Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMay 19, 2017

Back in 2015, Jacksonville leaders welcomed the Australian MacQuarie Group to town. Now, in 2017, MacQuarie mulls expansion. And those plans, apparently, are contingent on city incentives … which will help MacQuarie decide to bring 50 new operations jobs and $1.7M in capital investment to the River City or to a city in far-flung Northern […]

Phil AmmannMay 18, 2017

The ongoing Corrine Brown drama pushed our legislative roundup back a week — but given the drama that ensued this week regarding what the Duval Delegation accomplished, that’s just as well. Boils down to this: the legislators think they brought home the bacon, and some in City Hall believe that they brought home crumbs. As […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 18, 2017

HansMill_RibbonCuttingGroup_JAXChamber_JAXUSAPartnership_051817-3500x1922.jpg

The real impact of Chinese imports on American factories has been discussed to death. But if you look closely, you can find a counter-narrative emerging. One example of that was demonstrated in Northwest Jacksonville Thursday afternoon, where Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and other local dignitaries came together for the grand opening of a 121,000 square foot […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 18, 2017

On Thursday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry took reporters’ questions, and primary among them was one about Moody’s offering mixed reviews of his pension reform package. Curry’s pension reform, covered exhaustively here, included moving new hires to defined contribution plans, imposing a sales tax extension to deal with legacy defined-benefit costs, and boosting the city’s contribution to […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 16, 2017

Florida Governor Rick Scott returned to Jacksonville Tuesday, for the ribbon-cutting at a beer bottling plant he’d visited more than once in recent years: Anheuser-Busch’s expanded Metal Container Corporation manufacturing facility. Back in 2015, Scott discussed the need for money for the Quick Action Closing Fund, part of a trend in which the “jobs governor” sought money […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 15, 2017

Those who might worry that the Florida/Georgia football game will leave Jacksonville anytime soon can rest a bit easier, as the City Council is about to approve an extension of the agreement for the city to host the Florida/Georgia football game until 2021. The legislation (2017-322) cleared Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services on Monday morning, its […]

Phil AmmannMay 12, 2017

Big political news of the week, maybe: State Rep. Jay Fant decides to run for Attorney General. A bold move — given he’s running from Jacksonville (not a hotbed of votes), and that he’d downplayed his attorney experience up until now. Fant went statewide Tuesday, talking to the press in Tallahassee, Tampa and Orlando, before […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 10, 2017

Fulfilling a campaign promise from 2016, 4th Circuit State Attorney Melissa Nelson rolled out on Wednesday an initiative designed to increase the use of civil citations for juvenile offenders, via a memorandum of understanding among various local and regional agencies. “This new agreement for pre-arrest diversion will expand and enhance the juvenile civil citation program uniformly […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2017

April was a big month for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, as he was making the final sale of his pension reform to the Jacksonville City Council. To that end, his political committee [“Build Something That Lasts”] spent big: $122,000. Of that money, $100,000 went on ad buys — which facilitated an effective television ad that drove […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 1, 2017

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry failed to say “no” to the expansion of the local HRO, or Human Rights Ordinance, to include LGBT people. So Florida Family Action, which agitated against the ordinance being expanded, urged Gov. Rick Scott to just say no to Curry as CFO on Monday. They’ll take almost anyone else: Sen. Aaron Bean, Sen. Tom Lee, […]

Tag: Lenny Curry
Dr. Leak Roberts. Image via AP.

Expansion imminent for MacQuarie Group in Jax?

Jacksonville Bold — 5.19.17 — It was a very good year?

How Jacksonville beat China in the garbage can business

Lenny Curry shrugs off Moody’s mixed review of pension reform

Uncertainty of economic incentives takes center stage at Jax job creation event

Florida/Georgia football game extension clears first Jacksonville City Council panel

Jacksonville Bold for 5.12.17 – Fantasia

Melissa Nelson rolls out juvenile civil citations MOU

Lenny Curry PAC spent $122K in April

Florida Family Action: No to ‘Charlie Crist Republican’ Lenny Curry as CFO