Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Julie DelegalAugust 24, 2015

Former State Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand has issued an impassioned plea on behalf of Florida’s 78,000 voucher students. He wants the plaintiffs, namely the Florida Education Association, which represents teachers, to drop its lawsuit opposing the diversion of tax dollars to the voucher program. The FEA lawsuit is now at the appeal stage. […]

Melissa RossAugust 24, 2015

Presiding over a new City Council of fresh faces, bullish on job growth and downtown development, and pushing infrastructure improvements in rapidly fraying corners of the city, Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson says it’s a new era at City Hall, as his goals align with new mayor Lenny Curry. “I think the communication level has […]

Melissa RossAugust 20, 2015

Even though a 120-day moratorium on dispensing Charlotte’s Web is still in place in Jacksonville, one official involved with regulating the drug for cultivation and sale says the process is moving forward, albeit very slowly, for getting the non-euphoric THC oil into the hands of sick patients. “Over the past few weeks, everyone has learned […]

Melissa RossAugust 19, 2015

The Reverend John Guns lights up with enthusiasm as he talks about the new back-to-school initiative in Jacksonville designed to support and encourage male students from 6th through 12th grades — one with strong buy-in from the city’s mayor, sheriff, and school superintendent. “It’s an exciting week,” said Guns during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect. […]

Melissa RossAugust 18, 2015

In the wake of The Florida Times-Union’s powerful dive into dangerous gaps in the state’s mental health care system, advocates pushing for change say they’re readying their strategy to press legislators hard to enact reforms in 2016. “We’re coordinating a statewide advocacy effort, bringing together mental health professionals, advocates, families, and consumers, to really have […]

Diane RobertsAugust 18, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – They stamp their feet, they scream till they’re sick, and hold their breath till they’re blue. They act like 5-year-olds caught with their grotty little paws in the cookie jar, their faces covered in crumbs, as they swear they didn’t do anything wrong. The Special – or Remedial – Session. While all […]

Diane RobertsAugust 17, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – They stamp their feet, they scream till they’re sick, and hold their breath till they’re blue. They act like 5-year-olds caught with their grotty little paws in the cookie jar, their faces covered in crumbs, as they swear they didn’t do anything wrong. The Special – or Remedial – Session. While all […]

Melissa RossAugust 17, 2015

As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues to take heat over calling Common Core education standards “poisonous,” Duval County’s superintendent is taking a more positive spin about the new state curriculum being unveiled this fall. “We’re going to see another level of instruction at the elementary level, especially when it comes to writing and reading,” Superintendent Nikolai […]

Melissa RossAugust 10, 2015

The North Florida politician known for being the first in the area to lead on passing a comprehensive HRO stands by her record as she gears up for re-election. “It was the right thing to do,” says Atlantic Beach City Commissioner Maria Mark. Mark, the Executive Director at the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation, faces off […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 10, 2015

Jacksonville residents haven’t given the Clerk of Courts office much thought, except for when said office is concocting reasons not to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. As a result, many of the structural problems the office has necessarily fly under the radar. Luckily, the City Council Auditor is tasked with looking at that office’s issues. They […]

Tag: Jacksonville
Mario Cristobal. Image via AP.

Julie Delegal: Other ideas follow defense of school vouchers

Jax Council Prez Greg Anderson: “We can’t damage our river”

Charlotte’s Web in Jacksonville: “We need to move quickly”

John Guns: one city/one Jacksonville “an exciting week”

Florida mental health summit: “We will impact the 2016 Legislative Session”

Diane Roberts: Democracy in Florida remains lost in spite of new maps

Diane Roberts: Democracy in Florida remains lost in spite of new maps

Nikolai Vitti: Florida Standards will be “another level of instruction”

Maria Mark: HRO “the right thing to do”

Jax Clerk of Courts audit spotlights outdated processes, inefficiencies