Bruising battle set for Tuesday
There will be a throwdown and maybe a showdown Tuesday as the City Council tussles over the city’s nearly $9 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning next month. The council is almost evenly divided on the key issue. One segment of the council favors the hefty property tax increase of $87 million proposed by […]
Charlie Kirk vigils draw crowds
As in many cities across the nation, a vigil was held in Jacksonville for Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week in Utah while making an appearance. “We wanted to put on as soon as possible. We loved Charlie and wanted an opportunity to pray and get together and begin to recover,” City Council Member […]
Local man accused Charlie Kirk of spewing hate
UPDATED: THIS MAN HAS BEEN RELEASED OF HIS DUTIES. A social media post by a Jacksonville resident regarding the tragic death of Charlie Kirk brought a swift reaction, including a call to remove him from a city government position. Dozens of people posted comments condemning the comment by Leofric Thomas, Jr., which accused Kirk of […]
‘Give us more’ politicians say
For the first 10 years of consolidated government in Jacksonville, the property tax rate was lowered each year. This demonstrated the promised efficiencies achieved by combining the city and county governments and eliminating many duplicated services. Mayor Hans Tanzler was almost in tears when he disclosed to the City Council that he was proposing a […]
Furor begun by Curry lingers
City Council may pass a resolution Tuesday night that would ask Mayor Donna Deegan, Democrat, for an accounting on various federal grants, housing and funding of local non-profit organizations. One local activist is not impressed. Blake Harper says the resolution is weak and completely overlooks a misstep by Deegan’s administration. Because the bill by Council […]
Action News Jax Investigation Confirms Eye’s Concerns About NAVI
Eye on Jacksonville appreciates the collaboration of Action News Jax in bringing more public attention to the problems surrounding JTA’s NAVI program. Their investigation highlights the same safety and accountability concerns we’ve been raising, and we’re glad to see local media digging deeper into this taxpayer-funded travesty. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and together we […]
Keeping Up With the Chess Moves in Florida Politics
Florida has always been a state that sets the pace for national politics. What happens here doesn’t stay here—it ripples outward. That’s why many voters are scratching their heads right now. We keep hearing that Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump have put past tensions behind them. Yet, when we look at the slate […]
HUD Targets Section 8 Fraud: Citizenship Status Required for All Tenants
This story was almost completely ignored by corporate media. VIN News ran it late last week, headlined, “HUD Cracks Down on Illegal Immigrants in Public Housing, Orders Proof of Citizenship for Section 8 Tenants.” More pressure for voluntary self-deportation! You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay HERE. The big media platforms have always covered Trump’s […]
Mountains and molehills
Can we stop the nonsense? Members of the City Council’s Finance Committee decided in budget deliberations to reduce the amount of money Mayor Donna Deegan, Democrat, wanted to take from property owners. That simple proposal set off if not a firestorm at least a minor conflagration. Deegan was aghast and her staunchest defender, “Republican” Matt […]
Park Street’s $11 million Road Diet: What in the Blue LERP is this?!
Just when I thought Jacksonville couldn’t get any more Jacksonville, along comes a social media gift: See it at: https://www.facebook.com/reel/774051122249752 The Park Street Road Diet is a $11 million, 0.6-mile corridor connecting hood and hipster. The project links the Emerald Trail’s most dicey section, LaVilla Link, to the centrally planned Brooklyn neighborhood. Of course, after […]