Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 21, 2015

In what will be one of the most eagerly anticipated Jacksonville City Council meetings of the year, the City Council is set to officially approve the FY 16 budget and related bills on Monday evening. But wait, there’s so much more. A resolution authorizing an inquiry into the legality and the validity of the Police and Fire […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 18, 2015

Laveranues Coles was a legendary wide receiver by Jacksonville standards. After his high school career at Ribault, Coles went on to Florida State University, where, after he took the fall for shoplifting with Peter Warrick (an incident which earned FSU the Steve Spurrier sobriquet “Free Shoes University”), he vowed never to return. Despite the abrupt […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 14, 2015

On Monday, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee mulled a packed agenda, including pushing forward on inquiring into the validity of the Police and Fire Pension Fund Senior Staff Voluntary Retirement Plan, a measure that will yet again be considered by the full Council next Monday. • 2014-769, which was referred back to Finance under […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 10, 2015

On Wednesday afternoon, some small but important steps were made toward accomplishing something essential in Jacksonville: making the contracts process more transparent. Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a former mayor and probably the most dyed-in-the-wool populist on the current Council, scheduled a meeting with Council Vice-President Lori Boyer, who has as much experience with contracts on the current Council […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 8, 2015

The Tuesday night Jacksonville City Council meeting was expected, for the most part, to be quiet. The principal drama of the budget is forestalled until Sept. 21 meeting, and the big talker, going in, was expected to be the Police and Fire Pension Fund’s senior staff retirement plan. In the wake of the retirement of Police and […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 2, 2015

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee continued its budget deliberations on Wednesday afternoon, with an eye toward same-day finalization of the budget. UF Health’s contribution from the city of Jacksonville was another cleanup item on the agenda. $26,275,594 is the proposed amount, unchanged from the previous year. Councilman Reggie Gaffney wondered what any extra money would go […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 2, 2015

The Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee began its eighth and theoretically final day of budget review on Wednesday morning. To that end, Finance Committee Chair Bill Gulliford cautioned against “pontification,” threatening to “invoke Council rules” to rein discursiveness in. Here are the morning highlights: — A discussion of three wellness and safety positions being removed […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 31, 2015

The last Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee of August had more deferrals than Washington insiders had Vietnam War deferments. Still, the value is in the journey, not the destination. Here are the highlights. • “Everybody comfortable? I think you can hang meat in here.” – Councilman Bill Gulliford. • A non-exclusive Grant of Easement (2015-313) to […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 2015

11201182_660481747422486_2446576573855531870_n-1024x1024.jpg

It seemed the Tommy Hazouri proposal to rebuild the Jacksonville Library system by restoring hours in challenged neighborhoods would meet with approval from the finance committee on Friday. Then, Councilman Matt Schellenberg spoke up, wondering why there is no “preference to one or two of the libraries” in his Mandarin district, which have been “excluded” from this proposal. […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 2015

A red-hot Friday session of the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee budget review included an conversation about Jacksonville Transit Authority revenue that got to the heart of the fractious relationship between City Council and Jacksonville’s independent authorities. Councilwoman Lori Boyer held forth with an extended address about the local option gas tax as part of a […]

Tag: Lori Boyer
Image via AP.

Jax City Council has packed agenda on Monday

FSU alum Laveranues Coles looks to open Jax showbar

Jax City Council Finance Committee OKs PFPF probe

Sam Mousa, Jax Council members discuss transparency in contracts

Jax Council refers PFPF Senior Staff retirement plan legality question to Finance

Jax Finance Committee wrestles with UF Health funding woes

Jax Finance Committee mulls dredging, permit and stormwater fees in Wednesday morning budget wrapup

Sewage, sales tax hot topics in Jax Finance Committee on Monday

Tommy Hazouri Jax library rebuild proposal survives Finance budget review

JTA, Jax Council Finance Committee spar over funding, Skyway