Old City Hall tumbles down but Mayor Curry’s wall is still up.
Mixed feelings from seeing the old City Hall turned into dust. I spent many hours in that building, day and night, covering local government as a reporter. In 1970, the Jacksonville Journal took a new approach to covering local government. It created the “governmental...
A well-deserved WINK to the Florida Times Union’s Nate Monroe.
It's not often we see the media writing well-done, well-researched articles these days so we are happy to report, there is one in town with the mainstream media. Nate Monroe at the Florida Times Union. Nate Monroe's twitter description states: "Florida Times-Union...
BREAKING NEWS: 0% Loans available for Federal workers YET Mayor Curry hands out FREE money! WHY???
The breaking news was stunning. It's only been 5 days since Federal Workers were affected by the shutdown. Five days. You would think the world has gone into a new Depression and bread lines are every where. And could our Mayor be using this historical event to win...
Do you believe crime is down in Jax? What say you?
Mayor Lenny Curry says crime is “down” in Jacksonville. Curry’s claim apparently relates to criticism from City Council Member Anna Lopez Brosche, who has filed as a candidate for mayor in the spring elections. His claim is impossible to fact-check. If you look at the...
Transparency, the lack thereof: Why opponents to Mayor Curry are running.
Friday Anna Brosche was talking "transparency" in our local government -- the lack thereof that is... (Read more about Anna's challenge to run for Mayor here: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190111/anna-brosche-challenges-mayor-lenny-curry) and... Today Jimmy...
Mayoral Candidates ready to go. Already seeing new levels of mud-slinging.
At the last minute, City Council Member Anna Lopez Brosche filed to run against Mayor Lenny Curry, setting up an interesting race to be decided in this spring. Just by mentioning she might run and criticizing Curry recently, Brosche had unleashed Curry’s attack dogs,...
May the best man or woman win!! Local elections underway. Be nice!
The Duval County elections are now underway. Truthfully, I'm not looking forward to them. I've been involved in many campaigns -- especially in the last ten years when we started the tea party. The one thing I understand about campaigns is this -- "Blood bath." The...
Will new City Council President spend large amounts of money on a problem that is shrinking?
City Council President Aaron Bowman is continuing to push for a strategic plan that will focus on crime and safety as the No. 1 priority, he said at a meeting of former council presidents Monday. Since taking office, Bowman has been advocating a longer-term vision by...
COJ politicians resent employee, reduce his pension. Legal battle/fees mount. What do you think?
If you are a fan of court cases with political overtones, one to keep an eye on is the effort by a former city employee to get back his full pension, which the city took away from him. The plaintiff is John Keane, former deputy, former firefighter, former union...
So it begins: Upcoming local elections. Prepare for negativity instead of solutions.
I knew it was coming. It's now officially the season of Negativity in Duval County. The upcoming local elections will begin with the primaries in March. Ugh. Here is the first ad for the Mayor's race. It isn't pretty. It isn't motivating. It's the same old garbage...
Curry’s Wall: Stonewalling information to the City Council???
One member of City Council may have gotten a wake-up call after asking for public records. Garrett Dennis asked the administration for some information and got a note from a bureaucrat advising him that it would cost $3,000 to compile the data. At first the councilman...
Duval County School Board: Let’s get a Vision and then “get er done!”
I took a brisk walk on the Riverwalk this morning and stood in front of the Duval County School Board building. It's a nice building, seems to be in great shape and the view is spectacular! Year after year there are discussions about the School Board moving off that...
Why so many secrets in the Curry Administration? Don’t we have a right to know?
One local story this week was an example of good reporting but not necessarily of good citizenship. A reporter for the Daily Record managed to uncover the names of companies trying to make a deal with the city for incentives. While it shows a commendable ability to...
City leaders stunk up downtown last night and it should never have happened. It was easy peasy peeps.
I was so excited to attend theTrans-Siberian Orchestra last night at the Veterans Memorial Arena. If you haven't seen them in person, put it on your bucket list. It's one of the most amazing concerts you will ever attend. My sweetheart and I grabbed a bite to eat...
Mayor’s Campaign Promises: Move the jail and then what?
People howled when the local government wanted to build a $350 million courthouse to replace one that was 50 years old. Now, the Curry administration is talking about spending $400 million to build a jail to replace one that is not even 40 years old. I can remember...
Did Obama’s heavy hand cause the demise of Virginia College? Students pay the price.
Virginia College, Jacksonville, at Beach and University boulevards, has closed along with the company’s other facilities nationwide. The private college offered courses and associate’s degrees in business administration, computer technology, cosmetology, culinary...
Hart Bridge ramps: Building in a cow pasture is not as risky as building on prime riverfront land.
The big breaking news is in: The Hart Bridge Ramps to downtown are coming down and our taxpayer dollars will pay for it. Pay for Mr. Shad Khan -- a billionaire -- to see his dream become a reality. Forty-five years ago, the citizens of Duval County paid to...
JEA: We have our Eye on you and you’re looking good!!
If you have ever had your home appraised, you know how exciting it is to hear it's worth more than you imagined. And the next question in your mind would be -- "Is this a good time to sell?" It's a game homeowners play with their equity. Should I sell or...
The Curry Wall: Preventing access to public information. Maybe we should “recycle” politicians?
Putting stuff into the yellow-topped curbside recycling bins may make homeowners feel virtuous, but it probably isn’t saving the taxpayers any money. The popular notion is that the garbage is sold and the operation breaks even or makes a profit. Not quite. The city...
Mayor Curry realizes the taxpayer lemon can only be squeezed so much.
Mayor Lenny Curry has the right idea – put off plans for a new convention center. That perennial question had popped up again, and it is premature. Jacksonville didn’t have a convention center until the 1970s. Conventions did their business in the hotel...
