Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 8, 2018

An annual tradition in Jacksonville City Council is beginning anew: the race for Jacksonville City Council VP. Often — but not always — the VP slot is a springboard to the Presidency the next year. The most interesting iteration of this race in recent memory: 2016, when Democrat John Crescimbeni bested Republican Doyle Carter in a cliffhanger 10-9 […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 8, 2017

Three year old Amari Harley and 74 year old Ashley Miller Kraan had very little in common — except that they both drew their last breaths in Jacksonville parks this fall. Harley fell down a hole above a septic tank; the rubber lid was missing. Kraan was stabbed in broad daylight by a man with mental issues. Park […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 18, 2017

A week after the Jacksonville City Council passed his Kids Hope Alliance bill, Mayor Lenny Curry signed the reform bill into law Wednesday. The KHA, a new seven-person board that will replace the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and the Jacksonville Journey, will command a roughly $35M budget for services for what the Mayor calls “at-hope kids,” […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 2, 2017

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s Kids Hope Alliance bill cleared the first of three City Council committees Monday. And he was on hand, at least at the outset of a discussion that sprawled for almost three hours, to make sure that happened. The bill, which seeks to consolidate functions and programs of the Jacksonville Journey and Jacksonville Children’s […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 28, 2017

FloridaPolitics.com obtained a copy of what will be a committee substitute for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry‘s previously-filed Kids Hope Alliance bill. The bill will be introduced by Councilman Scott Wilson on Monday, and will be buoyed with support from four former Jacksonville Children’s Commission chairs. Former chairs Howard Korman, Richard Sisisky, Toni Crawford, and Michael Munz all affirmed support for the reforms, a […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 27, 2017

Late Tuesday night, the Jacksonville City Council passed the city’s $1.27 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, one with $131M in capital improvements, and 100 new police positions. The $131 million capital improvement budget: a cornucopia of one-time spending designed to take advantage of budget relief created by pension reform, fueled by the confidence created by Jacksonville’s strong position […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 23, 2017

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When Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche took over the role, she prioritized improving the city’s park system. To that end, Brosche appointed Councilman Scott Wilson to chair a special committee. Narrative has moved quickly thus far in the Brosche era, with hot button issues ranging from term limits and Confederate statues to JAXPORT dredging and hiring […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 25, 2017

Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche released charges last week for three special committees that will convene over the next year. Brosche previewed these committees during her inauguration speech last month. The Special Committee on Parks will deal with a continued decline of Jacksonville’s park system. “The Trust for Public Land recently ranked Jacksonville’s park system […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 18, 2017

A bill authorizing a referendum to increase the number of consecutive terms a Jacksonville City Council member can serve passed its second and final committee on Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by second-term Councilman Matt Schellenberg, passed Finance by a 5-2 margin Tuesday morning. Between committee stops, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry punted on expressing an opinion on the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2017

On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council elected its new President and new Vice-President. For those seeking “Chamber friendly” officials, the vote couldn’t have gone better. Elected President: Anna Brosche. Elected Vice-President: Aaron Bowman. There are those who say the Jax Chamber and former Mayor John Peyton swayed the outcome of the vote. If that was their intention, they […]

Tag: Scott Wilson

Race for Jacksonville City Council VP begins: Danny Becton, Sam Newby launch runs

Park deaths loom over Jax City Council panel

With Kids Hope Alliance bill, Lenny Curry consolidated Jax City Council behind his vision

Despite pushback, ‘Kids Hope Alliance’ bill clears first Jax City Council committee

Lenny Curry’s ‘Kids Hope Alliance’ bill is headed back to Jax City Council

Jacksonville City Council approves $1.27 billion budget

Anna Brosche: “Capitalize on what’s going well” in Jax parks

Charges released for Jacksonville City Council special committees

Bill gutting term limits moves to full Jacksonville City Council

Anna Brosche wins Jacksonville City Council President’s race; Aaron Bowman takes VP