Florida CFO awards over $1.8M to Northeast Florida sheriffโs offices to support immigration enforcement efforts
Read full article: Florida CFO awards over $1.8M to Northeast Florida sheriffโs offices to support immigration enforcement effortsFloridaโs Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia will hold a news conference Tuesday to talk about funding for immigration enforcement.
Jacksonville City Council VP addresses budget concerns raised by DeSantis and CFO Ingoglia
Read full article: Jacksonville City Council VP addresses budget concerns raised by DeSantis and CFO IngogliaJacksonvilleโs new fiscal year began with a city budget that followed contentious negotiations this summer. City Council Vice President Nick Howland called the budget โa big win for Jacksonvilleโs families,โ highlighting full funding for public safety, infrastructure investments, and tax relief.
Jacksonville spending put under spotlight by Gov. DeSantis, CFO Ingoglia; Deegan airport hologram criticized
Read full article: Jacksonville spending put under spotlight by Gov. DeSantis, CFO Ingoglia; Deegan airport hologram criticizedFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis will visit Jacksonville International Airport Wednesday.
City Council passes millage rate reduction; approves $2B budget
Read full article: City Council passes millage rate reduction; approves $2B budgetThe Jacksonville City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a $2 billion budget that could shape the cityโs future for years. The proposal includes a property tax cut and reductions in funding for several core social services, and itโs sparking one of the most contentious political battles City Hall has seen in years.
City council to make high-stakes Jacksonville budget vote on Tuesday
Read full article: City council to make high-stakes Jacksonville budget vote on TuesdayThe Jacksonville City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a $2 billion budget that could shape the cityโs future for years. The proposal includes a property tax cut and reductions in funding for several core social services, and itโs sparking one of the most contentious political battles City Hall has seen in years.
Mayor Deegan defends lean budget, pushes back on CFOโs tax criticism ahead of budget vote on Tuesday
Read full article: Mayor Deegan defends lean budget, pushes back on CFOโs tax criticism ahead of budget vote on TuesdayAs Jacksonvilleโs City Council prepares to vote on the budget on September 23, Mayor Donna Deegan is responding to claims from Floridaโs chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, who alleges $200 million in unnecessary budget increases and says the city is โover taxing and overspending.โ
Jacksonville councilmember accuses Mayor Deegan of misusing funds; United Way, mayor respond
Read full article: Jacksonville councilmember accuses Mayor Deegan of misusing funds; United Way, mayor respondA Jacksonville city councilmember accused Mayor Donna Deegan of attempting to improperly route city funds through a local nonprofit for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) purposes โ an allegation the mayor and United Way both strongly deny.
$44 million in unclaimed property returned to Floridians in July, CFO says. Hereโs how you can see if youโre owed money
Read full article: $44 million in unclaimed property returned to Floridians in July, CFO says. Hereโs how you can see if youโre owed moneyFlorida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said Thursday that over $44 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians during July, with about $3 million of that being returned to Jacksonville residents.
Mayor Deegan speaks to press after Florida DOGE auditors arrive in Jacksonville
Read full article: Mayor Deegan speaks to press after Florida DOGE auditors arrive in JacksonvilleMayor Donna Deegan spoke to the media after the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived in Jacksonville to audit the city for what the agency calls โexcessive government spending.โ
Deegan fires back after Florida CFO claims city is placing restrictions on DOGE auditors
Read full article: Deegan fires back after Florida CFO claims city is placing restrictions on DOGE auditorsHours after Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia posted a letter to social media claiming that some local governments are โtrying to place โconditionsโ and restrictionsโ on DOGE auditors, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has responded, insisting that itโs a misrepresentation of her officeโs intentions.
Manatee County among local governments that will be audited by Floridaโs DOGE team, DeSantis says
Read full article: Manatee County among local governments that will be audited by Floridaโs DOGE team, DeSantis saysFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference in Bradenton Thursday afternoon alongside Florida Department of Financial Services Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
Gov. DeSantis announces first round of โDOGE effortsโ to audit local governments across Florida
Read full article: Gov. DeSantis announces first round of โDOGE effortsโ to audit local governments across FloridaFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Tuesday morning to announce the rollout of what he called โDOGE effortsโ to review local governments across the state.
