Politics
Jacksonville Bold for 2.19.25: Bar Rescue
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan will speak to the local legal community on Thursday. The Jacksonville Bar Association officially supports her position in an ongoing conflict with the legislative branch.
The group hosts Deegan at noon; she will address lawyers at the DoubleTree Hilton.
The remarks come amid legal controversy between Deegan’s General Counsel, Michael Fackler, and the City Council, which doesn’t think the Avondale attorney they unanimously confirmed in 2023 is calling “balls and strikes” in his so-called “chartertutional” reading of local law.
The primary issue is the rate raise the Council wanted to give to Meridian Waste, which Deegan vetoed. Fackler believes the “separation of powers” puts the Mayor in charge of rate-paying authority.
The JBA backs Fackler, the son-in-law of local legal power broker Hank Coxe, saying it is “disappointing to see Council members condemn our city’s lawyer because his legal advice has not comported with their agenda.”
Expect this and other local issues to make for a quotable hour later this week, especially given ongoing complaints about the Mayor’s Office and dialogue breakdowns with the Council. Live quotes published by the Daily Record this week point to a rough period on the 4th Floor of the St. James Building.
“We should be able to respect each other and converse and coordinate things and do things in such a way that shows the public that they can trust us and that we’ll work well together for their benefit. But I’m not seeing that or hearing it right now,” said Republican Chris Miller.
Current Council VP (and likely next President) Kevin Carrico, also a Republican, managed to throw shade at both the Mayor’s Office and a potential GOP rival in the 2027 mayoral race.
“Say Rory Diamond is off in Twitterland saying horrible things about the administration and picking fights, and then he has something he needs to prioritize and has to go through all these loops and chains. Well, human nature is if he’s picking on my boss, let’s teach him a lesson. We’re going to put that on the bottom of the stack,” Carrico said.
Meanwhile, Democrat Rahman Johnson is saying what many people are thinking about the mayoral suggestion to the Council to use 630-CITY to report issues for the executive branch’s departments to address.
He says the “900-pound gorilla in the room” is that the system doesn’t work.
“There have been myriad occasions where I’ll put in the information and they’ll close the ticket or (when) I put in the information and nothing happens,” the first-term legislator from the Westside said.
Atomic DOGE
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean continues to enthuse about Donald Trump, the Department of Governmental Efficiency, and Elon Musk.
“The American taxpayer is dancing in the street,” he said on Newsmax over the weekend. “Everywhere I go, I’m getting high-fives. ‘Go get them. We’re proud of you. And we can’t be more prouder than of Elon and Donald Trump, who are doing work that desperately needs to be done, for sure.’”
Bean also defends Musk’s “special access” to the Treasury Department systems, saying it’s similar to that held by “thousands of other government employees who are always on that system.”
“They will prevail in the end,” the Fernandina Beach Republican says. “And when Donald Trump prevails, America prevails.”
Immigration song
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters is one of House Speaker Daniel Perez’s picks for the State Immigration Enforcement Council, joining his Charlotte County counterpart Bill Prummell.
“The devastating impacts of illegal immigration can be seen here in Jacksonville and across our state. In 2024, our officers seized nearly 15 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill over 2 million Americas, and in the last four years, JSO officers have responded to 970 fentanyl deaths,” said Waters. “I am honored by Speaker Perez’s confidence in me and eager to get to work ensuring Florida provides President Trump the support he needs as he continues to secure our borders and restore safety and security for the American people.”
“Sheriff Waters and Sheriff Prummell are dedicated law enforcement leaders who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to public safety,” said Speaker Perez. “Their extensive experience and leadership will be invaluable as Florida continues to take strong, decisive action to enforce immigration laws and protect our citizens.”
Museum momentum
Rep. Kiyan Michael is carrying the House version (HB 659) of Sen. Tom Leek’s bill to formalize the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force’s recommendation to build that structure in St. Johns County.
Her bill is identical to Leek’s. It contemplates a nine-person Board of Directors, with three gubernatorial appointees (one of whom serves as Chair), three appointees each of the Senate President and House Speaker, and two House members and two Senators picked by their chamber’s respective leaders.
Appointees would need to be selected by July 31, and the bill would go into effect at the beginning of the month.
The museum looks at Black military history, along with the histories of slavery and segregation, prominent African American Floridians, historically Black colleges and universities, and the “inherent worth and dignity of human life, with a focus on the prevention of genocide.”
The St. Johns County Commission is responsible for providing administrative support.
Port plus
One down, one to go.
