Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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. GancarskiFebruary 5, 2017

Pension negotiations resume for Jacksonville’s Fraternal Order of Police on Monday. And an interesting preliminary battle is being fought between the FOP head and a reporter for the Florida Times-Union on Twitter. While such pushback is an occupational hazard for reporters from political figures, the public nature of this dispute is unusual for the Jacksonville market. The […]

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 […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 13, 2017

Close Call: On Wednesday evening, the reports trickled in from Washington, D.C. Rep. John Rutherford had suffered a medical episode in the U.S. House of Representatives, one which led him to require hospitalization through Thursday. The fear expressed by many: a massive heart attack. That speculation went out on Twitter, and the hours between the incident […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 11, 2017

The city of Jacksonville and its police union resumed collective bargaining for the first time since November on Tuesday, with the sides starting far apart. The daylight between labor and management was significant as last year closed. There’s less daylight after the Wednesday session. The city made an improved offer, one which offers a bigger city […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 28, 2016

Subpoenas with a side of sauce. That’s one way to sum up the year. In Jacksonville politics, 2016 started with subpoenas being delivered to Rep. Corrine Brown and her clique at a barbecue place on the Northside. And it ended with a raid on Councilwoman Katrina Brown’s familial barbecue sauce plant on the Westside. Katrina […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 14, 2016

The crossroads for pension plans for new hires in Jacksonville is here, and is casting a shadow over virtually every aspect of the city’s future. The latest bond rating trip for the city, for example, saw the pension issue – and whether or not Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry will succeed in getting at least one […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 2, 2016

Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown renewed her push for citizen review boards for police shootings on Friday morning. It’s a heavy lift, as charter precludes such a board; however, a sheriff’s office reform task force last month suggested that such a mechanism may be a worthwhile reform, even as the police union opposed it. Brown has prioritized […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2016

“Who knew what when?” That’s the question posed by Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police head Steve Zona in a two-paragraph open letter regarding the latest in Jacksonville’s police and fire pension fund drama. On Tuesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry expressed frustration over problems with calculations of a “waiver” from the Jacksonville PFPF that could result in an […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 28, 2016

Steve Zona, the head of the Jacksonville branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, got some backup over the holiday weekend from leaders of the state and national FOP in the biggest debate his union has had in some time. They conveyed a clear message: the FOP has support in what looks to be a protracted […]

Tag: Steve Zona

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National politics, political legacies, & the Jacksonville pension debate