Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossOctober 20, 2015

In an email to supporters and media outlets, the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality reminds stakeholders that “10 is the magic number.” And the message goes on to name-check this website in its campaign to press Jacksonville City Council members to update the city’s human rights ordinance to cover LGBT citizens. “It will take the votes […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2015

One of the major issues in Jacksonville is vacant properties, stemming from the foreclosure crisis and other issues. Estimates say about 30,000 such properties dot the various neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Even in a time where we’ve seen equity markets surge to record numbers, the struggle is real … even in “good neighborhood[s],” according to one […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 12, 2015

On Monday afternoon, the second meeting of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority Skyway Advisory Group convened in the JTA Boardroom, as group members weighed a variety of options regarding what to do with the Skyway as it approaches its 30th year in existence. Options range from tearing it down completely, to decommissioning it and letting it […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 12, 2015

In a letter to the office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry last week, Disability Rights Florida raised concerns about difficulty getting a land-use permit in the Springfield Historic District. David Boyer, investigations director for the group, observed that there was “difficulty” getting a permit through the Jacksonville Zoning Board, and then observed that such difficulty […]

Melissa RossOctober 7, 2015

Home furnishing giant IKEA has set hearts aflutter in Jacksonville, announcing it plans to start construction next summer and open a new location in Duval County in the fall of 2017. The proposed store will be 294,000 square feet, sited at the intersection of Gate Parkway and I-295 near the St. Johns Town Center. IKEA, […]

Melissa RossOctober 6, 2015

One month, one city, two panels looking at the future of energy, with two very different tones. This October, Jacksonville will host the Florida Energy Summit. The event, sponsored by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the JAX Chamber, is billed as “convening energy leaders from across the state and around the nation to share ideas on […]

Melissa RossOctober 5, 2015

It’s presented as the next program in the OneJax Institute’s “Civil Discourse” series. But an upcoming forum on the UNF campus called Gun Control: A Loaded Topic, could get a bit heated. The free event, moderated by UNF president and former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney, will feature both supporters and opponents of the so-called “campus carry” […]

Melissa RossOctober 2, 2015

It’s billed as the first book that examines the Tea Party’s successful “primary” campaign against what the movement has dubbed Republicans in Name Only (RINOs). (Another, less flattering nickname is cuckservative, but that’s a story for another day.) UNF political science professor Ron Libby argues that 2016 is the year the Tea Party has moved […]

Julie DelegalSeptember 30, 2015

A new voice has emerged in the debate about capital punishment, and, in one respect, it echoes a very old one. Marc Hyden is a former field director for the National Rifle Association — sealing forever his street cred as a deep-dyed conservative. His new gig is coordinating a group that rose from the ground up, […]

Melissa RossSeptember 30, 2015

Hillary Clinton may be the Democratic frontrunner in Florida (and nationally), far outstripping all comers in terms of fundraising, organization, name recognition, and campaigning experience. But in terms of sheer enthusiasm and excitement, perhaps the campaign story of 2016 is the grassroots groundswell surging behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders has jumped from a meager […]

Tag: Jacksonville
Alexandra Islas. Image via New College of Florida.

Email insights: Jax Coalition for Equality says bipartisan HRO support “is growing”

Jax resident proposes property confiscation to deal with vacancy crisis

JTA Skyway Committee seeks to figure out way forward

Statewide disability rights group raises concerns over Jax zoning

IKEA announces plans to open a store in Jacksonville

Jax climate and energy panels: a tale of two conferences

OneJax/UNF forum on gun control timely, tense

Caustic brew: Tea Party “purging” GOP establishment in 2016, says Jax author

Julie Delegal: A new, conservative voice opposes capital punishment

Why Jax Dems say they #FeeltheBern