Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMay 26, 2016

In emails Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and General Counsel Jason Gabriel issued striking criticisms of the “arrogance and disregard for taxpayers” and “a blatant disregard of public records law” exhibited by the Police and Fire Pension Fund. At issue: the PFPF counsel circumventing the ultimate authority of General Counsel Gabriel by contacting Attorney General Pam Bondi for her opinion on […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 22, 2016

On Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry made an audacious move. He ordered that former Police and Fire Pension Fund (PFPF) head John Keane’s pension be cut. In doing so, as readers will see, the mayor reasserted the primacy of the executive branch over the PFPF, in a quest to protect taxpayer dollars, and to finally bring closure to this ongoing […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 20, 2016

A bill has been filed in Jacksonville to increase regulation of sexual predators and to clarify prohibited activities for that criminal subset. 2016-233, filed by Council President Greg Anderson at the request of the General Counsel, would change ordinance code to clarify the types of events and decorations from which sexual predators and offenders are barred. The […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 9, 2016

The question going into Tuesday: would the JEA Agreement finally be reached? Most of the terms had been agreed to, piece by piece, during a year of meetings. And there was cautious optimism, at least from the city side, that Tuesday would be the day. “It looks like the finish line is in sight, unless […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2016

Expectations going into Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting were that this process may be winding toward its conclusion. Winding is the operative word here. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. And it’s being filmed in slow motion. The terms by and large had been agreed to in principle weeks before, regarding JEA’s contribution floor and other […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, at least on the agenda, was dominated by two meaningful issues. The first: pension issues, in light of both the General Counsel ruling that Council, and not JEA, was the appropriative body for pay negotiations. This ruling overruled the previous General Counsel’s take on the matter earlier in the decade. As well, […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 9, 2015

In 2012, Jacksonville General Counsel Cindy Laquidara decided that JEA had the power to raise its employees’ pay. Laquidara was quoted in The Florida Times-Union at the time as saying “the city used to be the employer; the facts changed but the charter language did not.” Fast-forward to 2015. Jacksonville has a new General Counsel, […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 8, 2015

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, the final one before the Jacksonville public utility’s trip to New York for pivotal meetings with bond-rating agencies, was not expected to have drama. One pragmatic reason for such an expectation: Bond agencies might not look favorably on the kind of morality play theater that has become a staple of JEA […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 4, 2015

Does the old saying “money-back guarantee” apply to campaign contributions? One Lenny Curry donor thinks so, and said as much in an dirt-dishing, ad hominem-riddled email to General Counsel Jason Gabriel, in which he had unkind words for many members of the City Hall staff. “Please inform the Mayor that I would like my $1000.00 campaign contribution refunded and […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 30, 2015

A delightful #jaxpol subplot has been the continuing controversy over what gifts are acceptable outlays from the Jacksonville Jaguars to Jacksonville’s City Council members and members of the executive branch. Even as Jacksonville public officials wrestle over the seemingly inevitable $45 million capital outlay on the latest round of stadium improvements, with THREE more committees […]

Lenny Curry, Jax General Counsel take aim at pension fund perfidy, subversion of authority

Lenny Curry orders John Keane’s pension cut, litigation dismissed

Jacksonville poised to amend sexual predator regs in ordinance code

JEA Agreement achieved at long last

JEA Agreement inches closer to resolution

Pension, contribution issues dominate JEA Agreement meeting

Jax General Counsel deems City Council “appropriative” body in JEA pay negotiations

JEA Agreement meeting addresses contribution “floor”

Lenny Curry donor wants his money back

Jaguars lobbyist Paul Harden mansplains, throws shade at Jax Ethics office