That’s where JAXPORT is at on two vehicle berth expansions at Blount Island.
Berth 22 was a $60 million project that took a year, but it’s worth it. Now, the port can handle vehicle terminals that are 750 feet long — more than the length of two football fields.
“Maintaining congestion-free vessel facilities as cargo volumes grow is an important part of our short and long-term planning processes,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “These upgrades allow us to serve our auto customers more efficiently while providing additional capacity for future growth, so we can continue to build on our position as one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports.”
The state funded 75% of the project.
And another one is on deck.
That’s expected to be completed in two years.
Happy motoring.
Board boost
Two familiar local names have advanced to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority Board.
Max Glober, the vice president of Marketing at First Coast Energy, previously served on the Jacksonville Historical Preservation Commission. He earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina.
Donnie Horner III is the vice president of investor relations for Intrepid Capital Management, a trustee for the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association, and a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He has a political science degree from the Naval Academy and an MBA from Jacksonville University.
As always, these appointments are contingent on Senate confirmation.
Beach blessing
The Florida Wildlife Federation has announced it will transfer a coastal parcel on Anastasia Island’s Crescent Beach to the Putnam Land Conservancy, ensuring the land remains undeveloped.
FWF President and CEO Sarah Gledhill said in a press release that the transfer will ensure future generations have a piece of untouched Florida.
“By conserving this parcel, we are ensuring that future generations will have a piece of coastal Florida that remains untouched by development,” Gledhill said. “It’s a powerful reminder that every step toward conservation makes a difference.”
FWF said the transfer is a significant conservation move and underscores the commitment to preserving Florida’s coasts, especially in highly developed areas.
“Partnerships like the one between FWF and the Putnam Land Conservancy offer a way to ensure that natural areas can be protected even in areas where land is highly coveted,” FWF said.
Since 1936, PLC has united conservationists, anglers, hunters, recreationists, and wildlife enthusiasts to protect Florida’s ecosystems.
PLC CEO and conservation director Willy Losen said the donation highlights the importance of partnerships to keep Florida pristine for future generations.
“By working together, we ensure that even in highly sought-after areas like Crescent Beach, vital pieces of our coastal heritage remain untouched to protect wildlife habitat and inspire a sense of connection to the natural world,” Losen said.
FWF is further dedicated to safeguarding Florida’s water, wildlife, and wild spaces to maintain Crescent Beach’s natural beauty, while PLC conserves land and water in Putnam and surrounding areas.
Waterworks
JEA is launching the Greenland Water Reclamation Facility for E-Town and St. Johns customers.
The $148 million facility, which includes odor control safeguards, currently treats 1.1 million gallons of wastewater for customers in the southern part of the public utility’s service area. By March, it will be capable of processing 4 million gallons of the same.
JEA says it’s good for the environment.
“The facility will help protect Jacksonville’s waterways and natural resources. Reclaimed water reduces (the) discharge of treated effluent into the St. Johns River. It also helps offset groundwater withdrawal from the Floridan aquifer. And reclaimed water contains beneficial nutrients that help our lawns and plants grow,” the utility asserts.
Connecticut connection
Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is adding another nonstop air service to New England.
Avelo Airlines has added nonstop service to Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut. The twice-weekly flights began Feb. 14. The days of the Avelo Airlines flights from Jacksonville to New Haven will run on Mondays and Fridays. The flights will be aboard a Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplane.
The one-way flights to the Connecticut destination begin with fares starting at $49.
“We are excited to start service at JAX and begin a new era of convenient, affordable, and industry-leading reliable air travel in Jacksonville,” Avelo Airlines founder and CEO Andrew Levy said. “This service makes visiting Southern Connecticut, and everything the greater New England and New York regions have to offer, easier than ever on the nation’s most reliable airline. We also know our new flights make getting to Northeast Florida’s famous beaches, and its abundance of outdoor activities and historic culture easier than ever for Connecticut travelers to enjoy.”
The new routes and flights come as JIA marked a record-setting year for travelers in 2024.
JIA officials announced in January that the airport broke records again, with more than 7.6 million passengers passing through the facility in 2024. That’s up from the 7.45 million passengers who used the airport in 2023. Passenger travel in 2024 was up 2.4% over 2023, smashing the record that had already been set in 2023.
Haiku 4u
17 syllables.
3 lines.
One contest.
The St. Johns County Cultural Council is looking for your haikus through the end of the month.
Three categories are involved: Students aged 8-12, 13-17, and adults.
Preserve St. Johns in your verse,
Prizes wait for you.
