Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 22, 2015

Though this reporter’s focus has been on the Sam Mousa budget review marathon, Lenny Curry‘s transition committee meetings continue apace at Jacksonville University. Today, we are sitting in on a couple of these; the first, as the title suggests, is Operations, Human Resources, and Productivity. The big news out of this: a Neighborhoods Department, cut in recent […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 1, 2015

Party unity and outreach to Jacksonville’s burgeoning Hispanic community were the watchwords at an Alvin Brown rally at the Cuba Libre club on Friday afternoon. An intimate crowd of about 60, including candidates and staff, sampled hors d’oeuvres, sipped drinks, and got to hear the incumbent mayor make his case for re-election while flanked by […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 1, 2015

“You can count on me to show up, to read legislation before I vote, to represent every part of Duval County.” Those words, from At Large Group 1 Council Candidate Anna Brosche, were a purposeful jab at her opponent, Kim Daniels, who no-showed the Beaches Watch forum. It was unsurprising, given that Daniels has been at loggerheads […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 29, 2015

Violent crime has spiked in Jacksonville. Sheriff John Rutherford announced a reinstatement of the Operation Ceasefire plan late Tuesday to combat the menace, even as camps of black preachers have issued their own recommendations in recent days. Where does the Mayor stand on this issue? At the Legends Center on Soutel Drive on Jacksonville’s Northside on […]

Melissa RossApril 27, 2015

Calls from the Jacksonville faith community to impose a 9 p.m. curfew in the city’s high-crime areas are getting pushback from activists on the ground in the Northwest quadrant. “In studies of dozens of U.S. cities, our research shows overall, youth curfews have had ‘no effect’ … in other words they just don’t work!” writes […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 27, 2015

Another weekend, another overnight stay in a high crime area by the Ken Jefferson campaign for Jacksonville Sheriff. Last week he stayed in the neighborhood of Grand Park; on Sunday night, he parked his RV on the grounds of Eureka Gardens, a crime-ridden Section 8 apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside, which has been the flash […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 23, 2015

The always idiosyncratic voters at the Jacksonville Tiger Bay club voted in a straw poll for citywide candidates at this past Friday’s meeting, which we covered. The results are in and they are not party line. In the Mayoral Straw Poll, incumbent Democrat Alvin Brown bested Republican Lenny Curry 50 percent to 40 percent, with 10 percent leaving […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 27, 2015

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With 16 Jacksonville City Council seats up for grabs on Tuesday (three candidates ran unopposed), there were obviously winners and losers to be found across the board. This post will evaluate the five At Large races, looking at who might have outperformed expectations and who didn’t achieve what seemed possible before the election. A separate […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 16, 2015

With a week to go until Election Day, Jacksonville At Large City Council Group 5 candidate Ju’Coby Pittman faces a complication outside of the realm of electoral politics. The Clara White Mission, where Pittman has been CEO for decades, faces a lawsuit predicated on a claim of discrimination by a former employee, Rhonda Baker-Stansberry. The lawsuit […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 16, 2015

With a week to go until Election Day, Jacksonville At Large City Council Group 5 candidate Ju’Coby Pittman faces a complication outside of the realm of electoral politics. The Clara White Mission, where Pittman has been CEO for decades, faces a lawsuit predicated on a claim of discrimination by a former employee, Rhonda Baker-Stansberry. The lawsuit […]

Tag: Ju’Coby Pittman
Sen Rick Scott in Sarasota. Photo by Jacob Ogles.

Will Jacksonville have a Neighborhoods Department under the Lenny Curry Administration?

Corrine Brown, Luis Gutierrez headline Alvin Brown early voting rally

Jax at large council candidates address Beaches Watch forum

Alvin Brown oratorically channels Obama, wants DOJ help with crime

Curfew controversy latest flap in Jax public safety concerns

Overnight Scenario: Ken Jefferson visits Eureka Gardens

Alvin Brown, Mike Williams win Tiger Bay straw poll

Jax At Large council races: winners and losers

Jax Council candidate Ju’Coby Pittman named in civil lawsuit

Jax Council candidate Ju'Coby Pittman named in civil lawsuit