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 12, 2016

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, at least on the agenda, was dominated by two meaningful issues. The first: pension issues, in light of both the General Counsel ruling that Council, and not JEA, was the appropriative body for pay negotiations. This ruling overruled the previous General Counsel’s take on the matter earlier in the decade. As well, […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

The two-man race for the Council VP-elect between Republican Rules Chairman Matt Schellenberg and Democrat John Crescimbeni heated up Tuesday. On Monday, Crescimbeni (rumored to have a lot of oral commitments some months back) got his first signed commitment, from Republican Finance Chairman Bill Gulliford, who crossed party lines to do so. Tuesday saw Schellenberg scoring the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 7, 2016

On Wednesday, Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson sent a memo signaling that the Jacksonville HRO expansion discussion would be held in a Committee of the Whole on three Thursday afternoon meetings in February and March. On Thursday, Florida Politics spoke with Anderson, and he gave more details about why he chose that approach. Anderson, a […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 6, 2016

Tommy Hazouri wanted the Committee of the Whole to consider the fully-inclusive HRO bill he introduced. And Council President Greg Anderson obliged, albeit independently of Hazouri’s stance. On Wednesday afternoon, Anderson sent out a memo. “As President it is my responsibility to make sure we have a fair, civil, and orderly debate as we move to […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 31, 2015

In a memo, Jacksonville City Council’s Special Committee on Public Service Grants’ final recommendations were rendered. The Tuesday memo, from Committee Chairwoman Anna Brosche to Council President Greg Anderson, codifies recommendations arrived at through a series of meetings this fall. The recommendations are intended to address major problems with the public service grants project, including issues […]

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 16, 2015

In the wake of Councilman Bill Gulliford calling for a referendum on expansion of the Jacksonville Human Rights Ordinance, one thing is clear. On the HRO, there is no clarity, with business community members, Council members, and the mayor’s office all singing from different hymnals. FloridaPolitics.com caught up with various Jacksonville VIPs today, and notable was […]

Tag: Greg Anderson

Jax Council VP race to Balkanize on Tuesday

HRO expansion talk roils Jax City Council

Pension, contribution issues dominate JEA Agreement meeting

Jax Council VP race heats up; both candidates score commitments

Greg Anderson explains Committee of the Whole approach to Jax HRO

Committee of the Whole to consider Jax HRO legislation

Jax Special Committee on Public Service Grants makes final recommendations

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

Jax Council members discuss term limits, committee structure

Legislative approaches diverge on Jax HRO