Eye on Jacksonville

Month: June 2021

  • Everyone might not love the gift taxpayers are giving them next year

    Come January, Jacksonville residents will begin paying twice as much in local taxes on the gasoline they put in their cars and trucks. This will be the result of a 14-5 vote by the City Council recently. The tax increase was predicated on the unproven and irrelevant assertion that politicians 50 years ago promised all…

  • Downtown boom should include a new park featuring a Navy vessel

    On this day in history, June 6, 1944, the Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. This day was known as the beginning of the end of war in Europe. More than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion. We remember those who gave…

  • Looking for John Locke

    In a rhetorical flight of fancy upon the passing of a new tax, City Council President Tommy Hazouri said Jacksonville had embarked upon a new “era of enlightenment.” He was referring not just to the doubling of a tax that will hit the poor hardest but also the work of a committee he appointed last…

  • The sun has not set on taxing and spending in Jacksonville

    One City Council member sees a disturbing pattern in city government of taxing and spending with no end in sight. “I’ve been warning about taxes,” Council Member Al Ferraro told Eye on Jacksonville. The latest in a string of tax increases is a local option boat registration fee. It could pass Tuesday, despite widespread opposition.…

  • Life is full of risk, and retention ponds are just one example

    Politicians and the local media are becoming aware of a problem Eye on Jacksonville highlighted more than six months ago. Retention ponds are dangerous. Two children have drowned in them recently. They also collect pollutants and, while they might not actually pose a health threat, expensive lawsuits are bound to be filed. That’s what happened…