Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMay 18, 2016

Former Jacksonville City Councilman Warren Jones, who served 28 years on the council, will run for the Duval County School Board in Group 5, he told FloridaPolitics.com Wednesday. “I finally came to the conclusion yesterday,” Jones said, “after I found out [the incumbent] Connie Hall would not run.” Jones, who hasn’t been on a ballot since his […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 17, 2016

In a message to supporters, Duval County School Board member Connie Hall said she won’t run for re-election — and who she is backing. “While the past four years have been more fulfilling than I could have imagined, the time has come to pass the mantle of leadership to the next generation,” Hall wrote, saying she has “decided […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 17, 2016

Another day, another story about public school bathrooms from Northeast Florida. On Monday, Duval County’s school superintendent, Nikolai Vitti, discussed the “fear factor” from some parents and students, relative to transgender students using the bathrooms of their choice, a policy supported and accommodated by Duval County Public Schools. On Tuesday, Vitti, along with the school district […]

Melissa RossMay 16, 2016

As criticism mounts toward the Obama administration’s new directive on transgender students and public school bathrooms, Jacksonville’s schools chief is pointing out that public schools in Duval County have quietly been allowing transgender kids to use the bathroom they feel most comfortable with for several years now. “We have been problem-solving on these issues for […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 12, 2016

A national championship occasions many victory speeches, as the national champion Ribault Lady Trojans found out Tuesday afternoon. Hemming Park in Jacksonville was jampacked with hundreds of well-wishers in Trojan Blue. And the stage was no less packed, with over a dozen politicians ranging from School Board and City Council members to Mayor Lenny Curry […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 29, 2016

At the start of the year, I made 12 predictions for 2016 in Jacksonville politics. A fourth of the way through, revisiting them is useful. Some I got right. Some I got wrong. Some are still in progress. Predictions 1 and 2 revolved around the Human Rights Ordinance expansion, which was the issue du jour. […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 16, 2016

“Citizens for Strong Schools Inc. v. Florida State Board of Education,” filed in 2009, finally is getting a hearing more than six years later. And Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who wasn’t around when it was filed, took the stand Wednesday in a Tallahassee courtroom. The plaintiffs contend that Florida fell short of school funding […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 18, 2016

In a lengthy statement released Wednesday night, Duval County School Board member Connie Hall did not address calls to resign over pejorative texts about Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Instead, she reinforced the criticisms made within, even as she apologized for one “offensive” reference. These texts included a call to “fire him now” and a reference to Vitti, whose path to […]

Melissa RossFebruary 17, 2016

The Duval County School Board continued its work this week looking at proposed boundary and program changes for a number of Jacksonville schools proposed by Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Vitti (so far) has not followed through on threats to sue after public records revealed board member Connie Hall sent controversial text messages about him to a […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 15, 2016

The simmering tensions between Duval County School Board member Connie Hall and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti boiled over last week, after months of deterioration. As Melissa Ross wrote last week: Records of emails and texts of Hall and two other Duval School Board members were first requested by a Miami law firm. WJCT obtained a copy of those documents and […]

Tag: Nikolai Vitti

Former Jax Councilman Warren Jones will run for Duval County School Board

Connie Hall won’t run for re-election to Duval County School Board

Duval School Board sued over bathroom policy

Nikolai Vitti: “fear factor” involved with transgender bathroom issue

Jacksonville celebrates its national champs, the Ribault Lady Trojans

A.G. Gancarski: So far, so good on 2016 predictions

Nikolai Vitti discusses “trauma of poverty” in Strong Schools testimony

Connie Hall not backing down from critiques of Nikolai Vitti

Duval School Board tensions simmer as charter fight escalates

Jason Fischer says Connie Hall should “immediately” resign Duval School Board seat