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Staff ReportsAugust 28, 2018

An initiative to pass a half-cent sales tax for Washington County public schools passed at the ballot box Tuesday. The measure, aimed at funding facility and technology improvements in the school district, received nearly 58 percent of the vote, with all precincts reporting. The rural county, about 100 miles west of Tallahassee, has a population […]

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 17, 2016

On Wednesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry pitched County Referendum 1 — which would authorize a half-cent sales tax extension to address the city’s $2.8 billion unfunded pension liability — to the Southside Business Men’s Club, where one of his most recurrent political opponents is a member. After the March 2015 first election, when the endorsement of […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2016

State Sen. Audrey Gibson voted to authorize Jacksonville to have a ballot referendum to extend the current half-cent tax devoted to infrastructure past its 2030 sunset date to address the unfunded liability. She even co-introduced the bill. But that’s the last vote she’ll cast for the measure. On Monday night, Gibson saw her name on the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2016

Though two former Jacksonville City Council presidents, Bill Bishop and Stephen Joost, went to the press in opposition to County Referendum 1, which would authorize the extension of the half-cent sales tax through 2060 to deal with the $2.8 billion unfunded actuarial liability on public pensions, five more came out in support of the measure Thursday. Former […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 5, 2016

Jacksonville lawyer John Winkler is one of the most outspoken opponents of extending the half-cent sales tax to deal with the city’s unfunded pension liability. To that end he has mobilized, with a political committee, a ubiquity in comment threads, and on Tuesday, he threw down the gauntlet to debate. “I hereby offer you a public opportunity […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 3, 2016

Along the lines of its commercials, currently airing on Jacksonville television in heavy rotation, “Yes for Jacksonville” pushed out a long-form web video this week as part of its closing argument for why the half-cent sales tax should be extended to re-amortize and retire the $2.7 billion unfunded actuarial liability faced by Jacksonville’s public pensions. […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 21, 2016

On Wednesday night, when the eyes of the political universe were on Cleveland, former RPOF chair and current Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was closer to home, at Bistro Aix in San Marco. Curry, who’d been elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, stood down for an alternate. In fact, up until Wednesday evening, he hadn’t […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 12, 2016

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In a wide-ranging interview Monday, former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney explained why he thinks Angela Corey is getting a bad rap, talked about the 4th Congressional District campaign, spoke about Corrine Brown and what the media’s missing there, and opined on the pension-tax push. And, as well, he left the door open to voting third-party in November, given the […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 28, 2016

St. Johns County Commissioner Bill McClure may be a long shot in the race for the Republican nomination in Florida’s 4th Congressional District, which contains Nassau County and parts of Duval and St. Johns counties. But he seems to be predicating his campaign strategy on opposition to the signature issue of Jacksonville’s political establishment: the Aug. […]

Tag: half cent sales tax

Half-cent sales tax measure passes in Washington County

Jax referendum opponents coalesced, but too late to matter

Lenny Curry sells the pension tax to Southside Business Men’s Club

After flyer flap, Audrey Gibson comes out against Jax pension tax

Former Jax Council presidents back pension tax referendum

Pension tax opponent challenges Lenny Curry to debate

‘Yes for Jacksonville’ releases longform web video pushing pension tax

Lenny Curry, Tommy Hazouri sell pension tax to Jax ‘future leaders’

John Delaney talks Angela Corey, Corrine Brown, Donald Trump

Congressional candidate Bill McClure announces ‘digital ad buy,’ anti-pension tax petition