Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 11, 2016

Solving the Unfunded Liability may be Lenny Curry’s spend of political capital. But if all goes right, and that is a big if, the Jax Journey renewal will be his legacy. And the city’s. In a media availability before Thursday’s Community Conversation on the Youth Violence prevention aspect of the Jax Journey, Lenny Curry spoke […]

Melissa RossFebruary 11, 2016

Newly released public records show that Duval County School Board member Connie Hall would like to see Superintendent Nikolai Vitti fired. Hall texted that sentiment in a message she sent this past fall to a school district employee, the records reveal. Records of emails and texts of Hall and two other Duval School Board members […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 10, 2016

The last round of Lenny Curry’s Community Conversations, on Human Rights Ordinance expansion, were contentious and ultimately led to little in the way of policy outcome. Thursday’s Community Conversation, revolving around the issue of youth violence as it relates to the Jacksonville Journey, will undoubtedly bring forth more consensus. “The first of this series, “Our […]

Melissa RossJanuary 25, 2016

The battle over charter schools has been joined in some Florida cities, particularly in places such as Palm Beach. Charters continue to grow in both popularity – and controversy. It’s against that tense backdrop that Jacksonville prepares to host an annual event looking to improve graduation rates for the city’s young male blacks, and this […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 30, 2015

There’s no doubt 2015 was an amazing year in Jacksonville politics. A new mayor, 11 new members of City Council, and intrigue in Corrine Brown’s redistricting saga were among a few top-level highlights. While we have a reasonable sense of what happened in Jacksonville politics in 2015, the next question is what happens in 2016. Hence, a […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 18, 2015

On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s office released details on the next round of Community Conversations, first mentioned during the HRO Community Conversation this week. They will be related to the Jax Journey, and the first will address “youth violence” in Jacksonville. “During my campaign, I talked with hundreds of people throughout every corner of this […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2015

Promises made; promises kept. On Tuesday afternoon, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry launched Jax Journey 2.0, and on hand were most of Jacksonville’s City Council members, along with many members of the mayor’s senior staff, former Sheriff John Rutherford, and Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. The initiative, a continuation of the original Jacksonville Journey, launched during the John Peyton administration, […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 25, 2015

If you’re reading this, you likely have a positive relationship with the Thanksgiving holiday. This should be especially true for the doughty stalwarts of the #JaxPol universe, where seemingly everyone, from the congressional level down to City Council, have tangible things for which they should be grateful. U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, for one, can be grateful […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 9, 2015

The first thing you might notice, when you walk into the Alternative to Out of School Suspension facility at Southside Middle School, is that it’s like a time warp. Its wood-paneled walls seem like something from the Hans Tanzler administration, and spotlight a non-negotiable truth in neighborhoods receiving Jacksonville Journey program dollars. Namely, they are […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 22, 2015

Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti may be the most unpopular figure in Duval County politics. Teachers complain about teaching to the test, the dehumanizing strictures of 21st century education. They pass those memes on to the kids they teach. Vitti embodies 21st century education for them, almost like an Eastern European leader might have Communism, right about […]

Tag: Nikolai Vitti
Image via AP.

The Jax Journey: Lenny Curry’s legacy, and ours

“Fire him now!” texted Duval School Board member; Nikolai Vitti calls it “hostile work environment”

Panel announced for Lenny Curry youth violence Community Conversation”

Jax Urban Ed Symposium to spotlight charter schools: “the good, the bad and the ugly”

A.G. Gancarski’s 12 predictions in 2016 for Jacksonville politics

City Hall details Jax Journey-related Community Conversation plans

Lenny Curry launches Jax Journey 2.0

Thanksgiving, the #JaxPol edition

Lenny Curry’s “day of Journey” spotlights Jax Journey initiatives

Nikolai Vitti frames school system’s inconvenient truths