“Authors of the First-Place haiku will each receive a $100 prize, and the winning haiku will be published on StJohnsCulture.com, in our electronic newsletter, and the AC PAPA Literary Journal,” the Council notes.
Honorable mention winners get publication and $25 apiece.
That’s more than $1.30 per syllable (for those counting).
This year’s theme: Preserving St. Johns County.
Sweet Symphony
For 2025, the Jacksonville Symphony celebrates “75 years of symphonic joy.”
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1949, was chartered and performed its inaugural concert on March 8, 1950, in the packed auditorium of the George Washington Hotel in downtown Jacksonville.
Last week, the Symphony presented the City Council with a 75th-anniversary plaque recognizing the milestone.
Thumbs-up
On Tuesday, the St. Johns County Commission unanimously approved The Fiorentino Group as its lobbying firm for state legislative services.
Before the vote, Marty Fiorentino, the firm’s founder and president, highlighted their track record representing the county. He noted that The Fiorentino Group has secured over $100 million in state funding for St. Johns County during the past five years.
Wedded bliss
It turns out that St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court Brandon Patty’s group wedding on Valentine’s Day was a smashing success, with 12 couples tying the knot.
Everyone got there on their own paths but celebrated communally.
Perhaps no path was more inspirational than that of Rebecca Reese and Darrel Hubbard, Jr.
They met at a YMCA gym program for cancer survivors, then started fishing together … before they realized the ultimate prize catch was each other.
They are still battling cancer, but they are finding support in one another.
Another couple that married met in the Philippines on a humanitarian mission. Both are members of the Navy.
GM hire
The Jaguars have narrowed the list of candidates for the team’s general manager position to five men, none of whom have done the job before.
Like the new coaching staff, the Jaguars seem determined to hire new faces in important positions in the franchise’s football leadership.
So far, executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli, head coach Liam Coen, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile are all first-timers at their respective new jobs.
Here is what each potential general manager could bring to the role:
Ethan Waugh is the Jaguars’ interim general manager, the highest-ranking personnel man after former GM Trent Baalke was fired. It is a bit puzzling that owner Shad Khan would include Waugh as a finalist after he begrudgingly cleaned house this offseason. Khan has been notoriously loyal to his NFL team’s head coaches or general managers, often to a fault. Waugh understands the scouts, and the process used this past season, although any benefit derived from that knowledge would be inconsequential in years to come.
Ian Cunningham is the Chicago Bears’ assistant general manager. He previously worked for two better-regarded NFL scouting staff: the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the director of college scouting when Doug Pederson led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win. Cunningham would be a young general manager (40 years old), which may be something Khan wants to pursue along with a 39-year-old head coach.
James Gladstone has spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, the last four as the director of scouting strategy. He and Coen have known each other since their days in Los Angeles. During his time in L.A., Gladstone has found outstanding players through the late rounds of the draft. He’s known as an innovative thinker, which Khan values — in business and football.
Jon-Eric Sullivan, 48, has spent his entire NFL scouting career with the Green Bay Packers. He worked his way up from training camp intern to vice president of player personnel. Like Cunningham, Sullivan has been a part of a scouting team that has produced consistent success. He also interviewed with the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets.
Josh Williams has more experience than most of the candidates the Jaguars interviewed. He has spent 14 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers scouting department. Currently the team’s scouting and football operations director, he worked as a college scout and dealt with pro personnel. He would seem to have the most varied resume of any candidate.
The decision on who will lead the Jaguars’ personnel efforts should be made within the next week and a half. According to NFL guidelines, a team must have a general manager by the end of February.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio says an agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine to develop the latter’s rare earth minerals is nearing completion after an earlier false start.
On “Fox & Friends,” Rubio noted that the deal, which is being negotiated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is “very close to the finish line.” And Rubio, an avid football fan, paid homage to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and his reliable play in short-yardage situations to make his point.
“We were on not even the 1-yard line, we were like at the half-yard line,” Rubio told interviewer Brian Kilmeade. “Almost like when the Eagles pushed the quarterback across, you know that ‘tush push‘ thing. So it’s close and it’s good.”
Rubio has framed the deal with Ukraine as a way to ensure the country’s security after the cessation of hostilities with Russia, while simultaneously clawing back some of the substantial U.S. investment in the war effort.
“Some of that money will go back to pay back the U.S. taxpayer for the billions of dollars that’s been spent there,” Rubio said on the “Clay and Buck” show.
Through the end of the last fiscal year, Ukraine response funding neared $183 billion. The Donald Trump administration has proposed a deal worth $500 billion, which is under review by the Ukrainian government.
