement in Hemming Park. A recurrent issue over years is problems with park regulars drinking and engaging in other illicit […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2016

On Thursday afternoon, a Jacksonville City Council subcommittee discussed “measurements of success” for Hemming Park. The object of Thursday’s meeting, said Chair Greg Anderson, was refining those measurements and discerning the “hook” that drives traffic to parks. Previously, the committee agreed on some big-picture goals: safety, cleanliness, and business friendliness of the park. Refining those desired goals, and […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2016

The Jacksonville City Council will take yet another in an endless series of looks at the contract for the Friends of Hemming Park on Thursday afternoon. Though the long-suffering group, which manages the 1.54 acre park called “the Front Door to City Hall” by many politicians, is earmarked to receive $250,000 for six months of operation […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2016

On Tuesday, the Friends of Hemming Park group got more capital for its operations when the Jacksonville City Council appropriated $132,618. Of that total, $74,618 went into a council contingency account, related to the Southwest Airlines allocated earlier this year, with the expectation a stage would be built. Meanwhile, $58,000 was allocated for August and September, to close […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 10, 2016

In one of the longest running and most depressing soap operas in Jacksonville history, the city council’s Hemming Park special committee met Wednesday, agreeing reluctantly to amend 2016-385, which would have appropriated $150,000 to Friends of Hemming Park (FOHP). The committee opted to amend the bill to approve two months of operating funds — $29,000 a month. […]

Tag: Friends of Hemming Park
Reps. Steve Womack and Jason Crow. Image via AP.

Behold, the wreckage: A look at A.G. Gancarski’s 2017 predictions

Hemming Park money clears first Jacksonville council panel

Jacksonville re-ups Friends of Hemming Park contract for 6 months, $415K

Behind the scenes, Robin Lumb guides Jacksonville’s public policy

Uncertainty over Hemming Park’s future pervades discussion of park rules

New rules for old problems at Hemming Park

Jax City Council panel mulls how to make Hemming Park more attractive

Jacksonville City Council panel to review Hemming Park contract Thursday

Friends with benefits: Hemming Park group gets more cash

The Hemming Park experiment looks likely to limp along for a while longer