Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 7, 2018

A July report from the Jacksonville City Council auditor says Duval County is leaving $366,000 per year on the table when it comes to the so-called bed tax. One source of a revenue increase could be Airbnb. Unlike 39 other Florida counties, Airbnb does not pay this tax — six cents per dollar — to the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 7, 2018

In 1984, there was no bigger star in the world than Michael Jackson. With the songs from 1982’s Thriller still resonating on the charts, he and his brothers thought the time was right for a family Victory tour. That tour came to Jacksonville: a three-night Gator Bowl stint in a metropolitan area much less populous than […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 5, 2018

On Wednesday’s episode of First Coast Connect on Jacksonville’s WJCT-FM, Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche charged that her meetings were being followed and that someone in city government was snooping on the computer of her Council assistant. Citing a “trust issue,” Brosche mentioned that she was “not allowed to have meetings with department heads without clearing […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 30, 2018

After Thursday’s explosive meeting of the Jacksonville City Council’s special committee on JEA, which saw Council President Anna Brosche and Finance Chair Garrett Dennis pillory CEO Paul McElroy over numerous inconsistencies in his testimony, what’s certain is that, at least for Brosche, the questions have only begun. In a 20-minute-plus gaggle Thursday evening, Brosche went into great detail […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 29, 2018

On the issue of the potential sale of Jacksonville public utility JEA, a narrative turning point occurred Tuesday. City Council members voted to expand the five-person special committee of sale skeptics to include the full council while divesting the panel of subpoena powers (such as those imposed on JEA CEO Paul McElroy two weeks prior). In […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 28, 2018

The Jacksonville City Council voted Tuesday evening to maintain the JEA Special committee, but not until after a heated debate that exposed historic fissures and spoke to the eternal struggle between the Council President and the Mayor’s allies. After a compromise motion to kill the committee’s subpoena power failed after a reconsidered vote, the Council […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 26, 2018

Some good news for Jacksonville came Monday via another bond upgrade. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced an uptick in the special revenue bond rating to ‘AA’ from ‘AA-’. “This latest upgrade further demonstrates our continued and strong focus on fiscal responsibility is making a difference for our citizens,” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “We continue […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 22, 2018

Did the mayor’s office move toward a sale of Jacksonville’s utility before Council had a chance to weigh in? And what does that mean for the process going forward? A profound rift has emerged between Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and the City Council on the question of JEA privatization. And, say some Councilors, existential questions loom […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 16, 2018

A shakeup in the office of Mayor Lenny Curry ends a particularly eventful week in Jacksonville politics. Sports and Entertainment head Dave Herrell resigned, capping an almost four-year run after being appointed in 2014 by former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. The role, per Brown, was “a key position to build Jacksonville’s momentum as a premier destination for major […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 15, 2018

In January, Jacksonville residents complained about the return of Ku Klux Klan flyers to city streets. “I am visiting Jacksonville, and was disturbed to see these flyers (such as those pictured) rolled up and strewn along Riverside Ave. in Five Points in short intervals. They are everywhere in the area between the Publix and Bell […]

Tag: Sam Mousa

As other counties move forward, Duval County leaves Airbnb money on the table

Forgotten about for 34 years, Michael Jackson’s money will fund Jacksonville music scholarships

‘Twisted political game’: Cybersnooping, surveillance charges roil Jacksonville City Hall

Anna Brosche on collision course with Lenny Curry, JEA management over sale timeline inconsistencies

Lenny Curry denies pulling strings, intimidating Jacksonville City Council members over JEA issue

Jacksonville City Council expands JEA special committee to 19 members

Ratings methodology change leads to bond upgrade for Jacksonville

Latest JEA sale revelations roil Jacksonville City Council

Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment head Dave Herrell resigns

Jacksonville warns Klansman about littering in wake of leaflet drop