A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski's columns were a staple in Folio Weekly for nearly two decades, and he has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes about the intersection of state and local politics and policy.

Featured image for “OPINION | Bob Graham’s legacy and its lessons for today”
Sen. Bob Graham, right, speaks during the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill and Offshore Drilling meeting on Sept. 27, 2010 | AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
April 17, 2024

OPINION | Bob Graham’s legacy and its lessons for today

Graham was arguably the last of the great governors of the state, one who could talk to “old Florida” and…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jacksonville deserves a stadium referendum”
The Jacksonville Jaguars have proposed renovating EverBank Stadium into the "Stadium of the Future."
April 7, 2024

OPINION | Jacksonville deserves a stadium referendum

Why can’t Jacksonville taxpayers weigh in on the biggest capital obligation in local history?…

Featured image for “OPINION | Why the Deegan-Biden dynamic matters to Jacksonville this November”
Mayor Deegan greets Vice President Kamala Harris in Jacksonville in July of 2023.
March 25, 2024

OPINION | Why the Deegan-Biden dynamic matters to Jacksonville this November

Mayor Deegan – who often talks about working across party lines – is going to be incentivized to be a…

Featured image for “OPINION | A look back at a bad legislative session for Northeast Florida”
The Florida Capitol Complex is viewed, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
March 10, 2024

OPINION | A look back at a bad legislative session for Northeast Florida

What do we make of the 2024 Florida legislative session that just wrapped up? And how did Jacksonville fare?…

Featured image for “OPINION | The reality of divided government”
Ron Salem and Donna Deegan at her 2023 budget presentation
February 25, 2024

OPINION | The reality of divided government

For Mayor Donna Deegan and this City Council, it will take negotiation and the time-honored principle of “getting to yes”…

Featured image for “OPINION | Did white supremacists kill the Confederate monument bill?”
February 11, 2024

OPINION | Did white supremacists kill the Confederate monument bill?

If the bill is dead, thank the loud-mouthed racists who got it through the Senate’s head what monument-protection bills are…

Featured image for “OPINION | Will Donald Trump unite Jacksonville Republicans?”
Former President Donald Trump stands on stage at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
January 29, 2024

OPINION | Will Donald Trump unite Jacksonville Republicans?

Republicans, led by the chair of the Duval County party, are being compelled to unite behind Trump weeks before the…

Featured image for “OPINION | Where is the stadium deal?”
January 15, 2024

OPINION | Where is the stadium deal?

The set-up couldn’t have been better for stadium negotiations. Now, it’s the same old Jagwires, bumbling on the field and making…

Featured image for “OPINION | The monument is gone! What happens next?”
The Women of the Confederacy monument is lifted off its base at Springfield Park on Dec. 27, 2023. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
January 3, 2024

OPINION | The monument is gone! What happens next?

After Mayor Donna Deegan’s removal of the Springfield Park Confederate monument, it’s clear there will be political ramifications for years…

Featured image for “OPINION | Donna Deegan needs a political machine”
Donna Deegan celebrates with supporters at Estrella Cocina after winning the Jacksonville mayoral election Tuesday, May 16, 2023. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
December 18, 2023

OPINION | Donna Deegan needs a political machine

With three-and-a-half years to go in Deegan’s administration, it’s apparent that she could use more political cover on the City…

Featured image for “OPINION | Most compelling race of 2024? The Democratic primary in House District 13”
Former Jacksonville city council member Brenda Priestly Jackson, left, announced she will challenge state Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) in a Democratic primary next year. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
December 3, 2023

OPINION | Most compelling race of 2024? The Democratic primary in House District 13

Rep. Angie Nixon, who had close to 90% of the vote in her 2022 Democratic primary, will face off against…

Featured image for “OPINION | Ron DeSantis picks and chooses his First Amendment battles”
Gov. Ron DeSantis decried the idea that he bore any responsibility for a white supremacist opening fire at a Dollar General in Jacksonville's New Town neighborhood on Aug. 26. He was confronted by a Black military veteran who claimed "the governor is scared of voices like mine."
November 20, 2023