JEA Customers: You best pay respect to the JEA Board’s decision for our new/old CEO.
In May, I wrote an Open Letter to the JEA Board regarding the Board Chair's Statement, "JEA does not have a “documented CEO selection process." You can read that letter here: Open Letter to JEA Board A couple of mentions about that letter: It was the most...
Six Months After Asking – Eye hears from Duval Schools about Sex with Students. Yep it’s happening.
On the day before Thanksgiving, Eye got a gift for which we are thankful. The public school system answered a question we asked last May. In August, they told us we could have the info for $107.60, which we paid. As it turns out, they gave us more than we asked for,...
Landing Christmas: The Sleiman Family gives to the city in the Spirit of Christmas.
Once again, the Landing Christmas tree lighting ceremony officially declares the beginning of "Christmas in Jacksonville." Thank you to the Sleiman Family who -- against the local government "leadership" -- ignored them and created a wonderful night for...
Billie Tucker’s Op-Ed: Blue doesn’t look good on you Duval. Will Trump lose because of us?
I just returned from the hospital - unnamed for now to protect the innocent - and it's been a lousy day. I woke up early to take my brother to the...
Downtown Revitalization: Are we beating a dead horse?
Downtown “revitalization” has been a topic in City Hall for as long as I can remember. In the 1940s, Mayor Haydon Burns led an effort to clean up the city, especially the waterfront, where aged and unsightly docks ruined the view of the magnificent river. Burns...
Will we ever know if teachers are having sex with students in Duval County?
Our quest to obtain public records from the local school district has resulted in assurance from the school superintendent that we will succeed. As Eye on Jacksonville readers know, we began asking school officials last May whether any local teachers have been accused...
Good intentions: They are never that good when it comes to spending OUR money.
Good Intentions The current minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. A very small segment of the population actually earns that amount. What would that do to workers in Florida? Some suggest raising the minimum wage $1 per year until it reaches $15 per...
Council President & Mayor’s office: Playing politics & calling names. Cut it out! Do your job.
While the election battle is taking center stage here in Florida, our local city leaders have resorted to calling dissenters names and sending out press releases instead of talking things out and being respectful of differences of opinion. This is not how you run a...
The Pursuit of Open Government in Jacksonville. Does the Mayor care?
We are handing out a WINK to City Council Member Anna Lopez Brosche for doggedly pursuing more open government in City Hall. As council president last year, she appointed a task force to look at whether the local government was giving sufficient access to the public....
Lloyd Brown reports: City of Jax elected officials sealed off from the public – doing God knows what. WHY?
Jacksonville residents will be glad to know that there is at least one person in City Hall who is on their side. Council Member Anna Lopez Brosche doggedly is pursuing a measure she authored seeking to pry open the lid of secrecy that has descended on City Hall over...
Andrew Gillum: Media darling of Fake News & Candidate for Governor of Florida. Is he corrupt?
Corruption, scandals, and cronyism. It appears American politicians have lost their way and instead of representing the people they serve, they use their office for personal gains. Patrick Henry wisely stated, “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be,...
Soil & Water on the Ballot: Here’s what you should know
Soil & Water has always been a little foreign to big city voters and yet it is very important. These candidates will help manage these vital resources throughout the county. In political circles, it has always been recognized as a place to get your name on a...
Judges on your Ballot: Informative Information
Everyone who votes always wonders "Where do I find information about the Judges?" Since Judges can not identify with party politics, you can check out who appointed them to their position and learn more about them from their bios and papers they have written. For...
Could a Trojan Horse be behind the Gift Horse? Two City Council members want to know.
Looking a gift horse in the mouth is supposed to be something to avoid, but what if it is a Trojan horse? At a meeting in City Hall Friday, two city council members held a meeting to gain additional information on a measure that already had passed the council –...
Mayor’s Internal Plan to take back Landing: Regulation Strangulation?
As many of our Eye on Jacksonville followers know, we have been watching the Mayor use mob rule tactics to TAKE BACK the Landing vs. negotiating a good deal for the City. He told us he had an internal plan and he wasn't kidding. Read more here: Internal Plan...
CALL THE MAYOR’S OFFICE: (904) 630-1776. He’s “screwing” FL/GA weekend.
Mayor Lenny Curry has done all he can to "put the screws and keep pushing this" regarding The Landing and TAKING IT back from the Owners. These are not our words -- these are the Mayor's very words. Remember this statement from Mayor Curry last year: “I’m...
Part 3: City acting as entrepreneurs with your money. Downtown Investment Authority – No Public Scrutiny!
We elect individuals to represent us, address infrastructure needs, address safety needs, and act financially responsible with our tax dollars. In Parts 1 and 2 of Acting as Entrepreneurs with Your Money city officials wasted millions of your tax dollars in real...
BIG NEWS: You get to decide JEA potential sale on the Nov. 6th ballot!!
You, the rate payers and users of JEA services, have a chance to be heard about the potential sale of JEA. A question has been added to the ballot asking your opinion on this sensitive and important matter. Please make sure you answer the question. For all the...
For crying out loud, Mayor. Please Make Jacksonville Fun Again!
Once again the Mayor's office is shutting down fun in Jacksonville. Now he's attacking college football guests who come to Jacksonville for fun, fellowship, football and no stinking drama! The Florida Georgia game is a week away and the city is stalling on permitting...
The mess at JEA: Who caused it? Who will pay for it?
As the city tries to extricate itself from the Plant Vogtle mess, it keeps getting deeper. Recently, the city’s bond rating has been lowered, prompting an injudicious outburst from the city’s chief administrative officer. “The city’s action calls into question its...
