Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 13, 2016

A temporary setback for the movement to expand the Human Rights Ordinance in Jacksonville was revealed Saturday, when Tommy Hazouri announced his decision to withdraw his bill… for now. Hazouri confirmed, in a conversation Saturday, that the bill will be back sooner than later. Hazouri’s decision, according to those familiar with his thinking, was driven by […]

Melissa RossFebruary 10, 2016

JAX Chamber Chairwoman Audrey Moran has made it clear she’s comfortable with diverging from City Hall on the issue of the the city’s human rights ordinance. Moran, herself a former mayoral candidate, says “she really doesn’t understand the motives” behind recent moves to table two competing pieces of legislation looking at covering Jacksonville’s LGBT residents […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 8, 2016

Jacksonville City Councilman Tommy Hazouri expressed disappointment Monday at how the HRO Committee of the Whole went last week. Hazouri’s specific beefs are with Council leadership; Council VP Lori Boyer introduced a motion for withdrawal of Hazouri’s bill, a move supported by Council President Greg Anderson. “I’m disappointed that leadership would do that,” Hazouri said in a telephone conversation. Such a […]

Melissa RossFebruary 5, 2016

Amid all the clergy news conferences and parliamentary maneuvers, the battle over Jacksonville’s HRO is also being fought via news release. The latest comes from the Jacksonville Civic Council, a high-powered group of mostly Republican CEOs. Chairman Ed Burr‘s missive addressing Mayor Lenny Curry and Council President Greg Anderson begins by reiterating that the Civic […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 3, 2016

Ahead of the Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, anti-HRO activists from Florida Family Policy Council planned a press conference ahead of the event. One problem, however: facilities problems. With rain forecast for Jacksonville for Thursday afternoon, a press conference in Hemming Park was out of the question. The question, from there was a presser […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 31, 2016

People not from Jacksonville just don’t get it. Jags owner Shad Khan described the Human Rights Ordinance expansion to the LGBT community as “like civil rights. It’s so late that it’s not even worth talking about.” That statement is reminiscent of one from 2012 from Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu, reports The Florida Times-Union. “Knowing your […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 13, 2016

The big news coming out of Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council public comment marathon on expanding the Human Right Ordinance: Confessions of a child molester, advanced to negate the case for HRO expansion. Westsider Roy Bay, a 56-year-old Caucasian, said that when he was “10 or 12 years old,” he was “sexually assaulted by the homosexual community,” […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 9, 2016

Despite the best efforts of Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson to ensure a linear process in terms of considering expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance, via Committee of the Whole discussions, out of state political operatives seem intent on ensuring that the circus comes to Council Chambers. New radio ads, reported on by Action News Jax, […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 30, 2015

In Jacksonville politics in 2015, the game changed … perhaps for good. Big money went into campaigns: over $10 million, including soft money, in the mayoral race. Close to $2 million in the sheriff’s race. And even some City Council candidates who raised close to a quarter of a million dollars did so in vain. […]

Melissa RossDecember 22, 2015

In an e-blast to supporters and media outlets, the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality is urging supporters to email City Council members and “urge them to pass this important legislation.” “Equally important, we need to make it clear to Council members that we oppose any attempt to put these basic protections on the ballot,” the message […]

Tag: Human Rights Ordinance
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Tommy Hazouri to withdraw HRO bill

Audrey Moran on Lenny Curry: “I made it clear to him I was disappointed” on HRO

Tommy Hazouri “disappointed” in Jax Council leadership

Jax Civic Council contends “the place we call home should welcome all”

Anti-HRO presser hits scheduling snag

From 2012: Desmond Tutu “shocked” by incomplete Jax HRO

Who is Roy Bay? And why does it matter?

Anti-HRO radio ads pressure Jax Council members

A.G. Gancarski’s Top 10 stories of 2015 in Jacksonville politics

Email insights: Jax Coalition for Equality asks supporters to email City Council in support of the HRO