Property tax relief has pros and cons
If the constitutional amendment on property tax relief does not pass it may be because it was a bridge too far. Overreach, in other words, seems to be the main obstacle to approval. But the overreach is less than it appears. The intent of the amendment is to prevent local governments from spending Other People’s […]
Conservative supporters in Jacksonville turn out for Renner
An old practitioner of politics who lives in Tallahassee told me Paul Renner clearly is the most qualified person to be governor but does not have a chance. The reasons he cited: Renner’s lack of name recognition, plus the president’s endorsement of another candidate, and that candidate’s ability to attract gobs of money. But I […]
One year of being almost autonomous
In today’s installment of Ya Can’t Make This Stuff Up… Celebrating one year of Nat Ford’s “Nation-Leading” NAVI program. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is celebrating a historic milestone this month. Operating the nation’s first fully autonomous public transportation system – that isn’t fully autonomous – for one whole year. Such a miraculous accomplishment inspired the […]
Mayor…be like Dave!
Hello Mayor, When Governor DeSantis started talking about reducing Florida’s property taxes, it didn’t take long for the push back to begin. The message was familiar and we knew exactly what would be said: It can’t be done. The cuts are too deep. Essential services will suffer. The budget simply won’t allow it.Before you settle […]
City Council President Nick Howland responds
Recently, Eye on Jacksonville published an article encouraging newly elected City Council President Nick Howland to quickly resolve the ongoing tensions surrounding Cecil Airport and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. After the article appeared, Nick reached out directly to share his perspective on the situation. Whether readers agree with him or not, we believe it is […]
Property tax relief is a matter of perspective
As usual, the media is asking the wrong questions concerning the property tax relief offered by the Florida Legislature. “Oh, woe is us. What will happen to the cities losing all that money?” they thunder from their ivory towers. How about this: “How will this benefit Florida families that are struggling to pay their bills?” […]
Historic change in educational choices benefit families
Breaking the educational monopoly probably is the most significant action Florida government has taken in the past century. Once given a choice, parents steered their children to the exit doors of the state’s government schools inn droves. In the 2023-24 school year, some 25 years after the reform effort began, more than half of all […]
Hindsight is a great benefit
One of the advantages of hanging around for a number of years is that you get to see how things play out. Consolidation is one example. Those of us who supported it were sure it would be advantageous but after almost 60 years, we can be certain we were right. Another example that comes to […]
Don’t Fix Failing Schools – Flip ‘em
Can’t figure out how to fix failing schools? Flip them. And become part of Mayor Donna Deegan’s Affordable Housing Syndicate. Lake Forest Elementary’s academic performance was so poor, instead of fixing the problem, the Duval County Public School Board decided to send the kids over to North Shore Elementary and permanently close the school, back […]
Congrats Nick Howland… Now Nip It with JAA
Nick Howland is stepping into one of the most powerful positions in Jacksonville government as the next president of the Jacksonville City Council. First, congratulations are certainly in order. Leadership matters, and the City Council presidency sets the tone for how Jacksonville governs itself for the next year. But before the ceremonial gavel even changes […]