The happy talk contrasts with previous comments from Rubio on the subject. He said last week he was “very upset” after Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the terms of postwar cooperation with the U.S., then seemingly called an audible on a key condition.
Rubio claimed Zelenskyy said the proposal “makes all the sense in the world” and said the Legislature would have to approve it — but the Ukrainian leader reversed his rhetoric in short order.
“I read two days later that Zelenskyy is out there saying, ‘I rejected the deal; I told them no way, that we’re not doing that.’ Well, that’s not what happened in that meeting. So, you start to get upset by somebody — we’re trying to help these guys,” Rubio told interviewer Catherine Herridge.
While it might have been the case that Zelenskyy wasn’t running the play Rubio called, the Secretary’s latest comments suggest that they may finally be aligned.
But time will tell.
As the Ukrainian leader told the British Broadcasting Corporation, the negotiation “framework … can be a big success,” but that will “depend on our conversation with President Trump.”
That bilateral discussion is scheduled for Friday.
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Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith wants major changes in how Orange County’s tourist development tax (TDT) is spent.
Smith introduced a package of TDT bills that would cut Visit Orlando’s funding significantly and free up the TDT to be spent on public safety, transit and affordable housing — a move some local officials have been pushing for and hospitality leaders are fiercely against.
“It’s time to modernize the way we think about Tourist Development Taxes,” the Orlando Democrat said in a statement.
The millions of people visiting Disney World and Orlando’s tourism attractions every year helps make Orange County’s hotel tax a lucrative pot of money.
The 6% surcharge on all short-term rentals and hotel stays brought in $364 million in 2024. But to the frustration of some elected officials, that money can’t be spent to fix Orlando’s problems that stem from being a mega-tourist destination.
“While we’re proud to be the nation’s top tourism destination, adding another one million people daily to our 2.5 million residents strains local resources,” Smith said. “Tourists use water, roads, and sewer systems, generate trash, visit hospitals, and sometimes commit crimes. Hotel taxes in other U.S. cities help address these impacts and promote tourism. These taxes should benefit the whole community, not just one industry.”
Instead, more than $100 million goes to Visit Orlando to promote Disney World and other destinations as well as pay for projects, including the Orange County Convention Center and Camping World Stadium. For instance, Visit Orlando paid $600,000 to air an Orlando commercial heavily featuring Disney World that ran during the Taylor Swift concert on the Disney-owned streaming service last year.
Critics of the current system argue Disney World should pay for its own ads instead of getting taxpayer-funded commercials. Proponents say the advertising encouraged visitors to return to Florida after hurricanes or in the pandemic recovery, keeping the state’s tourism on track.
Current Florida law requires at least 40% of hotel tax collections to be spent on tourism promotion.
Under one of Smith’s bills (SB 1114), no more than $50 million could be spent on tourism advertising every year.
“This simple change to state statute creates an additional funding source to connect the SunRail train to the Orlando International Airport and can help Central Florida realize its full tourism potential all without raising taxes a single penny,” Smith said.
SB 1116 would allow TDT money to be spent on public safety and affordable housing or workforce housing.
“Tourism is a cornerstone of Florida’s economy, and we must ensure that taxpayer-funded TDT dollars are working efficiently to address tourism-related community needs like workforce housing and public safety,” Smith said Tuesday. “This bill gives local governments the flexibility to address those community needs while continuing to support our tourism industry.”
SB 1110 would require Visit Orlando and similar organizations to have a one-to-one match of all private to public contributions. The proposed change would apply to all county marketing organizations with annual operating budgets at least $5 million.
“Requiring the private sector to have skin in the game when it comes to publicly funded tourism marketing, ensures marketing strategies truly align with industry needs and a better rate-of-return for taxpayers. It’s just common sense,” Smith said in a statement.
Under Smith’s proposal, if Visit Orlando failed to meet one-to-one matches by June 30 of each fiscal year, all unmatched public money would return to Orange County’s coffers.
Florida Politics reached out to Visit Orlando and the Central Florida Hospitality and Lodging Association, but they did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
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Politics
House GOP pushes ‘big’ budget resolution to passage, a crucial step toward delivering Donald Trump’s agenda
With a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his “big, beautiful bill” with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had almost no votes to spare in his bare-bones GOP majority and fought on all fronts — against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators — to advance the party’s signature legislative package. Trump made calls to wayward GOP lawmakers and invited Republicans to the White House.
The vote was 217-215, with a single Republican and all Democrats opposed, and the outcome was in jeopardy until the gavel.
