Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 11, 2015

As the new Jacksonville City Council settles in and bills wend their way through committees, Jacksonville City Council meetings haven’t truly heated up as they will during September’s budget deliberations. However, Jacksonville’s City Council is always a hotbed of entertainment and public interest, and Tuesday evening’s Council conclave was no exception. The Hemming Park funding […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 4, 2015

1655454_326298937549184_3957253271936175156_o-1024x1024.jpg

The Tuesday afternoon meeting of the Jacksonville City Council’s Rules Committee didn’t exactly promise fireworks, but with the Hemming Park emergency authorization on the table, it was worth checking out. After a series of unanimous appointments, the Little Van Wert Avenue river access bill withdrawal, and a deferment of the Charlotte’s Web moratorium, the first bill […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 3, 2015

In Monday afternoon’s NICE Committee meeting in the Jacksonville City Council, one thing became clear. Backing into driveways, and the corollary issue of whether or not tags must be shown, remains an issue. The discussion was lengthy. Council members discussed details ranging from whether it can be enforced to whether or not there code enforcement […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 31, 2015

11201182_660481747422486_2446576573855531870_n-1024x1024.jpg

In a conference room in the suite of offices for Jacksonville’s City Council members, there is a distinctive picture of President Andrew Jackson that I had seen many times, yet I didn’t know any background about until I interviewed Councilman Tommy Hazouri on Friday. Hazouri casually remarked that he had been interning for former Jacksonville mayor Lou Ritter […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 28, 2015

“City Council meetings are like Christmas twice a month. You know you’ll get a present. The question is whether it’s going to be a good one or a bad one,” Council President Greg Anderson said before the meeting The first City Council meeting of the new class was expected, going in, to be a quiet one. […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 3, 2015

At Thursday’s lunch meeting between the Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Lenny Curry, a surprisingly robust topic was the issue of grants. Councilman Tommy Hazouri said that the city had “missed the boat” on effective grant writing during the Alvin Brown administration. John Crescimbeni talked about the use of outside grant writers, and how $30,000 over two years […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 30, 2015

Twenty years ago, former Jacksonville mayors Tommy Hazouri and John Delaney were linked when the lifelong Democrat crossed party lines to endorse Republican Delaney against a fellow Democrat, Jake Godbold. Hazouri paid a price for that. He languished in the political wilderness. But Hazouri, just like Delaney, have been willing to go against the grain of their own […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 26, 2015

11053582_1039259299422275_7515458863071550036_n-1024x1024.jpg

I remember the first time I interviewed former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney. It was 2008, and I wanted to know why it was that the Duval County power structure fell in behind the Presidential bid of Mitt Romney. The University of North Florida President gave me something that is all too rare in politics: a forthright answer […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 19, 2015

When it comes to the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension, nothing is easy. Not even a 4-1 vote by the Police and Fire Pension Board to approve 2015-304, the agreement passed by Jacksonville’s City Council by a 14-4 margin at last week’s meeting. A lot of passions were stirred; passions about making sure the first […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 1, 2015

In another in what has become a series of interviews with incoming Jacksonville city council members, Florida Politics contacted Tommy Hazouri’s team. Instead of talking with the councilman because he was vacationing Friday, Jenny Busby, Hazouri’s millennial campaign manager who will be his city council assistant, spoke on his behalf. Hazouri received more votes than […]

Tag: Tommy Hazouri
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Jax City Council approves Hemming Park deal 18-1

Jax Council Rules committee approves Hemming Park contract

In Jacksonville, backing into driveways remains controversial

Tommy Hazouri talks Jax City Council, HRO, Alvin Brown’s loss, and more

Jacksonville City Council: July 28, 2015 recap

Military and police grants going Jacksonville’s way

Former Jacksonville mayors move toward 2nd try on HRO

John Delaney discusses Lenny Curry, Alvin Brown, the mayoral transition, and the HRO

Emotions run high as Jax Police and Fire Pension Board OKs deal

Tommy Hazouri campaign focused on public safety