โHow is this not unconstitutional?โ: Florida Senate higher education bill faces questions as it heads to full vote
Read full article: โHow is this not unconstitutional?โ: Florida Senate higher education bill faces questions as it heads to full voteIn the state capital, a bill now heading to the Senate floor could change the way leadership is chosen within Floridaโs higher education system. The 15-page Senate Bill 1726 bill addresses various topics related to governance and accountability in Floridaโs higher education institutions
Florida Senate committee approves proposal to set term limits for county commissioners, school board members
Read full article: Florida Senate committee approves proposal to set term limits for county commissioners, school board membersThe Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Monday voted 6-2 to approve a proposal (SJR 802) that would put in the Florida Constitution eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members. The Legislature in 2023 approved eight-year term limits for school board members, but those limits are not in the Constitution.
Florida lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to set county commission term limits, cement school board limits
Read full article: Florida lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to set county commission term limits, cement school board limitsHouse and Senate Republicans are proposing a constitutional amendment about eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members.
Florida lawmakers file extensive immigration reform bills ahead of special session
Read full article: Florida lawmakers file extensive immigration reform bills ahead of special sessionRepublican lawmakers Sunday filed a flurry of bills to crack down on undocumented immigrants and place additional restrictions on the ballot initiative process.
Florida lawmakers to kick off week with special session addressing illegal immigration, condo regulation and more
Read full article: Florida lawmakers to kick off week with special session addressing illegal immigration, condo regulation and moreOn the eve of a special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican lawmakers Sunday filed a flurry of bills to crack down on undocumented immigrants and place additional restrictions on the ballot initiative process.
Duval County Supervisor of Elections weighs in on legislation that would limit access to voting by mail
Read full article: Duval County Supervisor of Elections weighs in on legislation that would limit access to voting by mailDuval Countyโs Supervisor of Elections is talking to News4JAX about proposed legislation that would limit access to Floridianโs voting by mail. Senate Bill 1752 would create new eligibility requirements for voters by imposing a strict set of conditions for every Florida resident.
Florida Republicans oust state party chairman facing rape allegations in critical election year
Read full article: Florida Republicans oust state party chairman facing rape allegations in critical election yearThe Republican Party of Florida has ousted Chairman Christian Ziegler and has replaced him with a new leader as police investigate a rape accusation against him.
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Lawsuits challenging Floridaโs new voting law argue it was politically motivated
Read full article: Lawsuits challenging Floridaโs new voting law argue it was politically motivatedA record 4.8 million Floridians voted by mail in the 2020 election, and because right now a single request for an absentee ballot is good for two election cycles, theyโll be getting absentee ballots again in 2022.
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Theme park loophole creates way to skirt social media censorship bill
Read full article: Theme park loophole creates way to skirt social media censorship billDisney World could face new competition if social media companies take advantage of a loophole included in legislation aimed at cracking down on social media censorship, which awaits the governorโs signature.
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GOP lawmakers take aim at ballot initiatives
Read full article: GOP lawmakers take aim at ballot initiativesโIt eliminates those that have over-influence and who can influence these ballot initiatives through their dollars,โ Payne said. That is not what these ballot initiatives are,โ Jenne, D-Dania Beach, said. AdโThe plain fact of it is that they donโt like these ballot initiatives that have passed,โ she said. Lawmakers also made sweeping changes last year to the petition-gathering process to make it harder to put initiatives on the ballot. โHere and across the country, state legislators are attempting to dismantle democracy just because they havenโt liked the outcome of recent elections and ballot initiatives.
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Election reforms advance in the Florida House
Read full article: Election reforms advance in the Florida HouseTALLAHASSEE โ On the heels of the 2020 election, Florida lawmakers are working to make changes to the stateโs election laws. The sponsor of the Houseโs election reform legislation says Floridaโs 2020 election was a success. The bill would prevent election supervisors from taking private grants. Mail ballot drop boxes would have to be monitored at all times and only family members or a roommate could drop off another personโs ballot. It would ban mail ballot drop boxes altogether.
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Suppression or security? Proposed voting changes cause uproar
Read full article: Suppression or security? Proposed voting changes cause uproarAdThe proposed voting changes, which come after millions of voters in Florida and throughout the country opted to cast mail-in ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are causing alarm for elections experts as well as Democrats. Election supervisors in Florida also encouraged the use of mail-in ballots in advance of the November election, and the numbers of mail-in ballots skyrocketed. The measure would require voters to request mail-in ballots prior to every general election. AdTrump has frequently voted by mail, but the former president and his allies have asserted that mail-in ballots are vulnerable to fraud. Ingoglia defended the provision in the Senate proposal that would require voters to sign up for mail-in ballots more frequently.

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