“Water is the new oil.” JEA selling our water to Water Barons? Don’t laugh. It’s happening.
I recently had a chance to speak with City Council Member Randy DeFoor. She was not happy with JEA fast-tracking a potential sale -- and she was most disturbed by the potential sale of our water. And I could not agree with her more. As a consultant to the board of JEA...
Mayor Curry speaks nonsense in eagerness to sell JEA
Mayor Lenny Curry We understand that Mayor Lenny Curry is pedal-to-the-metal on dumping the JEA, but his use of obviously bogus information in that quest is puzzling. Did Curry think no one would fact-check when he claimed JEA’s rates had shot up 71 percent? That’s...
Gov. Ron DeSantis veered off on the wrong track when he called for a new minimum wage for teachers
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Republicans think – and rightly so – that minimum wage laws are not good public policy. So why would the Republican governor of Florida propose a minimum wage for teachers in government schools? Gov. Ron DeSantis has done just that,...
One local legislator is taking on big issues, and isn’t taking no for an answer
State Rep. Jason Fischer An old saying goes, “There are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.” Jason Fischer didn’t go to the Florida Legislature to sit and watch. Since being elected to...
Keeping your Eye on JEA is a big deal – just ask Californians!
California wildfires Californians are living in a horror movie and their utility and politics are to blame. The news is reporting ... due to the effects of "Climate Change" and the possibility of sparking fires, the electric grid...
JEA suddenly finds itself being courted
Often maligned JEA has suitors – 16 of them. That many companies made bids to buy all or part of the local utility company. The next question will be: how many are serious and how many are simply bargain hunters. Some think the company could be worth about $7 billion....
Politicians: We’ve lost trust in you
When Mayor Curry was running for re-election he stated, "I will not be introducing legislation to sell the JEA." Hear him speak here: https://youtu.be/5veZY0UMUm4 It's true, he didn't do that yet he did what other politicians do -- he had another way to do it. He used...
Jacksonville Good Guys care about our schools!
It's always nice to hear good news coming from politicians and especially when those politicians are from your neck of the woods! Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Today Governor Ron DeSantis -- a former local attorney, turned Congressman and now Florida's Governor --...
Local teacher is being punished for defending American values – let’s support him!
Is the School Board going to punish a teacher for being proud of being an American? Daniel Goodman was pulled from his teaching job at First Coast High School because of something he wrote on a chalkboard in his classroom. The offending statement? “THINK: We had about...
A BIG WINK TO FORMER MAYOR JAKE GODBOLD FOR HIS BOLDNESS
Godbold being bold! In Sunday's Florida Times Union, former Mayor Jake Godbold was boldly transparent with his thoughts and feelings about the potential sale of JEA. A bigger wink goes to his description of the CEO at JEA! Mayor Godbold stated, "Shortly after Aaron...
The Jacksonville Landing: “Want a piece of me?”
Do you have a desire to own a piece of The Landing? Here's your chance. DHG Wrecking has set up a facebook page to sell articles they have rescued from the wrecking ball. You can join it and inquire about the specific articles you are interested in securing. You never...
Rep. John Rutherford: How’s he doing?
Rep. John Rutherford John Rutherford, former sheriff of Jacksonville, has been in Congress two years. How’s he doing? According to the ratings of the American Conservative Union, so-so. The ACU, like its left-wing counterpart Americans for Democratic Action, rates...
Public is wary of new laws that allow the police to seize guns
Red flags you say? I don't see no red flags. Local police are using a variety of new tactics in an effort to stem violent crime, but one of the new techniques is troubling. Using the state’s “red flag” law, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is taking guns away from...
Mayor Curry: Tweeting instead of governing. You’re killing us!
You're killing us, Mayor! When I read the tweet, I thought, "He can't be serious?" But he was. Here you go friends. The Sunday night tweet from the Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida to teachers in Duval County Schools: Lenny Curry@lennycurry Please get me your classroom...
Fragmentation of government services is a problem
Potential changes in the consolidation charter were suggested recently that might have provided a different way to resolve the impasse between the School Board and city over a sales tax referendum. The Charter Revision Commission heard a presentation from Mike...
Is JEA hiring or not?
Just curious. JEA advertised on LinkedIn and stated, "If you're looking for a rewarding career with a team that values growth, excellent benefits and training, check out JEA. We are always looking for candidates with a variety of skills and backgrounds." I decided to...
Debate on the JEA sale should stick to the facts
As the debate over selling the JEA rages on, inaccurate information continues to permeate the arguments on both sides. Fact-checking one post on Facebook illustrates the point: “JEA answers to the citizens which owns the water rights and electricity. If sold you would...
While Jacksonville burns, city leaders fiddle around
Last night the City Council met to discuss a bill that would put a tax referendum requested by the School Board on a ballot. What happened next was a joke. A joke on us. Some members of the audience booed when they didn't like what they heard. Instead of throwing...
Taking a close look at police work at night in the city
While Jacksonville residents are watching TV and retiring for the night there is a lot going on in the streets. The police are out there taking care of business. But what exactly do cops do while patrolling at night? You might imagine they run from a murder to a...
Costly consequences will happen without The Landing
Free events and no permits when The Landing was in use Now that The Landing has fencing around it and her future is heading to the dump, we can all agree she will be missed. Missed for so many reasons and the biggest one for me is the fact she served a purpose no...
