Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiDecember 6, 2016

A bill allocating $70,000 t0 Jacksonville City Council members for internal costs on “neighborhood events” had gotten some pushback when introduced by Councilman Reggie Brown earlier this year. However, in the current round of committee hearings, the measure is getting traction. The measure cleared Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services on Monday. And on Tuesday, the Rules Committee […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 16, 2016

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On Wednesday afternoon, Jacksonville City Council members convened to discuss a recurrent topic: enforcing regulations in Hemming Park. The so-called “front door to city hall” has encountered challenges of late, with the most recent narrative twist being the mayor’s office saying last week that it was time that the “Friends of Hemming Park” experiment end. […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2016

Can new rules and stricter enforcement help to regulate the unruly denizens of one of Jacksonville’s showcase parks? Jacksonville City Council members John Crescimbeni and Scott Wilson convened Wednesday to discuss issues related to code and ordinance enforcement in Hemming Park. A recurrent issue over years is problems with park regulars drinking and engaging in other illicit […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 13, 2016

On Thursday, Jacksonville City Council members Scott Wilson, John Crescimbeni, and Greg Anderson convened to discuss an issue of interest to Wilson: commercial corridors in need of re-development. Wilson, elected in 2015, has contended Jacksonville’s economic incentives policy doesn’t accommodate his district on Jacksonville’s Southside, where many neighborhoods have economic issues, but don’t qualify for incentives in the city’s recently […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 11, 2016

The post-Matthew blame game has started in Jacksonville, as the initial rush of emergency preparation has devolved into finger-pointing and excoriation. At the center of the storm is the local utility, which was criticized heavily during Tuesday’s meeting of the Jacksonville City Council for sewage spills and restoration timeframes that turned out to be fictional. […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 4, 2016

On Tuesday morning, one Jacksonville City Council panel issued a rebuke to the Florida Environmental Regulatory Commission fast-tracking a decision to weaken water quality standards, to where increased amounts benzene and other carcinogenic chemicals can be released in Florida waterways. On Tuesday afternoon, the Rules committee unanimously approved Councilman Jim Love‘s resolution asking the EPA to consider Jacksonville, in a […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 27, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council passed a $1.18 billion budget that will add more and better-equipped police officers to city streets. However, the big talkers were swimming lessons, travel budgets, and special events allocations … adding up to a picayune $115,000 out of the council contingency budget. And another big talker: a failed but audacious […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 26, 2016

A controversial bill (2016-489) moving $70,000 from council contingency for special events for each of the fourteen district council members got hung up in committees last week. Monday, bill sponsor Reggie Brown held a public notice meeting with council colleagues. And after that meeting, there may be a conceptual way forward. Brown, who represents Northwest Jacksonville, noted […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2016

The big news coming out of Jacksonville’s 24th annual mayor’s environmental luncheon was that Mayor Lenny Curry wasn’t present. The yearly event, designed to honor the area’s “finest and most creative environmental stewards,” saw representation from the mayor’s office, via Dr. Charles Moreland, who often serves as a proxy for such events. Many attendees were dismayed by […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 6, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council Transportation, Energy, and Utilities (TEU) committee mulled a resolution regarding moving the Inspector General‘s office into the City Hall building and consolidating some employees and space with the Ethics Department. Ultimately, the bill was deferred for two cycles. Yet the discussion revealed unresolved conflicts between Council VP John Crescimbeni and the […]

Tag: John Crescimbeni

Neighborhood events bill clears second Jacksonville council panel

Uncertainty over Hemming Park’s future pervades discussion of park rules

New rules for old problems at Hemming Park

Jacksonville City Council members consider struggling commercial corridors

JEA CEO lambasted by Jacksonville City Council for hurricane performance

Second Jacksonville City Council panel rebukes state for lax surface water standards

Jacksonville City Council passes big budget after robust discussion of small details

Jacksonville City Council members make progress on special events bill

Lenny Curry misses mayor’s environmental luncheon

Jax council panel defers bill to move inspector general office into city hall