Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 10, 2017

Local Republican insider Ron Salem is the first of dozens of candidates to file to run for Jacksonville City Council in 2019. Salem filed to run in At Large Group 2 — a seat held by longtime Councilman John Crescimbeni, who will be termed out the same year. Salem has a connection to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. He […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

Screen-Shot-2016-01-08-at-6.01.40-PM-1024x1024.png

Never mind who’s running for Governor in 2018, Floridians want to know which Republicans are in the running for Florida Chief Financial Officer now that CFO Jeff Atwater announced he is leaving this year, with speculation starting with Tom Grady, Tom Lee, Will Weatherford and Teresa Jacobs and including seven or eight others. Grady, a securities lawyer who is a former state representative who also has held several […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 10, 2017

On Thursday, an appropriations bill (HB 2787) was filed in the Florida House for the benefit of the “Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP).” The bill, filed by Jacksonville Republican Jason Fischer (a former member of the Duval County School Board), seeks to continue the $1,224,000 appropriation from the previous budget to benefit Jacksonville’s KIPP school. HB 2787 is […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 9, 2017

A priority of the city of Jacksonville during the Lenny Curry era: increasing police presence on its most dangerous streets. One vehicle to do just that: COPS Grants. The city is pursuing state money for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Matching Grant. The vehicle in the 2017 session of the Florida Legislature: HB 2781, […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 6, 2017

In 2016, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry had a fractious meeting with the religious consortium ICARE. One unresolved topic: a homeless day resource center. The previous mayoral administration had one in the budget, which offered services three days a week. Curry cut it. ICARE wanted reinstatement, and voiced its concerns. The mayor was focused on the pension tax […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 4, 2017

In Houston for the Superbowl, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan broke with the city’s right wing on two hot-button issues. Khan, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan, came out against the controversial Donald Trump immigration/travel ban from seven majority-Muslim countries. And, for good measure, he expressed — to a national publication — his support for the expansion of […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 3, 2017

February started off with a worrying story for parents and guardians of children in Duval County Public Schools. As News 4 Jax reports, students with guns were found at three Jacksonville schools on Wednesday. One of those schools: an elementary school. DCPS Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told “THE Local Station” that parents need to be more involved, and […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 1, 2017

Tuesday night as Jacksonville’s ArtWalk event began, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry called a press conference on the steps of City Hall, where just a day before, a different scene had transpired. Curry’s press conference on Tuesday night had to do with reassuring Jacksonville that ArtWalk is a safe event to attend. Such assurance was needed […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 1, 2017

There is something comfortingly familiar about a protest in Jacksonville, and Tuesday afternoon’s anti-Donald Trump protest was no exception. The chants heard at the Duval County Courthouse were, at least many of them, heard before. At this point, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” has been workshopped repeatedly in the Jacksonville DMA, and may have […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 31, 2017

A message from Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams to the Fraternal Order of Police was conveyed Tuesday: take the city’s pension deal. Jacksonville has been in the process of renegotiating the pension plans of all of its unions, but police and fire have offered the most urgency. The real sticking point, beyond finding an appropriate level of […]

Tag: Lenny Curry

Ron Salem launches 2019 run for Jacksonville City Council

Jeff Atwater’s surprise departure makes CFO job the hottest in state

Former Duval School Board member carries KIPP charter school bill in Tallahassee

Cord Byrd sponsors bill for Jacksonville ‘COPS’ grant

Lenny Curry administration may re-open a homeless day resource center

Shad Khan: No to Muslim Ban, Yes to HRO

Lenny Curry, Nikolai Vitti may collaborate against youth gun violence

Lenny Curry touts ArtWalk, defends right to City Hall protest

Jacksonville protest of Donald Trump sees protesters protesting

Jacksonville sheriff backs Lenny Curry’s pension reform proposal