“On a vote like this, you’re always going to have people you’re talking to all the way through the close of the vote,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise said before the roll call.
“We got it done,” the speaker said afterward.
Passage of the package is crucial to kickstarting the process. Trump wants the Republicans who control Congress to approve a massive bill that would extend tax breaks, which he secured during his first term but are expiring later this year, while also cutting spending across federal programs and services.
Next steps are long and cumbersome before anything can become law — weeks of committee hearings to draft the details and send the House version to the Senate, where Republicans passed their own scaled-back version. And more big votes are ahead, including an unrelated deal to prevent a government shutdown when federal funding expires March 14. Those talks are also underway.
It’s all unfolding amid emerging backlash to what’s happening elsewhere as billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk is tearing through federal agencies with his Department of Government Efficiency firing thousands of workers nationwide, and angry voters are starting to confront lawmakers at town hall meetings back home.
Democrats during an afternoon debate decried the package as a “betrayal” to Americans, a “blueprint for American decline” and simply a “Republican rip-off.”
“Our very way of life as a country is under assault,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on the steps of the Capitol.
Flanked by Americans who said they would be hurt by cuts to Medicaid and other social programs, the Democrats booed the GOP budget blueprint. But as the minority party, they don’t have the votes to stop it.
Slashing government not always popular at home
Even as they press ahead, Republicans are running into a familiar problem: Slashing federal spending is typically easier said than done. With cuts to the Pentagon and other programs largely off limits, much of the other government outlays go for health care, food stamps, student loans and programs relied on by their constituents.
Several Republican lawmakers worry that scope of the cuts being eyed — particularly some $880 billion over the decade to the committee that handles health care spending, including Medicaid, for example, or $230 billion to the agriculture committee that funds food stamps — will be too harmful to their constituents back home.
GOP leaders insist Medicaid is not specifically listed in the initial 60-page budget framework, which is true. Johnson and his leadership team also told lawmakers they would have plenty of time to debate the details as they shape the final package.
But lawmakers wanted assurances the health care program and others will be protected as the plans are developed and merged with the Senate in the weeks to come.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, said Trump has promised he would not allow Medicaid to be cut.
“The President was clear about that. I was clear about that,” Lawler said. “We will work through this, but the objective today is to begin the process.”At the same time, GOP deficit hawks were withholding support until they were convinced it wouldn’t add to the nation’s $36 trillion debt load. They warned it will pile onto debt because the cost of the tax breaks, with at least $4.5 trillion over the decade outweighing the $2 trillion in spending cuts to government programs.
One key conservative, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, ended up the sole GOP vote against.
Trump had invited several dozen Republicans to the White House, including Rep. Juan Ciscomani, an Arizona Republican, who joined a group of GOP lawmakers from the Congressional Hispanic Conference raising concerns about protecting Medicaid, food stamps and Pell grants for college.
“While we fully support efforts to rein in wasteful spending and deliver on President Trump’s agenda, it is imperative that we do not slash programs that support American communities across our nation,” wrote Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, and several others GOP lawmakers from the Hispanic Conference.
Democrats protest tax cuts for wealthy
Democrats in the House and the Senate vowed to keep fighting the whole process. “This is not what people want,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, during a rules debate ahead of planned votes.
“We all know that trickle-down economics,” he said about the 2017 tax breaks that flowed mainly to the wealthy, “don’t work.”
Trump has signaled a preference for “big” bill but also appears to enjoy a competition between the House and the Senate, lawmakers said, as he pits the Republicans against each other to see which version will emerge.
Senate Republicans launched their own $340 billion package last week. It’s focused on sending Trump money his administration needs for its deportation and border security agenda now, with plans to tackle the tax cuts separately later this year.
“I’m holding my breath. I’m crossing my fingers,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, who said he was rooting for the House’s approach as the better option. “I think a one-shot is their best opportunity.”
House GOP faces pitfalls
Johnson, whose party lost seats in last November’s election, commands one of the thinnest majorities in modern history, which meant he had to keep almost every Republican in line or risk losing the vote.
The budget is being compiled during a lengthy process that first sends instructions to the various House and Senate committees, which will then have several weeks to devise more detailed plans for additional debate and votes.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee, said with economic growth assumptions, from 1.8% as projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to 2.6% as projected by House Republicans, the package would generate about $2.6 trillion in savings over 10 years and would ensure the plan helps reduce the deficit.
Some fiscal advocacy groups view the GOP’s economic projections as overly optimistic.
___
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
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