Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossFebruary 24, 2016

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Vowing to reintroduce it “in two months,” Jacksonville City Councilman Tommy Hazouri says he’ll keep bringing back HRO legislation because it’s “simple and to the point.” “We have a human rights ordinance that covers everybody but the LGBT community, and all we’re wanting to do is include them,” he told WJCT’s First Coast Connect. “It’s […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 24, 2016

Wednesday saw the Jacksonville-centric Discretionary Sales Surtax bill clear the Senate Rules Committee (SB 1652), scheduled at the same time as the third reading in the House (HB 1297). Central to the pitch: bill sponsor Rob Bradley and Mayor Lenny Curry, whose sales job gets better with every committee stop… especially important because Curry will have to sell […]

Melissa RossFebruary 23, 2016

The Hillary Clinton campaign, already aggressively running phone banks across Florida, will kick off its first door-to-door canvassing effort in Jacksonville on Saturday morning. “We’ve got a huge focus on field, making phone calls and knocking on doors, really to have those conversations with as many people as possible to let them know the primary […]

Associated PressFebruary 23, 2016

President Barack Obama will visit Jacksonville, Florida, in a trip that’s sure to re-spark debate about the successes and failures of the economic stimulus package that passed during his first weeks in office. The president will tour a lithium-ion battery plant funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The legislation passed despite overwhelming Republican […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 22, 2016

FloridaPolitics.com had a look last week at the numbers behind Jacksonville’s “pension tax” bill, designed to repurpose/extend the Better Jacksonville Plan half-cent sales tax. With the bill on the House Special Order calendar for Tuesday, a last-minute amendment was filed. “The payroll of all employees in classifications covered by a closed retirement plan or system that […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 19, 2016

David Chapman of the Jax Daily Record broke a significant story this week: legislative confirmation of the long-awaited Lenny Curry plan to revive the Neighborhoods department. “The Neighborhoods Department will operate under Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa and with a re-established Housing and Community Development Division — the ‘direct link’ to city neighborhoods,” Chapman writes. Chapman’s […]

Melissa RossFebruary 18, 2016

This week in Jacksonville, former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham rallied people upset with the Legislature over Amendment 1 funding by telling them to get vocal and train to become citizen-activists. “We have an organization called the Florida Conservation Coalition, and its purpose is to try to get citizens involved,” Graham said during an […]

Melissa RossFebruary 17, 2016

The Duval County School Board continued its work this week looking at proposed boundary and program changes for a number of Jacksonville schools proposed by Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Vitti (so far) has not followed through on threats to sue after public records revealed board member Connie Hall sent controversial text messages about him to a […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has a variety of “individual meetings” scheduled in Tallahassee Wednesday to push the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill. Four of them are set up with Senate Rules Committee members, which will be the final Senate committee to deliberate the bill. The bill has cleared two of three Senate committees, and both House committees. […]

Scott PowersFebruary 16, 2016

Hillary For Florida will open field offices in Jacksonville and Orlando on Wednesday, giving the Hillary Clinton Democratic presidential campaign five Florida offices. The Orlando office will officially open at 2153 West Oak Ridge Rd., at 6 p.m. National Organization of Women Florida President Terry Sanders will give the opening remarks. The Jacksonville office will officially open […]

Tag: Jacksonville
Image via Facebook (TCEC).

Tommy Hazouri: will reintroduce HRO “in two months,” challenges Bill Gulliford to on-air debate

Jax Pension Tax bill clears final Senate committee

Hillary Clinton campaign to kick off first Jacksonville canvassing on Saturday morning

Barack Obama visiting battery plant to promote economic progress

Jax pension tax bill gets final amendment before House Special Order calendar

Jacksonville’s Neighborhoods Department represents vision, followthrough

Bob Graham rallies Amendment 1 supporters to become “citizen-activists”

Duval School Board tensions simmer as charter fight escalates

Lenny Curry lobbying Senate Rules Committee members

Hillary Clinton campaign opening field offices in Orlando, Jacksonville on Wednesday