Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2016

What if someone called a press conference and Jacksonville City Council “public comment” broke out? That was the scene Wednesday as a half-dozen opponents of County Referendum 1 — the so-called “pension tax” vote, which would extend a current half-cent sales tax past its current sunset date in 2030 and devote it to the $2.85 billion […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 15, 2016

The critics wanted the mayor to debate them on the pension tax referendum. And on Monday afternoon they got their wish. The agenda at the Jacksonville Rotary Club included two opponents of Jacksonville’s County Referendum 1, which would (if passed Aug. 30) allow for the extension of the current half-cent infrastructure tax past 2030 (when […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 8, 2016

Jacksonville attorney John Winkler may want to debate Mayor Lenny Curry on the merits of the pension tax. But Curry’s not having it. Last week, Winkler challenged Curry to a debate, to be held Tuesday night on Jacksonville’s Southside. Winkler had expected to dialogue with Mayor Curry at a WJCT town hall event, but the scheduling fell […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 5, 2016

Jacksonville lawyer John Winkler is one of the most outspoken opponents of extending the half-cent sales tax to deal with the city’s unfunded pension liability. To that end he has mobilized, with a political committee, a ubiquity in comment threads, and on Tuesday, he threw down the gauntlet to debate. “I hereby offer you a public opportunity […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 1, 2016

Criticism is mounting of the Aug. 30 Jacksonville pension tax referendum, which would, if passed, extend the half-cent infrastructure sales tax from 2030 until 2060, or whenever current pension debt is retired. The mayor of Neptune Beach, Harriet Pruette, emailed Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry in May, hoping to ensure the beach communities aren’t left out in the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 26, 2016

A familiar figure in Jacksonville’s City Hall is John Winkler. The Riverside lawyer, former Democratic candidate for clerk of courts, and president of the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County has a new cause: defeating the Aug. 30 pension tax referendum. And there’s a website to match: Just-Vote-No.com. Winkler won’t be winning any “Webmaster of the Year” awards […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 23, 2015

The Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County have arrived at a “semi-settlement” of their “Text-ghazi” lawsuit against the Jacksonville City Council members involved in forbidden texting during budget deliberations Sept. 21. Scott Wilson, Tommy Hazouri, Joyce Morgan, and Aaron Bowman agreed to terms. “Four of the nine city council members who were being sued over texting about […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 9, 2015

With the Police and Fire Pension Fund deal subject to a vote in Tuesday evening’s Jacksonville City Council meeting, PFPF Chairman John Keane introduced revisions to its terms during a Tuesday morning meeting with Councilman Bill Gulliford, point man for the latest round of negotiations. Also attending were council members Lori Boyer and Greg Anderson, […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 4, 2015

The Florida Times-Union reports that there may be renewed trouble on the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund front, in the form of a new legal challenge from the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County. The group has asked for an injunction against the pension deal that cleared the Rules Committee on Monday and the Finance Committee on […]

Tag: John Winkler

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Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.