Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 20, 2017

The city of Jacksonville may get back some of the money a City Councilwoman’s family business owes it after all. The city agreed last week to a deal with KJB Specialties, the family business of Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown, to pay back $1,000 a month for 84 straight months. Earlier this year, the city won a […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 24, 2017

Despite a memo from the city’s general counsel saying that censure could be pursued by two Jacksonville City Councilors after their confrontation with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officers, Council President Anna Brosche ruled against it Tuesday. “Other entities,” such as a local or state ethics commission, could impose discipline, Brosche wrote in a memo. Thus ends a two-week […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 11, 2017

As the midnight hour approached Tuesday in Jacksonville, its City Council heard public comment — and much of that comment centered on a Councilor. Councilwoman Katrina Brown ran afoul of the head of the local Fraternal Order of Police, Steve Zona, after accusing officers of “racial profiling” during a stop of yet another Councilman, Reggie Gaffney. Brown pulled […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 10, 2017

Budget meetings of the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee were rocked in August by a well-timed poll from the political committee of Sheriff Mike Williams. The poll, released to make the case that Jacksonville voters backed Mayor Lenny Curry in his push for 100 new police officers, was rare, in that Council members called it out as […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 3, 2017

Monday saw a Jacksonville City Council committee move Mayor Lenny Curry‘s children’s program re-orginization — the Kids Hope Alliance (KHA) — through by a 6 to 1 vote. Discussion of the bill to replace the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and Jacksonville Journey was brutal. It took over three hours, and it became clear that one primary skeptic of the bill […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 27, 2017

Late Tuesday night, the Jacksonville City Council passed the city’s $1.27 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, one with $131M in capital improvements, and 100 new police positions. The $131 million capital improvement budget: a cornucopia of one-time spending designed to take advantage of budget relief created by pension reform, fueled by the confidence created by Jacksonville’s strong position […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 26, 2017

Jacksonville television viewers spent Friday evening watching footage of Jacksonville City Councilmenbers accusing local cops of racial profiling. On Tuesday evening, those Councilors — Reggie Gaffney, who was pulled over for driving with a tag he’d reported stolen; and Katrina Brown, driving behind Gaffney, who accused the officers of racially-profiling her Council colleague — will be two of 19 […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 23, 2017

Just days before the Jacksonville City Council is set to approve a budget giving the city 100 new police officers, two Councilors are in the news for an altercation with current cops. As WJXT first reported, Councilman Reggie Gaffney was pulled over Monday night for driving with a tag that he’d reported stolen a year before. Gaffney […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 8, 2017

The city of Jacksonville has been frustrated in attempts to clawback almost $640,000 from the city of Jacksonville in grants and loans from the businesses of a Jacksonville City Councilwoman’s family business. Earlier this summer, the city won a default judgement against CoWealth LLC for $222,000, related to failure to create any of the 56 jobs required, via […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 25, 2017

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee put Sheriff Mike Williams through the wringer during this year’s budget process. They pushed back against budget asks two weeks ago, compelling the Sheriff to return Friday morning, where he spent roughly an hour answering questions related to a poll his political committee ran. Among the items in suspension: 100 […]

Tag: Katrina Brown

Jax Councilwoman’s family biz to pay back city over busted eco dev deal

No censure for Jax Councilors Katrina Brown, Reggie Gaffney

Police union heads refute Jacksonville council member’s accusation of racial profiling

Controversial poll highlights Jacksonville Sheriff’s Sept. cmte. spending

Panel defers Lenny Curry’s ‘Kids Hope Alliance’ proposal

Jacksonville City Council approves $1.27 billion budget

Cops vs. Councilors: Will Jacksonville budget night vote get wild?

Jacksonville police union chief to City Councilors: Apologize or resign

Jax general counsel wants forensic accounting of Councilwoman’s business

After venting about poll, Jax Council panel gives Sheriff 100 new cops