Democrats Justice Reform upends the Rule of Law
This is what is coming to America Dallas County, TX District Attorney will not prosecute certain crimes. This includes low level drug crimes, probation violations and thief of items under $750 if for personal use. He says he is ending the criminalization...
For your summer reading list: Politics
There are a number of political biographies recently out or soon to be out that rehash the old days in Jacksonville. Former State Rep. John Forbes produced his autobiography with Susan Brandenburg, titled “Unlikely Partnership,” referring to the union of Forbes and...
School Superintendent Dr. Greene’s Manatee legacy: Lack of Leadership?
Audits and newspaper investigations are beginning to show problems in the Manatee’s public schools dating to the time Dr. Diana Greene, now superintendent of the Duval Count schools, headed the Southwest Florida system. Based on a review of several school board...
The Crystal Ball spoke truth: Duval County Schools
In May 2018, Eye on Jacksonville welcomed Diana Greene to Jacksonville as Duval County School's new Superintendent. In that article, Lloyd Brown noted that we did not need an increase in taxes but an increase in standards. Did Lloyd Brown have a crystal ball? Check...
Parents await public school explanation for surprising numbers of violent incidents reported to the state
Police claim the public schools in Jacksonville are playing with numbers reported to the state on school violence. The number of times law enforcement has taken action on fights and attacks at Duval County schools has gone down significantly over the past three school...
Jacksonville renamed to Hughestown?
Brian Hughes The breaking news yesterday was: Sam Mousa, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Jacksonville is retiring. Sam, a highly qualified professional with deep roots in Jacksonville is being replaced by the only person in Jacksonville that our Mayor...
History is made as the Times-Union fails to publish a paper
For the first time in most people’s memory the daily paper was not published today. This note to subscribers was posted on the paper’s Web site: “Because of technical issues, most copies of the Florida Times-Union were not delivered to subscribers Monday morning....
STUDENT GROWTH IS SMALL BUT SPENDING GROWTH IS NOT
The School Board is contemplating building 30 new schools -- not because the schools are being flooded with new students but because buildings are aging. Dollars are growing faster than children in the local public schools. Since the 2007-08 school year, there has...
JEA on Lot J? Not official yet and was the bidding process fair? Level playing field for all? Doubtful.
NOTE: The author writes about JEA on Lot J only. Two other developers submitted proposals for the JEA headquarters. She chose to write about Lot J because her followers and she, herself, believe this is a silly and strange idea. JEA headquarters in the middle of...
Oh to be a fly on the wall in Mayor Curry’s office
Democrats took a drubbing in Jacksonville’s city elections but a couple of them still are alive. Republicans made a sweep in citywide races except for Democrats Tommy Hazouri and Lisa King, who led in their races. Now all eyes are on Mayor Lenny Curry. Who will he...
School Board needs $1.95 billion and doesn’t have it. Oh No – what’s the impact on us?
Public schools in Jacksonville are aging and many need to be replaced. But politicians don’t sock away money for contingencies. If they have money, they spend it. So, the School Board needs $1.95 billion and doesn’t have it. Options are few. They boil down to impact...
Troubling signs about our guns. Pay attention.
There are troubling signs that local politicians may be inching towards gun control under pressure from one rich and powerful gun-grabber and others of like minds. Jacksonville, and Florida, have been until now staunch supporters of the rights enshrined in the U.S....
Jacksonville: A city without a vision
So far - as of yesterday - Jacksonville's local elections have a pathetic voter turnout. Only about 75,000 people have cast their vote which is a measly 12% of the population of Jacksonville. Check out the statistics here:...
Jax harbor deepening is a good thing but naysayers spoiling progress
Jacksonvillle’s port has taken a major step with a 25-year, $238.7 million contract to expand facilities at Blount Island, linked to the harbor deepening project. But, incredibly, there are naysayers. Under the agreement, SSA Marine LLC's 50-acre International Gateway...
Guest Writer: My vote for Mayor and why.
Eye recently gave an opportunity to use our platform for anyone who wished to explain why they were voting for their candidate for Mayor. We reached out to all candidates and suggested they have someone write about them. We wanted to be fair and give everyone a...
Mayor’s Debate: Underdog Hill had the best line of the night.
All of the candidates in the mayoral debate at Jacksonville University this week acquitted themselves well, but underdog Jimmy Hill may have surprised a few with his grasp of the issues. Incumbent Mayor Lenny Curry spoke of his “bold, decisive leadership” and cited...
Government BINGO? When will the madness stop?
I thought it had to be a joke. Jacksonville At Large City Council Group 5 candidate Ju'Coby Pittman is advocating for the city to fund BINGO in senior citizens facilities. It wasn't a joke. See the interview here with Ms. Pittman:...
His name’s not on the ballot; yet, is he already the Mayor?
Someone recently asked who I thought should be the Mayor of Jacksonville. My answer: "I propose we write in Shad Kahn’s name and skip the middleman." He's already pulling the strings behind the curtain anyway. Might as well make him Mayor. That's my opinion. What's...
Jax Mayor’s Race: Where do the candidates stand on the 2nd Amendment?
The Second Amendment is the ultimate protector of rights, and therefore the most important of our civil rights. As General Counsel of Florida Carry, Inc., one of my jobs is to inform our members where candidates stand when it comes to our right to keep and bear...
Demolishing the Landing. Why???
For the life of me, I can’t follow the wisdom of city officials regarding the Jacksonville Landing. When first built in the late 1980s, it seemed as if it would be the crown jewel of downtown, much like Baltimore’s popular Inner Harbor, which was built by the same...
