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A.G. GancarskiFebruary 4, 2016

The first of three meetings of the Jacksonville City Council Committee of the Whole on two Human Rights Ordinance expansion bills had all the drama you could want. Those paying attention would have noted that the real drama, the procedural drama, was set up hours ahead of this meeting. Even before the three hour meeting […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 3, 2016

In the 2015 May election, Tommy Hazouri was the leading citywide vote getter. The former mayor was buoyed by an interesting coalition: voters who remembered his tenure as mayor with fondness, along with young people energized by his proactive stance on Human Rights Ordinance expansion. His appeal crossed party lines; his messaging hit the same […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 2, 2016

The Jax City Council ban on the use of cellphones during meeting is under siege, with a threat from Bill Gulliford that boiled down to pass my bill fixing it or face a rules challenge. The Bill Gulliford bill included a measure prohibiting “electronic communications” from or to Council members related to legislation on the agenda […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2016

With two HRO expansion bills in public hearing at the end of the meeting, Jacksonville’s City Council steeled itself for another extended round of public comment. The legislative agenda? Light. But even the agenda meeting had allusions to the conflict to come, such as Bill Gulliford‘s quip about a city employee moving to the Beach, saying […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2016

Tuesday, the Community Affairs Committee of the Florida Senate approved Senate Bill 1652, the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill introduced by Rob Bradley and co-sponsored by Aaron Bean. The bill has its first House committee stop scheduled for Wednesday; it still has two Senate committees to go. As the meeting soldiered toward the presentation, Jax Mayor Lenny Curry could be […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 25, 2016

On at least one public occasion, Jacksonville’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sam Mousa, groused that it’s cheaper to feed the meter and park on the street than it is to use the city’s parking garages. That, coupled with a focus on parking meter income in general this last month (both in terms of uncollectible debt from parking […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 15, 2016

As Sam Mousa walked into the Police and Fire Pension Fund building on a misty Friday morning to sell the board on the Lenny Curry plan, FloridaPolitics.com asked him his thoughts on Rick Scott not committing to support the Jacksonville mayor’s pension sales tax plan to address the unfunded actuarial liability. Mousa’s answer was typically economical, “The mayor never asked the […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 14, 2016

With the MLK Birthday Breakfast Friday calling him back to Jacksonville, Mayor Lenny Curry will wrap up his Tallahassee trip Thursday after meetings galore. One would surmise that those meetings are intended to create buy-in for his pension sales tax proposal, which some worry was advanced a bit late for this Legislative Session. Curry’s meeting schedule […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

““Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” — John Adams “If we’d had a referendum in 1965, I’d still be on the back of the bus.” — Denise Hunt A light legislative agenda on Jacksonville’s City Council was offset by dozens of […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 12, 2016

Tuesday’s JEA Agreement meeting, at least on the agenda, was dominated by two meaningful issues. The first: pension issues, in light of both the General Counsel ruling that Council, and not JEA, was the appropriative body for pay negotiations. This ruling overruled the previous General Counsel’s take on the matter earlier in the decade. As well, […]

Tag: Sam Mousa

Lori Boyer’s withdrawal motion highlights Jax HRO Committee of the Whole

Tommy Hazouri contemplates leadership, legacy, and the HRO

Cellphone ban vexes Bill Gulliford, yet Rules defers his bill

HRO testimony rocks Jax City Council yet again

Jax pension tax bill clears Senate Community Affairs Committee

Sam Mousa to Jax employees: Stop feeding the meter

Pension Tension: PFPF pushback on Jax pension unfunded liability surtax

Lenny Curry wraps up Tallahassee junket Thursday with more pension tax meetings

HRO expansion talk roils Jax City Council

Pension, contribution issues dominate JEA Agreement meeting