Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

Tuesday saw senior staff from the city of Jacksonville locked in negotiations with representatives from the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. Spoiler alert: those negotiations won’t be wrapped up in time for Thanksgiving. The fire union seems to prefer switching to the Florida Retirement System’s pension plan; the city likes defined contribution. That is a huge gap. […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 22, 2016

A fundraiser is set for State Attorney Angela Corey Saturday afternoon, hosted by Sheriff Mike Williams and Joanna and Curt Pajcic. The fundraiser’s host committee is stacked with public safety employees and union heads. The local Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Fire Fighters are featured, as well as their respective heads, Randy Wyse and Steve Zona. Also featured: Tom […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 21, 2016

On Wednesday night, when the eyes of the political universe were on Cleveland, former RPOF chair and current Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was closer to home, at Bistro Aix in San Marco. Curry, who’d been elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, stood down for an alternate. In fact, up until Wednesday evening, he hadn’t […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2016

One of the most anticipated of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s “pension town halls” with city employees was Thursday morning with the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. How did it go? No one in the media really knows. Because the important parts of the session — the Q and A period — weren’t heard by the media. While the […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 9, 2016

Attorney General Pam Bondi is in the news this week for soliciting a donation from Donald Trump concurrent with a considered, then scuttled, 2013 investigation of Trump University. Next week, she will be in the news for soliciting donations in a different context — the re-election campaign of Angela Corey, the incumbent Republican State Attorney in Florida’s 4th […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 8, 2016

Monday saw the Florida Senate Finance and Tax Committee pass the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill that would allow a referendum authorizing the half cent Better Jacksonville Plan sales tax to be extended until 2060, to pay off Jacksonville’s unfunded pension liability. Ahead of the committee meeting, Lenny Curry lobbied committee members, via private January meetings with Curry […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

Without a doubt, the most interesting Senate committee meeting of the new Florida Legislative Session for Jacksonville will occur Tuesday morning. The Committee on Community Affairs meets to consider nine bills, but it’s the sixth that should interest Jacksonville locals. The Discretionary Sales Surtax bill, introduced by Sen. Rob Bradley and co-sponsored by Sen. Aaron […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 22, 2016

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In a conversation Friday, state Rep. Lake Ray talked with FloridaPolitics.com about the biggest bill this session for Jacksonville: the proposed extension of the Better Jacksonville Plan half-cent sales surtax to address the unfunded liability with public pensions. Ray, a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, described the legislative effort as a “work […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 21, 2016

On Thursday, Jacksonville City Council members Lori Boyer and Aaron Bowman convened to discuss a piece of cure legislation, intended to resolve Council’s budget night decision to move $330,799 from stormwater to safety officer salaries. Before that meeting, I talked with Fire Chief Kurtis Wilson about the need for safety officers, something that has gotten obscured in the procedural drama […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 21, 2016

Two interesting Jacksonville City Council public notice meetings are slated for Thursday, and both of them have to do with public safety-related legal concerns. At 1 p.m, Councilwoman Anna Brosche meets with Council VP Lori Boyer regarding 2015-783, the so-called Cure Legislation to resolve a controversial budget night allocation of $330,799 from the stormwater budget to salaries for […]

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Jacksonville pension proposal: A ‘shock’ to firefighters

Angela Corey fundraiser set for Saturday; police, fire dominate host committee

Lenny Curry, Tommy Hazouri sell pension tax to Jax ‘future leaders’

Details vague from Lenny Curry pension town hall with Firefighters union

Pam Bondi to fundraise for Angela Corey next week

Jacksonville “pension tax” bill clears 2nd Senate committee

Senate panel to discuss Jacksonville’s pension liability surtax Tuesday

Lake Ray says “hurdles” remain in passing Jax pension tax plan

Jax Safety Officer salary cure legislation moves closer to reality

Interesting public notice meetings in Jax Thursday