Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiOctober 27, 2016

Note: a previous version of this piece asserted a connection between the family of Jacksonville CAO Sam Mousa and J.B. Coxwell. That connection was limited to Mousa having been an employee in the past. No current connection exists. We regret the error. Duval County and Jacksonville were spared the absolute worst of Hurricane Matthew’s fearsome […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 24, 2016

On Monday in Jacksonville, Gov. Rick Scott and Mayor Lenny Curry convened to discuss response to and recovery from Hurricane Matthew. In the fourth floor of Jacksonville’s Emergency Operations Center, Scott and Curry met along with a panoply of other state and city stakeholders. Media was allowed to observe a couple minutes of that meeting, in which the governor […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 11, 2016

On Tuesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa addressed the city council on how recovery efforts are going after Hurricane Matthew. There is lots of work ahead, and that work will have to be exhaustively documented for reimbursement purposes, and it will cost millions of dollars. Mousa noted the process, including engaging contractors, would be done outside […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2016

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On Thursday afternoon, a Jacksonville City Council subcommittee discussed “measurements of success” for Hemming Park. The object of Thursday’s meeting, said Chair Greg Anderson, was refining those measurements and discerning the “hook” that drives traffic to parks. Previously, the committee agreed on some big-picture goals: safety, cleanliness, and business friendliness of the park. Refining those desired goals, and […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 15, 2016

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A spirited discussion of the dispensation of surplus property in District 10 and Jacksonville’s lingering affordable housing issues highlighted Jacksonville’s NCIS committee Monday. The Real Estate Division requested authorization to declare 32 condo lots on Lane Avenue South in Common Elements, Brookewood A Condominium, as surplus tax reverted parcels after an investigation which determined the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2016

Spending will go up on public safety, stay flat in most other areas. Revenue will be up, though millage collection still isn’t back to where it was before the crash of 2008, and business tax collection is down almost 10 percent. These insights and others were to be heard in council chambers Thursday morning, as […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 9, 2016

A historic Jacksonville landmark looks slated for preservation, and some long-delayed road and bridge projects are being prioritized, after Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council meeting. Meanwhile, a discussion of housing funds led to an exegesis on public housing related to the problem-plagued Fairway Oaks development, built by Habijax on bad foundations, leading to structural damages. The Council […]

Peter SchorschJuly 5, 2016

One of the most undercovered, yet indispensable, parts of the fiscal year in Jacksonville: The Mayor’s Budget Review Committee, which is a misnomer, as one never actually sees the Mayor in the room. If the posted schedule is correct, that committee wraps Wednesday, with a “clean up” session slated for next Tuesday afternoon to resolve any issues left […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 5, 2016

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Mayor’s Budget Review Committee performed an omnibus wrap up session, as budget review ends Wednesday. The usual players were analyzing the budgets: Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, CFO Mike Weinstein, and Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart. The Tuesday session dealt with the “short list” of potential enhancements, bolstered by some small increase in property tax revenues, […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 1, 2016

Friday morning saw Jacksonville’s Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, and CFO Mike Weinstein review the budgets for venues. Some highlights from the review of SMG budgets: The baseball stadium saw contractual services revenues down $319,000. Estimates were inflated, given revenue from the Armada underperformed projections at the time of budget submission last summer. Despite discussions of a new […]

Tag: Sam Mousa

Jacksonville continues ‘aggressive’ approach to post-Matthew cleanup

Rick Scott, Lenny Curry talk Hurricane Matthew response, recovery

Up to $100M needed to get Jacksonville to normal after storm

Jax City Council panel mulls how to make Hemming Park more attractive

Over district councilman’s objections, Jax surplus property bill moves through committee

Jax City Council begins budget deliberations

Jax Council approves transportation plan, money for fort preservation

Jacksonville Bold for 07.05.16 — What the fiscal cliff looks like

Jax mayor’s budget review committee works toward final recommendations

Stadium, other venue budgets get once over from Jax mayor’s office