New biography on former mayor Jake Godbold is a worthwhile summer read
Jacksonville residents with an interest in history and politics would find it worth their time to read a new biography of a former mayor: Jake! The number of important events that took place in the city during Jake Godbold’s eight years as mayor of Jacksonville –...
Jacksonville has racial injustice, too
No Justice for Stephen Anthony Orlando You hear a lot in the fake news industry about “white supremacy” and injustice but Jacksonville is where one of the great injustices is being done, and it was based on the notion of black supremacy. In 1974, an 18-year-old boy’s...
Is Mayor Curry leading or others pulling his strings?
I have worked with CEOs for more than 35 years as an Executive Coach. It's a wonderful profession and I find great joy in being around decisive leaders who fire up their staff and gather support for their vision. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a team led...
Breaking Development: Mayor Curry’s office silences dissent and shouldn’t they be suspended too?
Yesterday we wrote an article about cronyism and corruption in Lenny Curry's Administration. See that article here: https://eyeonjacksonville.com/eye-requests-an-investigation-of-the-mayors-administration/ Tonight we were shocked by a tweet sent out by Melissa Ross...
Preparing to defend Jacksonville from higher property values
I could hardly believe what I was seeing in a recent media report on the sea level rise task force in Jacksonville, formally known as the Adaptation Action Area Working Group. This temporary committee is supposed to disband later this month -- and that may be a good...
Eye requests an investigation of the Mayor’s Administration
Eye on Jacksonville has been watching political cronyism in our city government for the last year and while we didn’t like what we saw, we knew it was the game of politics. We shed light on issues and wrote opinion pieces about our dislike of this...
JEA: Local utility’s privatization plan is worldwide news
Plans to privatize the JEA obviously are of interest to residents of Jacksonville but why are they news in a publication written for socialists around the world? A story about JEA appeared in the World Socialist Web site this week. The site is published by the...
High school students have taken a greater interest in politics than ever before
As the school year quickly approaches for middle and high school students, hundreds of thousands of American men and women are learning how to solve complex problems, initiate change in a small community, and work proactively with other individuals. These skills,...
Appointing School Board members – an old idea is revived
Jason Fischer State Rep. Jason Fischer is getting a lot of heat for his bill to consider changes in how the School Board is constituted but it is not an idea he invented or necessarily even supports. As I read it, Fischer simply is frustrated at how the board operates...
Does the City need a Snake Charmer?
This Thursday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. in the Ed Ball Building on the 8th Floor in Conference Room 851 you can hear about a new Consultant hire for the Mayor. While there -- watch for snakes in the grass. A recent "retirement" on June 28th by the Chief Administration...
Duval County Schools: Why not sell your tax increase & let the people decide?
People who want higher taxes are pushing hard to get the school tax on the ballot immediately. A little too hard. It is a little too much when they let a problem grow over many years and then demand a tax as the only solution and insist upon it being passed...
Curry makes a pitch for selling JEA, but it isn’t quite convincing
Attempts to make the sale of JEA seem like a bonanza may run aground on the hard rocks of reality. After two years of denying that he sought the sale of the city-owned utility – an idea that is wildly unpopular – Mayor Lenny Curry now seems to be advocate No. 1. With...
Dark times in Jacksonville? Is it time to investigate?
Yesterday was a dark day for our City. I had the following calls and/or text messages regarding these subject matters: -- JEA: My son works at JEA and has a top level position. He's telling us some crazy stuff happening over there. Can all this be true and what's...
Excluding the public from public meetings is the payoff for accepting handouts
Politicians and bureaucrats in Jacksonville have all but erased the idea of government in the sunshine, the latest example being the brazen act of JEA executives holding a public meeting in a public place and shutting out the media. The media has no one to blame but...
Tear Down Lenny’s Legacy: Insane politics.
Young couple in love on the banks of the St. Johns River eyeing the Landing. I've just returned from a trip to Traverse City, Michigan. It's a small town with a lot of spunk! We just missed the Cherry Festival they put on every year and next week begins the Film...
JEA: Are the ratepayers in the dark and being tricked?
As a former consultant to the Board of JEA, I am in shock at their decision yesterday to proclaim two major deals: --- Give the unqualified, friend of the Mayor's, who was handed this lucrative job a few months ago, a huge raise to more than $520,000 because that's...
JEA leadership and government regulations failed employees and customers.
JEA is drawing up a list of people to be fired as it continues downsizing. Possibilities to be discussed at a board meeting today are a 26 percent rate increase and firing 500 employees. Three things are contributing to the shrinkage of the city-owned electric and...
Mayor Curry bullies a citizen and gets hammered
Yesterday Mayor Curry set off a firestorm on Twitter. It started with an article posted on Jacksonville.com by Nate Monroe. He stated, "City Council members have no idea of which of @lennycurry's proposed capital construction projects will start first, or last, or...
Nose pressing and Cronyism. It’s real friends.
In a recent article by the Jax Daily Record I was stunned to see this statement by the new DIA Director, Lori Boyer, regarding the Landing plans AFTER IT IS DEMOLISHED: "Boyer said the 2015 Landing plan coordinated by the DIA board and drafted by Wakefield Beasley...
Want to be smarter than the average bear? You can for FREE!
There is a ton of misinformation on social media and even from the mouths of some Congressmen and Congresswomen regarding our country, our laws and our rights. And the worst culprit of all is the media. The media has become a mouthpiece for the far left extremists and...
