Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJuly 18, 2017

A bill authorizing a referendum to increase the number of consecutive terms a Jacksonville City Council member can serve passed its second and final committee on Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by second-term Councilman Matt Schellenberg, passed Finance by a 5-2 margin Tuesday morning. Between committee stops, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry punted on expressing an opinion on the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 10, 2017

An “equal opportunity” bill introduced to the Jacksonville City Council by Garrett Dennis picked up momentum Tuesday, with a half dozen councilmembers and stakeholders attending a public notice meeting to discuss it. Dennis framed this bill as an attempt to ensure city agencies and independent authorities to “cast a broader net” in their hiring process. “This […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 3, 2017

Tuesday morning saw the Jacksonville City Council Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services committee greenlight a bill that frustrated it in December. The bill would increase city-imposed ticket surcharges for the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jax, and the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, while adding surcharges for events at the under construction amphitheater and […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 29, 2016

Jacksonville politics is like a Southern family reunion: there are characters of all types. The 2017 list points out ten of those members of the #Jaxpol family who are uniquely positioned to be in the headlines for one reason or another. We are hoping that 2016 was an outlier year for scandals, and are not projecting […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 15, 2016

At a press availability Tuesday afternoon across the street from the Cleveland Arms apartment complex, a group of Jacksonville City Council members united to declare that enough is enough when it comes to gun violence. To that end, they are proposing solutions to an epidemic that has seen multiple people shot — most in Northwest Jacksonville […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 15, 2016

The Jacksonville Journey is in line to receive almost a million dollars in federal money, via a bill winding its way through City Council committees. On Monday, the bill got through Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services. On Tuesday, it was Public Health and Safety’s turn. PHS approved the ordinance unanimously. As per the bill summary: “The […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 19, 2016

For a second time this fall, Tuesday’s meeting of the Jacksonville City Council’s Land Use and Zoning committee voted in favor of allowing a microbrewery to open in Springfield at 1636 N. Main St. The vote was 4-1 in favor this time, with Doyle Carter the sole opponent. But it took a long, long time to get there. […]

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. 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 20, 2016

In the Tuesday morning meeting of the Jacksonville City Council Public Health and Safety Committee, the panel voted to hold the funding level at $26.275 million for fiscal year 16/17. But there will be changes this year. Penny Thompson, vice president of government affairs for UF Health, noted that the money will be sent directly […]

Tag: Joyce Morgan

Bill gutting term limits moves to full Jacksonville City Council

Jacksonville equal opportunity ordinance picks up momentum

Ticket surcharge hike, school board governance bills clear Jacksonville council panel

10 people to watch in 2017 in Jacksonville politics

Jacksonville City Council members grapple with recent wave of gun violence

Second Jacksonville council panel OKs $1M Jax Journey grant

Beer drinkers down Bible thumpers in Jacksonville microbrewery debate

JEA CEO lambasted by Jacksonville City Council for hurricane performance

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

Jacksonville City Council panel OKs UF Health allocation