OPINION | Ron DeSantis picks and chooses his First Amendment battles

It’s hard to see Ron DeSantis’ 11th hour cosplay as a free speech warrior as anything more than an attempt…

Featured image for “OPINION | Selective outrage: The perils and self-deceptions of bringing a foreign war home”
November 6, 2023

OPINION | Selective outrage: The perils and self-deceptions of bringing a foreign war home

Our elected leaders would rather support Israel than denounce home-grown anti-Semitism.…

Featured image for “OPINION | In defense of Ron Salem”
Ron Salem is a member of the Jacksonville City Council. He was reelected in March 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 23, 2023

OPINION | In defense of Ron Salem

Ron Salem, a Republican of Palestinian descent, is taking hits for his no vote on a City Council resolution offering…

Featured image for “OPINION | Donna Deegan’s stadium conundrum”
EverBank Stadium has served as the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars since their inaugural season in 1995. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 9, 2023

OPINION | Donna Deegan’s stadium conundrum

The mayor isn’t going to be able to make everyone happy. Will anyone be smiling at the end?…

Featured image for “OPINION | Where did Deegan go wrong? Lessons from the failed Ferraro and DeFoor nominations”
September 18, 2023

OPINION | Where did Deegan go wrong? Lessons from the failed Ferraro and DeFoor nominations

Two failed nominations reveal a surprising lack of understanding of how the City Council actually works and thinks.…

Featured image for “OPINION | The ultimate pragmatist: E. Denise Lee’s inclusive politics”
September 4, 2023

OPINION | The ultimate pragmatist: E. Denise Lee’s inclusive politics

We need Denise Lee’s clarity of vision to be actualized by a new generation, her ability to unify people who…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jacksonville isn’t Ron DeSantis’ town anymore”
August 21, 2023

OPINION | Jacksonville isn’t Ron DeSantis’ town anymore

What’s clear is that Ron DeSantis has taken his eye off Jacksonville — like the rest of the state — and…

Featured image for “OPINION | Is it a purge? Donna Deegan separates from the Lenny Curry era”
August 7, 2023

OPINION | Is it a purge? Donna Deegan separates from the Lenny Curry era

Mayor Donna Deegan has made some moves that show a dramatic break with the previous administration. But not all of…

Featured image for “OPINION | VP Harris exposed DeSantis’ weakness ”
Mayor Deegan greets Vice President Kamala Harris in Jacksonville in July of 2023.
July 23, 2023

OPINION | VP Harris exposed DeSantis’ weakness 

VP Harris spoke truths about Gov. Ron DeSantis that Florida’s disempowered Democrats lack the platform to fully get over on…

Featured image for “OPINION | Covering Deegan: News media will face special challenge in covering a friendly face”
Donna Deegan was inaugurated as the 45th Mayor of Jacksonville on Saturday, July 1, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 10, 2023

OPINION | Covering Deegan: News media will face special challenge in covering a friendly face

Donna Deegan presents a unique challenge for local media, many of whom have known her as a friend for a…

Featured image for “OPINION | End of an era: Lenny Curry exits stage right”
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is a mainstay at Jacksonville Jaguars games. The Jaguars hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. The Jaguars trailed 27-7 at halftime, its largest halftime deficit of the season, before winning 31-30 | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 25, 2023

OPINION | End of an era: Lenny Curry exits stage right

The Curry era, unlike any other in Jacksonville history, was one in which partisan Republicanism prevailed.…

Featured image for “OPINION | ‘DeSantismander’ deserves a legal challenge”
The Florida Legislature passed this new congressional district map in April 2022 after Gov. DeSantis vetoed the previous attempt. | Florida Legislature
June 11, 2023

OPINION | ‘DeSantismander’ deserves a legal challenge

Florida’s congressional district map is a fraud, and the most glaring example is my district.  No offense to Aaron Bean,…

Featured image for “OPINION | Transition volition: Why Donna Deegan needs a fast start”
May 29, 2023

OPINION | Transition volition: Why Donna Deegan needs a fast start

Mayor Deegan will deal with a GOP supermajority City Council. She is going to have to score early victories before…