What property appraiser candidates want voters to know before Election Day
Read full article: What property appraiser candidates want voters to know before Election DayAs voters finish early voting in Jacksonville and prepare for Election Day next Tuesday, three candidates are vying for residents’ vote for Duval County property appraiser.
Fishermen plead not guilty to charges in tournament scandal
Read full article: Fishermen plead not guilty to charges in tournament scandalTwo men accused of stuffing five walleye with lead weights and fish fillets during a lucrative fishing tournament on Lake Erie have pleaded not guilty to cheating and other charges.
Navy commander fired after refusing to get COVID vaccine
Read full article: Navy commander fired after refusing to get COVID vaccineOfficials say a U.S. Navy commander has been fired from his job as the executive officer of a warship because he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine as required and refused to be tested for the virus.
Battle builds for Aaron Bean’s Senate seat
Read full article: Battle builds for Aaron Bean’s Senate seatWith Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, facing term limits next year, a battle is shaping up among Republicans seeking to succeed him in a district that currently covers all of Nassau County and part of Nassau County. The district’s boundaries and potentially the number will change before the 2022 elections because of reapportionment. Byrd is in his third term in House District 11, which also includes Nassau and part of Duval counties. Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, and Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, also have opened accounts to try to succeed Bean. Yarborough is in his third term in Duval’s House District 12, while Fischer is in his third term in Duval’s House District 16.
As expected, electors cast Florida’s 29 votes for Trump
Read full article: As expected, electors cast Florida’s 29 votes for TrumpTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – More than two dozen loyal Republicans gathered in the Senate chamber of the Florida Capitol on Monday afternoon and cast the state’s 29 votes in the Electoral College for President Donald Trump. The 29 electors -- many of them current or former elected or party officials -- were submitted to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 31 and earned a seat in the chamber when Trump won the most votes in Florida in the Nov. 3 election. Had Joe Biden carried the state, a slate of 29 prominent Democrats selected as that party’s electors would be voting Monday instead and, based on the certified popular vote, Biden will win 306 electoral votes to 232 votes for Trump. That fact made Monday a bittersweet day for Dr. Roy Hinman, of St. Augustine, who case one of Florida’s 29 votes for Trump.
Florida Republicans react to Trump’s election fraud claims
Read full article: Florida Republicans react to Trump’s election fraud claimsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4Jax has been asking Republicans in Florida to respond to the President’s accusations of voter fraud in his race against former Vice President Joe Biden. I do have faith in America to get our election system right,” Fischer said. Fischer on Friday addressed the claims from Trump, who says there is widespread election fraud, a claim the News4JAX Trust Index rates as “not true.”Fischer says there’s cause for concern and called for patience. “Count every legal vote, right, I don’t want a legal vote has been cast to not be counted, but I also don’t want any votes that may not be legal to be counted either,” Fischer said. “Every legal vote should be counted.
Lawmakers on list of GOP, Democratic electors in Florida
Read full article: Lawmakers on list of GOP, Democratic electors in FloridaTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state Republican and Democratic parties have named their slates of electors for this year’s presidential election, with the names of current and former lawmakers sprinkled through the lists. EXPLAINED: Electoral College vs popular voteThe Florida Department of State posted the lists Friday on its website. The Republican list includes Florida GOP Chairman Joe Gruters, a state senator from Sarasota; incoming state Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples; state Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville; incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor; state Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville; state Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay; and state Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami. The Democatic list includes Florida Democratic Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo; Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried; former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla.; state Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura; and state Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. Rod Smith, a Gainesville attorney who was a Democratic candidate in the 2016 race for governor, is also on the list.
Florida state House District 16
Read full article: Florida state House District 16Have volunteered and worked on local, state and federal campaignsWhat do you see as the top three issues in this race? This job is about working directly with constituents to improve the quality of life in the district. State legislators should be open, honest and available to constituents and I intend to lead by example. The office will be located in the district and a resource for constituents. I will actively reach out to ALL constituents and provide a variety of avenues to leverage the natural talent of the district.
Drones could help fight invasive species, wildfires
Read full article: Drones could help fight invasive species, wildfiresTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Drones could be deployed in state efforts to manage invasive species and address wildfire threats, under a proposal unanimously approved Wednesday by the House. “Currently, in the state of Florida we are facing an epidemic of invasive species destroying our local ecosystems, including the Everglades,” said bill sponsor Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville. Law enforcement is also prohibited, with certain exceptions, from using drones to gather evidence or other information. Fischer’s proposal would allow the Florida Forest Service to use drones to mitigate the threat of wildfires on public lands. “Drones may be a more cost-effective way and more efficient way than current practices,” Fischer said.
School board chairman: Moving to elected superintendent would be a step backward
Read full article: School board chairman: Moving to elected superintendent would be a step backwardJones also raised the point Tuesday night during a school board meeting, making his argument against an elected superintendent in a slideshow presentation. Jones also said superintendent appointments made by school board members draw from a larger pool of candidates, not just from people who live in Jacksonville. “This should be decided by voters, not by a small group of politicians,” Fischer, a former school board member, told News4Jax on Monday. The Duval County School Board voted unanimously in opposition. Currently, the district is led by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Diana Greene, who was appointed by the school board.
Duval Delegation advances proposal for elected superintendent
Read full article: Duval Delegation advances proposal for elected superintendentJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - State lawmakers are taking the public's temperature on having an elected school superintendent rather than one selected by the Duval County School Board. Eight members of the Duval Delegation, a group made up of state representatives and senators from Jacksonville, voted 6-2 on Friday afternoon in favor of moving forward with that proposal. Everyone who spoke up at the meeting was against the proposal, including School Board and City Council members. Currently, the school district is led by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Diana Greene, who was appointed by the School Board. She questioned the motives behind the bill, specifically in light of the contentious fight between the city and School Board over a proposed sales tax referendum to repair and replace aging schools.
Bill would call for citywide vote to elect Duval County school superintendent
Read full article: Bill would call for citywide vote to elect Duval County school superintendentJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - State Rep Jason Fischer is amending his bill that would change the Duval County school superintendent from an appointed to an elected position. Fishers new bill would place a referendum on the November 2020 ballot asking Duval County voters if they want to make that change. The bill has to be approved by the Duval County delegation, and then the Legislature for it to appear on the 2020 ballot. The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee deferred any action on the amended bill Friday. If the bill passes the Florida Legislature, a referendum will be placed on the November 2020 ballot to allow Duval County voters to decide if the superintendent should be elected.
State lawmaker wants Duval County School Board to be appointed
Read full article: State lawmaker wants Duval County School Board to be appointedFischer's proposal is raising eyebrows with current School Board members. "If the city of Jacksonville will have an appointed School Board, appointed by the mayor, removed at the mayor, serving at the will of the mayor -- it just doesn't make any sense to me." In its 2009 report, the Jacksonville's Charter Review Commission supported changing to an appointed board, arguing it would increase accountability. City Councilman Aaron Bowman said he's aware of the discussion about changing to an appointed School Board, but questions the timing of such a move. Councilman Matt Carlucci on Wednesday said he would introduce legislation next week that would require a change to an appointed School Board to be approved by voters in a referendum.