Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJuly 21, 2017

“Another mess” in Jacksonville summer camp funding has made its way to the attention of Mayor Lenny Curry and Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa. This time: a complaint that advance funding wasn’t released to a provider (Us and Our Children) … and that immediate help is needed. Yolanda Tucker emailed Mayor Curry this week, outlining the organization’s […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2017

A little over two weeks ago, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and a number of City Council members called a presser to announce a stopgap resolution of a problem months in the making: insufficient funding for summer camps. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission, which greenlighted the process, was trying to privilege quality over quantity. Yet, as camp […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 15, 2017

When Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry ran for office, he pledged to revive the Jacksonville Journey. Once in office, Curry took steps to do just that, reviving and rebranding the John Peyton initiative as Jax Journey, a Version 2.0 of the original. As Curry nears the halfway mark of his first term, his office deals with the reality of […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 2, 2017

An issue among Jacksonville City Council members in recent weeks: how to get the funding needed for summer camps for at-risk youth? A “major announcement” was delivered by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry Friday on that subject, with 24 more sites being funded (bringing the total to 72 citywide, down from 98 previously), $958,000 more being allocated, and […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 9, 2017

Jacksonville Children’s Commission CEO Jon Heymann submitted a letter of retirement to the JCC Board last week. The letter, also sent to members of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s senior staff, says that Heymann retires with “mixed emotions” but that the JCC is ready for “new leadership.” “The decision to step away is among the most difficult decisions […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 19, 2016

It’s been a rough stretch for the Jacksonville Children’s Commission, and the week before Christmas brought even more coal for its stocking. This month had already seen the Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee taking JCC CEO Jon Heymann to task for an unusual amount of “emergency” appropriations bills in recent years, and keeping the council in the […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 29, 2016

When running for office in 2015, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry vowed to bring back the Jacksonville Journey. Under previous mayor Alvin Brown, many Journey programs had been moved to the purview of other organizations, such as the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. Funding levels for the Journey were cut. Curry’s vows to reinstate the Journey coincided, especially during […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 29, 2015

One of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s priorities has been public safety. But it’s a new school approach to law and order, one predicated on the assumption that Jacksonville can’t police our way out of its problems, and one rooted in a revival of the Jacksonville Journey. “It’s the right thing to do,” Curry has said. Curry […]

Tag: Jacksonville Children’s Commission

Sam Mousa: ‘Another mess’ regarding Jax summer camp funding

How reform might look for Jacksonville’s children programs

Looming reforms cast cloud over Jax Journey budget

More summer camp money provided for ‘at-hope’ Jacksonville kids

Jon Heymann retires from Jacksonville Children’s Commission

Lenny Curry demands audit of Jacksonville Children’s Commission

A year into the reboot, the honeymoon is over for Jax Journey

Jax Journey revival showing successes already