Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2017

On Valentine’s Day, the Jacksonville City Council voted to expand the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to include LGBT people. On Thursday, a group of local Christian conservatives, backed by the Liberty Counsel, united under the banner of Empower Jacksonville to challenge that law — and all laws that citizens deem to be “unjust.” Empower Jacksonville seeks […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2017

Thursday morning’s Jacksonville City Council budget review included a deep dive into improving workforce diversity in city employment. Council members discussed ways to fulfill the letter of the equal opportunity/equal access law, relative to ensuring that Jacksonville’s labor force reflects the city’s demographics. “It’s about priorities. Whatever the Mayor wants to do in that fashion, […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

Tuesday night saw the Jacksonville City Council reject a bill that would authorize an Aug. 2018 referendum to extend the current two-term limit to three for most city elected officials. The bill, sponsored by second-term Councilman Matt Schellenberg, would have applied to every office but that of mayor. It failed 6-11, however, despite Council President Anna Brosche supporting […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

The Jacksonville City Council located money via leftover fund balance from the current fiscal year, leading to discussions on Wednesday of how to spend the roughly $5 million on capital projects. One big project — Ortega Hills land acquisition — may help to solve a long-standing problem in the neighborhood, which sees ingress and egress […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

This summer, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry proposed a $131M capital improvement budget — a cornucopia of one-time spending designed to take advantage of budget relief created by pension reform, fueled by the confidence created by Jacksonville’s strong position with bond ratings agencies. And on Wednesday, the Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee — along with visiting Council […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

Should Jacksonville remove its Confederate monuments? It was the hot-button question that animated public comment at a Jacksonville City Council meeting Tuesday night. The monument debate, saved for the main event of the evening, roiled Council for hours. Though Council President Anna Brosche walked back her proposal to remove the monuments, in light of “alternative suggestions,” those […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

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When Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche took over the role, she prioritized improving the city’s park system. To that end, Brosche appointed Councilman Scott Wilson to chair a special committee. Narrative has moved quickly thus far in the Brosche era, with hot button issues ranging from term limits and Confederate statues to JAXPORT dredging and hiring […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 22, 2017

In what has become a tradition in Jacksonville politics, a well-timed poll dropped Monday, just days before the City Council had a big decision to make. A difference this time: instead of dropping from the political committee of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, it came from “A Safe Jacksonville,” the political committee of Sheriff Mike Williams. The poll […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 21, 2017

Directly after what is certain to be an edifying round of public comment regarding the future of Jacksonville’s Confederate monuments, the City Council is poised to feather its own bed Tuesday evening. Councilors will vote to authorize an Aug. 2018 referendum that could, if passed, end the quarter-century long practice of term limits for most […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 18, 2017

Friday afternoon saw the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee mull the JAXPORT capital budget — and the big item of interest was dredging. Councilman Tommy Hazouri — not a member of that committee — visited and raised standing questions he’s had about a lack of public discourse on dredging. And he wasn’t the only Council member […]

Tag: jacksonville city council

Jax conservatives to make straw ballot challenge to LGBT rights law

Jax commitment to workforce diversity: just ‘words on paper’?

Lenny Curry is ‘glad’ Jacksonville City Council term limit referendum vote failed

Solution emerges to stalled train problem in Jacksonville’s Ortega Hills

$8.4M for Edward Waters College? Controversy on Jax City Council

Confederate monument controversy roils Jacksonville City Council meeting

Anna Brosche: “Capitalize on what’s going well” in Jax parks

Why Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams is playing political hardball

Term limit two-step resumes Tuesday for Jacksonville City Council

Dredging draws intense scrutiny in JAXPORT budget review