Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMarch 22, 2018

During a Wednesday public notice meeting regarding the pros and cons of selling JEA, John Crescimbeni, who chairs a special committee on the “potential sale” of JEA, advised a Council colleague who thought the local utility’s electrical component could fetch $5 billion on the open market to “stay tuned to our special committee.” That special committee met […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 19, 2018

Committees run Monday and Tuesday for the Jacksonville City Council; high-profile measures ranging from cannabis regulation changes to a JEA sale straw ballot have already been deferred in Monday committees. JEA Referendum: Ordinance 2018-141 would set a public straw vote referendum on the November 2018 ballot regarding selling more than 10 percent of JEA. The […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 16, 2018

On Thursday, a Jacksonville City Council panel again delved into the relative merits of selling JEA, the local utility. As has been the case throughout this discussion, flashpoints of tension abounded, kicked off by a familiar antagonist of the Mayor’s Office. The tension led to not one but two witnesses refusing to testify, given the committee […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 8, 2018

Jacksonville City Council members convened, via a special committee, to discuss the potential sale of JEA on Thursday. While Mayor Lenny Curry and his political allies have been open to exploring valuation and potential privatization, Council President Anna Brosche and many of her colleagues (including the members of the committee) have been more circumspect about the prospect. […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 22, 2018

For the second straight week, Jacksonville City Council members mulled ongoing efforts to privatize JEA. The narrative has gotten rockier for the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry in recent weeks, with poison pills preceding each Council conclave. Just as the meeting to discuss the valuation report was presaged with the Council President saying Curry’s chief of […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 22, 2018

Did the mayor’s office move toward a sale of Jacksonville’s utility before Council had a chance to weigh in? And what does that mean for the process going forward? A profound rift has emerged between Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and the City Council on the question of JEA privatization. And, say some Councilors, existential questions loom […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 6, 2018

On Tuesday, Jacksonville City Councilmembers struggled, in a meeting in a packed Council chambers, with the idea of a sale of the JEA to a private company. This was the second straight day on which Council members did a deep dive into JEA operations, with Monday offering Council calling for underground power lines. The office […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 12, 2017

The Jacksonville City Council approved legislation this week that opposes a state bill (HB 521/SB 574) that would cut the heart out of the city’s tree canopy protections. The state bill, filed by Republican Greg Steube in the Senate and Democrat Katie Edwards in the House, would prohibit cities such as Jacksonville from stopping landowners from removing trees […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 20, 2017

A matter of semantics drives a newly-filed Jacksonville City Council resolution: 2017-732, a measure filed by veteran legislator John Crescimbeni. In regard to another Council resolution — one which would have had the state resolve to support a local bill mandating that the city add crossing guards, at its own expense, to middle schools with 6th graders […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 10, 2017

On one side, there’s the Mayor. Lenny Curry asserts that his proposed Kids Hope Alliance bill is the “real reform” Jacksonville children’s services need. On the other side, there’s Council President Anna Brosche, who asserts the process needs to be more deliberate and transparent. And there’s also Council Finance Chair Garrett Dennis, who has his own bill for […]

Tag: John Crescimbeni
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

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