Can we arrest our way out of a murder problem?
One problem with politics is the nonsense it generates. Take, for example, crime. Shame on Mayor Lenny Curry and his opponents, and the media, for giving Jacksonville residents the impression that the mayor of a city can control the number of murders in a city. Also,...
Collusion in Jax Politics? Nope says State Attorney.
It landed with a thud, but a recent report from the State Attorney’s Office pointed out how politics prevails in City Hall, which is not exactly a startling revelation. Prosecutors wasted an entire year and who knows how much money investigating another collusion...
Not a good ole boy in Jax? Fuggetaboutit
The ideas about "What to do with The Landing" were everywhere. The local radio station had a place for you to call in with your ideas. Some were great. Some were a little strange. Articles by all the local papers were asking the same thing. Some well known people in...
Breaking News: Letter to Gov. DeSantis asking for National Guard on Jacksonville streets
State Sen. Audrey Gibson and State Rep. Tracie Davis, both Democrats, representing Jacksonville in Tallahassee have sent a joint letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis requesting help to fight crime in Jacksonville. They cited the number of murders since 2019 began and they...
BREAKING NEWS…The Landing: A deal is reached. She has served us well.
The Landing Christmas Tree Lighting 2018 It's breaking news today in Jacksonville and finally the heart of our city - The Landing - can rest. She served us well throughout her lifetime on the St. Johns River. It was just announced Jacksonville Landing Investments...
Chicago in Jacksonville to help solve crime problem??
Yes you read that right. A group from Chicago is here to help Jacksonville decrease it's crime. The City of Jacksonville has hired a firm out of Chicago to the tune of $7,500 to help us figure out how to reduce crime. Cure Violence met with Sheriff Williams, Mayor...
JEA Deserves a Wink for this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDmBma_lTKI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0HRSCDb7LBMUkHEMc1YA7LMhUV5Rxb5HP4_XdHXcx46I34vSuWgf6_Mk0 What are you flushing down your toilet? We love JEA's public service announcement about flushing "stuff" down our toilets. It's...
RIP: Pat Caddell, Bishop Kenny High Alumni
Pat Caddell, the legendary pollster and pundit who died this week at the relatively young age of 68, had roots in Jacksonville. The son of a member of the Coast Guard, Caddell moved several times as a child but was in Jacksonville when he attended high school. As a...
JEA Contribution: It’s just another pocket of yours.
City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend for four years the agreement the city has with the JEA for an annual contribution to the city general fund. The contribution “in lieu of property taxes” currently makes up about 10 percent of the revenue to the city’s...
Local News touts: Trump’s wall will cause catastrophe here
I read this article at First Coast News and wondered if what they reported could be true. They stated, "Naval Station Mayport could lose more than $100 million in the contentious border wall fight." Read the article here: http://Border wall fight could cost Mayport...
Jax Politics: A Trojan Horse or a Dark Horse? What say you?
Local Republicans want to give one GOP candidate a loyalty test. Dean A. Black, chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, issued the following statement: “As Chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, I've watched the unfolding of Anna Brosche's...
Local Democrats supporting Republicans in Mayor’s race. What’s up with that?
Lifelong Democrat politician Tommy Hazouri’s appearance in a TV ad supporting Lenny Curry raised a few eyebrows, and inevitably provoked much speculation. But Hazouri says people make too much of it. His take is that Curry has worked with him for the past four years...
How to report problems with city issues that affect you. There’s an App for that!
One of Eye's followers sent us a request for help. She said, "One of the walking crosswalks at the corner of San Jose and Old St. Augustine is out. I just had to jaywalk to get across. Not sure who to contact. Any ideas." I was happy to report, there's an App for...
Mayor Curry’s Wall of Silence vs Veterans Memorial Wall
Normally, I don’t offer advice to politicians but if I were Mayor Lenny Curry, I’d be patching up my relations with military veterans while heading into an election. Whether through ignorance or whatever, Curry – who has no military service background- – has...
Crime. Check out your neighborhood here.
I live in the San Marco area of Jacksonville. It's a nice neighborhood and one of my favorite things to do is take a walk on the Riverwalk located across from my condo. I'm becoming too fearful to do that anymore. This past week, we have seen crime flowing rapidly...
Is JEA a political pawn for Mayor Curry?
It's unfortunate when trust has been broken...because it's hard to trust again. And the trust between the JEA Board, the Mayor and the rate payers is badly broken. It started when Mayor Curry put cronyism into play with asking for resignations of JEA board members and...
Eye on Jacksonville Teenage Reporter gives us great hope for the future!
This article was written by Dailey Jackson, Eye’s Teenage Reporter. She wrote it for her high school friends. Yet – it could also apply to adults too. Dailey is running for Ms. Bishop Kenny and we will be cheering her on. She’s a lovely, sweet, smart...
Jacksonville: Does the border wall debate affect you? Yes!
U. S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville Too many people are missing the real issue that has Congress and the White House in a stalemate, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, says. Everyone in the media talks about the $5.7 billion at issue as being for a wall...
“Oldest school buildings in Florida?” That sounds like a tax increase.
Duval County School Board We just saw a posting from the Duval County School Board. The headline caught our attention. They are claiming the school buildings are the oldest in Florida. Hummmm Maybe they are. We don't know. But one thing is certain. That's a warning...
Politicians throw money at issues their policies make. Yep, local politicians do it too!
The 1960’s ushered in a myriad of government programs designed to help low-income families. Fast forward to 2019 where crime, violence, drugs, and poverty is flourishing in most of our nation’s inner cities along with the explosion in the growth of single parent...
