Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 10, 2016

On Thursday, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee begins seven days of deliberations of the mayor’s budget, meetings that will sprawl out over the next 15 calendar days. Lenny Curry‘s budget was by and large flat, with enhancements for public safety, and drainage projects in traditionally underserved communities. The enhancements, as we wrote last month, include: — […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 2, 2016

Addressing a Jacksonville City Council committee Tuesday, Sheriff Mike Williams signaled his department’s commitment to a pilot program for body cameras “sooner than later,” even as major questions remain about hardware costs, capabilities of cameras, and time frame of deployment. Williams expects to have the program begun “no later than the spring,” he told the […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 22, 2016

On Thursday Kerri Stewart, chief of staff for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, addressed the Jax Chamber North Council. Among the topics: Curry’s first year in office, the new budget and, inexorably, the pension tax referendum, which Stewart has been marketing around town along with Curry and members of the Jacksonville City Council. Stewart rattled off the mayoral priorities in the […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 18, 2016

As promised ahead of Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s second budget was lean and devoid of much in the way of enhancements. A few city departments did come out ahead. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will get 40 new police officers and 40 new community service officers, which augments the 40 of each provided in the current […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 7, 2016

At the police memorial building in Jacksonville, Sheriff Mike Williams and Mayor Lenny Curry presented a united front Thursday in discussing public safety. Among the topics: the deployment of officers — 24,000 man hours, at approximately a million dollars this fiscal year — for overtime detail, a strategic deployment in neighborhoods facing the gravest challenges. As well, […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 6, 2016

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office payroll audit was released July 5, and it revealed some concerns the Council Auditor’s office had about payroll practices. While “pay to JSO employees [in general] was properly supported, accurately calculated and timely paid,” the office “identified various internal control weaknesses, findings, and opportunities for improvement that need to be addressed.” Room for […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 5, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Mayor’s Budget Review Committee performed an omnibus wrap up session, as budget review ends Wednesday. The usual players were analyzing the budgets: Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, CFO Mike Weinstein, and Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart. The Tuesday session dealt with the “short list” of potential enhancements, bolstered by some small increase in property tax revenues, […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 27, 2016

Jacksonville is in for a tight budget year, and amidst pressures from community activists such as Diallo Sekou and R.L. Gundy to budget for body cameras for the beleaguered Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, some provisional good news came through in a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week. The FDLE received an appropriation of $250,000 […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 13, 2016

On Monday, the Jacksonville Mayor’s Budget Review Committee took a look at the budget of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, one of the most compelling sections in a flat budget year. A $17 million increase in general fund allocation was requested in the roughly $400 million budget. The highlights: Red-light camera revenue is down, as a result of driver […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 3, 2016

One of the more compellingly titled emails from Jacksonville government servers recently: a missive from pastor R.L. Gundy to the mayor and the city council entitled “Citizen Review Board, Independent Investigations, Death Penalty and Referendum.” Gundy, a politically active Baptist preacher, is known for his blistering fusillades against politicians like State Attorney Angela Corey. He also has been […]

Tag: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Jax Council Finance committee begins budget deliberations Thursday

Jax Sheriff: body camera pilot program to roll out ‘sooner than later’

Kerri Stewart pitches pension tax to Jax Chamber North Council

Lenny Curry introduces lean budget, sells pension-tax referendum

Jax mayor, sheriff tout successes of overtime, discuss body cams and police violence

Jax Council Auditor questions Sheriff’s Office payroll practices

Jax mayor’s budget review committee works toward final recommendations

FDLE solicits JSO for grant submission for body cameras

Jax mayor’s office reviews sheriff’s budget

Jax pastor R.L. Gundy: No justice, no pension tax