Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiApril 10, 2017

Thursday saw FloridaPolitics.com offer up three stories on discussions of Jacksonville’s pension reform pitch to the Jacksonville City Council. If you are looking to read reportage of Mayor Lenny Curry‘s remarks, long-form presentation of Curry’s chief lieutenants, reaction of the Jacksonville City Council, use the helpful hypertext links below. However, if you’re looking to read analysis of […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

Jacksonville City Council members, upon hearing the details of the Lenny Curry pension reform plan, seemed optimistic upon first hearing. However, as they were not at the bargaining table, they questioned the parameters of collective bargaining agreements, and wanted more detail on the actuarial projections. ____ Councilman Bill Gulliford, instrumental in the 2015 pension reform deal, said […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 6, 2017

The city of Jacksonville is girding up for a looming late-April audit of post-Hurricane Matthew spending, much of which could be reimbursed by FEMA. Reimbursement is contingent on a number of factors, according to a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Jacksonville CAO Sam Mousa. FEMA requires a lot of detail. Among the asks: […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 23, 2017

A Thursday public notice meeting between Jacksonville City Council President Lori Boyer and VP John Crescimbeni attracted media attention because of the subject line: dredging. However, the subject was not the proposed channel deepening for JAXPORT purposes, but a so-called “zoo dredge.” The problem? Navigation issues from the water taxi and other recreational boats at the dock by […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 14, 2017

In February, the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund Board of Trustees balked at a Mar. 15 deadline to vote on the city’s latest pension plan. The board had worried that there would not be enough time to review the data of the new plan, which offers raises and uniformity of benefits for current employees, […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 2, 2017

An exchange of emails this week between Richard Tuten, the head of the Jacksonville PFPF Board of Trustees, and Sam Mousa, the city’s chief administrative officer, reveal friction between the mayor’s office and the PFPF board chair. The dispute centers around a meeting Mousa sought with Tuten to discuss the latest pension reform package, which has been accepted by […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 6, 2017

On Monday, the city of Jacksonville and the local Fraternal Order of Police continued its collective bargaining efforts, in a five-hour-plus afternoon session that spilled over into the evening. Going into the session, the main sticking point was a small but meaningful disagreement on raises for current employees, and whether or not new hires would […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2017

As with the morning collective bargaining session with the city’s fire union, the city of Jacksonville’s afternoon session with the police union saw a sweetened offer for police and corrections. But with the sweet comes the sour. The Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police held firm to the #YesToFRS position for new hires … and opened […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2017

On Monday, a political ally of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry filed a bill that would close the Florida Retirement System’s defined benefit plan to new cities. This is particularly relevant to Jacksonville’s police and fire unions, both of which want to see new hires put in the FRS defined benefit plan as a condition of collective bargaining. […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 11, 2017

On Wednesday morning, the city of Jacksonville enhanced its pension/benefits offer to the police union. Wednesday afternoon saw a similar conversation with the fire union. Just as with the police union negotiations, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was on hand at the fire union. The tone was more genial, with Curry and Wyse joking about some matters ahead […]

Tag: Sam Mousa

Critics ‘chirp’, while Lenny Curry surges to the end zone

Jacksonville Councilors embrace, question details in Lenny Curry pension pitch

FEMA audit of Jacksonville’s post-Matthew spending looms

Dredging issues remain complex in Jacksonville

Jacksonville PFPF expected to vote on pension deal Friday

Jacksonville mayor’s office, PFPF board chair clash on pension pitch

Jacksonville police union advances individual pension contract proposal

Jacksonville, police union haggle over body cameras, pensions

Jacksonville offers seven year agreement to firefighters in collective bargaining

Jacksonville, fire union make conceptual progress in pension reform talks