Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossApril 6, 2015

It’s perhaps a fitting metaphor for the world’s largest crowdfunding festival. Just hours before Tuesday’s opening ceremony begins for One Spark in downtown Jacksonville, a giant shark will splash its way into the fountain at Hemming Park. For the third year in a row, the Enlivened Spaces class at UNF has created a massive sculpture in […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 3, 2015

Clearly, Republican Executive Committee member Jimmy Holderfield and the Republican Party of Duval County differ on the value of a loyalty oath. A day after Holderfield’s cross-party endorsement of Democrat Ken Jefferson for sheriff, Duval GOP Chair Robin Lumb issued a statement on Friday decrying Holderfield breaking the party’s loyalty oath. “We are profoundly disappointed with Republican Jimmy Holderfield’s decision to […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 2, 2015

The worlds of law enforcement and of party politics are both predicated on loyalty. On a muggy Thursday night at his campaign headquarters in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood, Mike Williams scored endorsements from two fellow Republicans he defeated — Jay Farhat and Lonnie McDonald — to make it into the runoff. The story, though, was the Republican […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 2, 2015

Walking into Memorial Park in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, I encountered Jimmy Holderfield, who was walking into the park at the same time on Thursday afternoon, half an hour before Ken Jefferson‘s “major announcement.” I asked him about his expected endorsement of Ken Jefferson (a story we broke this morning), an endorsement which crosses party lines […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 2, 2015

The Jacksonville race for sheriff between Ken Jefferson and Mike Williams is heating up. Word is that third-place finisher Jimmy Holderfield is endorsing Jefferson on Thursday afternoon during an 2 p.m. event Jefferson’s campaign is billing a “major announcement” and a “gamechanger [of an] endorsement.” If true, this race will only get hotter. The announcement is scheduled to happen at Cleveland Arms Apartment […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 1, 2015

Jacksonville Sheriff’s candidate Ken Jefferson plans a “major announcement” at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Cleveland Arms apartment complex, a news release from his campaign said Wednesday. Expectations are it’s an endorsement of considerable magnitude. Jefferson has already been to Cleveland Arms once this week, in the wake of the police-involved shooting of Devanta Jones on Sunday. […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 1, 2015

Jacksonville Sheriff’s candidate Ken Jefferson plans a “major announcement” at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Cleveland Arms apartment complex, a news release from his campaign said Wednesday. Expectations are it’s an endorsement of considerable magnitude. Jefferson has already been to Cleveland Arms once this week, in the wake of the police-involved shooting of Devanta Jones on Sunday. […]

Melissa RossApril 1, 2015

Calling himself the most experienced candidate in the race, Republican Mike Williams says the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office “needs to do more” to reach out to communities in Jacksonville that don’t trust or cooperate with the police. Williams came in second in the March 24 First Election to Democrat Ken Jefferson, the agency’s former PIO. He’s […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 1, 2015

Although Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office candidate Ken Jefferson did not speak at the rally that we covered Monday across the street from the Cleveland Arms apartment complex (a rally protesting the police-involved shooting of 22-year-old Devanta Jones), he did speak to residents that day. His office issued a statement Tuesday that addressed this incident, and Sheriff John Rutherford‘s […]

Melissa RossMarch 31, 2015

Taking a veiled swipe at the current JSO leadership, Ken Jefferson says that if he’s elected sheriff he won’t “govern from behind the desk.” “I want to re-introduce the Police Department back to the community,” said Jefferson, the Democratic candidate in the race to replace outgoing Sheriff John Rutherford. “What I’m finding out from […]

Tag: Ken Jefferson

Swimming with sharks: Politicians to press flesh at One Spark

Duval GOP hammers Jimmy Holderfield again on breaking loyalty oath

Mike Williams gets former foes’ endorsements, but Jimmy Holderfield still a big story

Jimmy Holderfield crosses party lines, endorses Ken Jefferson for Jax Sheriff

Will Jimmy Holderfield endorse Ken Jefferson?

Ken Jefferson to make "major announcement" Thursday

Ken Jefferson to make “major announcement” Thursday

Mike Williams: I have the track record to fight crime

Ken Jefferson and Alvin Brown address Cleveland Arms “tragedy”

Ken Jefferson: No more "drive-by cops" in Jax if elected