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Jacksonville Leaders: It’s time for some mirror reflecting work.
In 2018, Eye on Jacksonville was formed to Promote Integrity and Transparency and Expose Corruption and Cronyism in our city leadership. There were signs forming that an entity such as Eye was needed. With the help of a former Editor of the Florida Times Union, Lloyd “Scoop” Brown, we started writing about some of those…
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City Council listening to telecom lobbyists and refuse to listen to concerned Moms. Wrong!
A letter submitted by Lauren Galvin, a concerned mom, to the Editor of Eye on Jacksonville has some great questions for our City Council. Parents MUST pay attention. Read and response please. ———— Is City Council showing favor to the interests of telecommunications companies over that of their constituents? Recently, in Encinitas, CA, the City…
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Zahn is leaving JEA post but many questions remain behind him
Aaron Zahn is out, but hold back your tears. He was named CEO of JEA last year, despite having no qualifications other than being a friend of Mayor Lenny Curry. He pretty much screwed up what apparently was his No. 1 job – selling the JEA. Despite that, he will walk with more than $1…
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Mayor Curry Table Slapping. Cue: He’s stressed. Rightly so.
I heard Mayor Curry speak last week at a special event. I was concerned with his demeanor and he appeared to be rattled a little. I can understand why. There is a lot of chaos going on downtown and JEA is certainly one of the biggest issues he is dealing with. Which is interesting because…
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City Council takes on the issue of Human Trafficking in North Florida. Good for them!
Eye on Jacksonville sends a Big Wink to the City Council for taking up the issue of Human Trafficking in our community. Unfortunately our state ranks third in the United States behind California and Texas for human trafficking cases AND Jacksonville is the third-largest human trafficking city in Florida. What terrible news for our hometown…
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EYE was at the biggest political gathering where JEA was the talk of the night
One of the biggest gatherings of political players in the city is the annual holiday party held by former Mayor Jake Godbold. Eye on Jacksonville was there for the 2019 version this week. Just a few of the people sighted: Godbold, of course — this year, sadly, in a wheelchair because of his chronic neck…
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Two letters are sent, as the JEA issue heats up
Mayor Lenny Curry is changing course on the JEA sale, after receiving a polite but pointed letter from the Jacksonville Civic Council. The civic council’s JEA Subcommittee, consisting of Michael Ward, Bobby Stein and Jeanne Miller, asked Curry to switch from the invitation to negotiate process currently being used by the JEA to a more…
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City Council was in a hurry to shovel more money out the door
One of the City Council’s more preposterous actions took place recently when it passed a highly greased bill handing $850,000 in cash to a multi-billion-dollar company. Winn-Dixie is the recipient. All the company has to do to “earn” the money is open a grocery in the Gateway Shopping Center. Paying a private business to do…
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City Haul has run out of original ideas
Renderings published in the media indicate Mayor Lenny Curry is opting for a new bum magnet in the heart of Jacksonville. To replace the Jacksonville Landing – which just 30 years ago was considered the “catalyst” for downtown redevelopment – Curry is proposing grass, which is exactly what would be there if Jacksonville did not…
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Ted Yoho Term Limited himself
U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho is leaving Congress, as he promised when he ran for office. It is a loss that highlights the problem with term limits. Term limits for Congress is an idea that continues to be voiced whenever public frustration with Congress flares up – and that is quite often. Yoho is term limiting…
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What does El Paso Utility sale have to do with JEA sale?
Eye received a message from a JEA employee who did not identify himself. He said, “You need to check out the El Paso, Texas Utility deal. Very similar to what is going on at JEA.” The JEA employee is fearful of being identified and that makes our blood boil at Eye. This is America and…
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Latest fiasco another indicator change is needed at JEA
Thank goodness for the City Council auditor and the General Counsel’s Office. Together they exposed the JEA’s boneheaded performance pay plan scheme as illegal and financially ridiculous. It was not always that way. JEA began paying for performance in 1990. Used correctly, it can be an effective way to improve productivity. Then, the CEO and…
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A picture is worth a thousand words or millions of incentives for Friends of the Mayor?
This picture taken by Sky 4 today says exactly how I feel about our Mayor’s Administration. A mess. No words can explain about another bad deal on the banks of the St. Johns River. I’ve grown up here and the ONLY time anything ever finalized on the river — was the Landing. It was all…
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Downtown making a U turn?
After decades of trying to make traffic move quicker and smoother, local officials apparently have decided to make a U-turn and slow everything down. In the 1950s, many downtown streets and streets leading to downtown from the suburbs were changed to one-way traffic. For example, College and Post streets. In the past few years, however,…