Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 22, 2015

The seventh stop in Florida Gov. Rick Scott‘s “victory lap” across the state was in one of his political strongholds: Jacksonville. The Monday appearance, at the Mudville Grille in Arlington, was an appropriate venue. Known for its hamburgers, it is a great place to serve up red meat for the Republican faithful. The crowd was […]

Peter SchorschJune 22, 2015

There are few people in Florida politics with more influence than Susie Wiles. She’s a managing partner for mega-lobbyist Brian Ballard; she ran the 2010 campaign of little-known outsider, now two-term Gov. Rick Scott; and she has been a gubernatorial appointee to the Republican Party of Florida’s Executive Committee. Wiles’ reach extends outside of Florida […]

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. GancarskiJune 22, 2015

The solipsism of the paper of record. It never gets touted as a subscription benefit for the Florida Times-Union, but it’s a much more reliable feature than their website. You can always count on it, as a recent column from the paper’s editor Frank Denton indicated. It started off fine enough, talking about how Lenny Curry […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2015

A lot of the discussion regarding the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Deal that was approved by the Pension Board by a 4-1 margin on Friday revolved, justifiably, around the yeoman’s work that Mayor Alvin Brown, his Chief of Staff Chris Hand, and the rest of the team did toward getting the basic framework in place. However, the man […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 18, 2015

To borrow a phrase, “here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the Lenny Curry administration.” What we know: Sam Mousa is the new Chief Administrative Officer. What can Jacksonville expect? Well, I’ve spent the last four days listening to the man talk as real with me in the room typing every word as he would if […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 18, 2015

The afternoon begins in the Lenny Curry Transition Team Budget marathon, as Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa leads a review of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority budget. It’s more of a holistic overview with Henry Li from the JTA. 1:17: This is different from the budget reviews, as the JTA Board has authority over the budget. 1:18: Budget […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 18, 2015

The final Lenny Curry transition team budget meeting of Thursday morning, headed by new CAO Sam Mousa, involves a meeting with the Department of Health. 11:38: A discussion of Health Department initiatives, in preventive care and other areas. Mousa mentions that people don’t think about the Health Department until a public health emergency hits. There could […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 17, 2015

A writing teacher I had once told me the secret to character development. A character can be good or bad, but as long as he is verifiable, that is the secret to credible characterization. I look at Sam Mousa, Lenny Curry’s new Chief Administrative Officer in that sense. Some have said that he’s “recycled” from a […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 17, 2015

In a move that surprises no one who has been watching the transition period, Jacksonville Mayor-elect Lenny Curry has selected Sam Mousa to be his chief administrative officer. “From the start of our transition process, I have been witness to Sam’s ability to get his arms around the budget challenges and financial disarray our city faces. […]

Tag: Lenny Curry
Image via AP.

Rick Scott, Duval Republicans celebrate tax cuts, Session wins

Tax troubles for Jacksonville insider Susie Wiles?

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

The solipsism of Frank Denton

Lenny Curry on Jax Pension Deal: “A Tremendous Step”

What’s up with Susie Wiles? What about Mike Weinstein?

Jax transition budget meeting: Jacksonville Transportation Authority

Jax transition budget meeting: Department of Health

What Jacksonville can expect from Sam Mousa, Lenny Curry’s new CAO

Lenny Curry picks Sam Mousa as his chief administrative officer