Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 18, 2017

A bill strengthening requirements that companies doing business with the city of Jacksonville hire ex-offenders was filed in Jacksonville’s city council on Wednesday. Ordinance 2016-35, filed by Councilman Garrett Dennis, is the councilman’s second ambitious piece of legislation currently live. Two weeks ago, Dennis filed a bill to fund a currently unfunded position in the Equal Opportunity/Equal Access […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 16, 2017

For the second straight cycle, the Jacksonville City Council is running its committees on a Tuesday — Thursday cycle — a consequence of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The council mulls a series of bills ahead of next week’s meeting, starting bright and early Tuesday morning in the Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services Committee. […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2017

Friday saw Jacksonville’s stakeholders convene at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday breakfast. The second of these breakfasts for Mayor Lenny Curry, his prepared remarks were focused on service. However, the city is working through a number of active civil rights issues. Among them: expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance to include LGBT people, and a […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 10, 2017

An “equal opportunity” bill introduced to the Jacksonville City Council by Garrett Dennis picked up momentum Tuesday, with a half dozen councilmembers and stakeholders attending a public notice meeting to discuss it. Dennis framed this bill as an attempt to ensure city agencies and independent authorities to “cast a broader net” in their hiring process. “This […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 4, 2017

While the introduction of another legislative attempt to expand Jacksonville’s Human Rights Ordinance drew the TV cameras Wednesday, another bill designed to remedy discrimination was introduced the same day. Councilman Garrett Dennis filed Ordinance 2017-16, “encouraging the City of Jacksonville and its independent agencies and authorities under the code to provide positive steps to correct or eliminate […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 3, 2017

Tuesday morning saw the Jacksonville City Council Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services committee greenlight a bill that frustrated it in December. The bill would increase city-imposed ticket surcharges for the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jax, and the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, while adding surcharges for events at the under construction amphitheater and […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 6, 2016

A bill allocating $70,000 t0 Jacksonville City Council members for internal costs on “neighborhood events” had gotten some pushback when introduced by Councilman Reggie Brown earlier this year. However, in the current round of committee hearings, the measure is getting traction. The measure cleared Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services on Monday. And on Tuesday, the Rules Committee […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 14, 2016

The revival of the Jacksonville Journey was a signature campaign pledge of Mayor Lenny Curry. But over 16 months into his term, violent crime continues in Jacksonville, with a spree of shootings over the weekend. Though the Jacksonville Journey has never been represented as a quick fix for violent crime so much as a program to drive […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 14, 2016

Jacksonville has changed a lot since the late 1970s. But the city’s tourist development plan remains as it was when originally implemented almost 40 years ago. With that in mind, Council President Lori Boyer brought forth a bill Monday morning to the Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services Committee with some revisions to charter language regarding the […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 2, 2016

When Jacksonville City Council President Lori Boyer took the helm this summer, she sought to expand the council’s role as a policymaking body. Primary to that charge were “special committees,” set to immediately follow the regular committee meetings every two weeks. Though some council members have voiced concerns that the special committees present a time burden, committee […]

Tag: Garrett Dennis

Ex-offender employment bill filed in Jacksonville City Council

ShotSpotter gets its shot in Jacksonville council panels

The “long game” of the civil rights struggle looms over Jacksonville MLK breakfast

Jacksonville equal opportunity ordinance picks up momentum

Jacksonville City Council to mull equal opportunity ordinance

Ticket surcharge hike, school board governance bills clear Jacksonville council panel

Neighborhood events bill clears second Jacksonville council panel

Jacksonville Journey discussion reveals fissures on council panel

Jacksonville council panel OKs revision of tourist development plan

Jacksonville City Council ‘special committees’ doing well, say chairs