City’s Solar Farm Meeting Confirms Foreign Ownership, No New Jobs, $9 Million Tax Credit

City’s Solar Farm Meeting Confirms Foreign Ownership, No New Jobs, $9 Million Tax Credit

The City of Tallahassee hosted a community meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Tallahassee International Airport where Origis Energy provided an overview of the recently completed solar farm and an update on the expansion of the solar program. The meeting also allowed project managers to share details about the new solar farm and answer […]

Mayor Gillum’s Office Buys Facebook Ads to Promote Controversial GDP Claim

Mayor Gillum’s Office Buys Facebook Ads to Promote Controversial GDP Claim

Tallahassee Reports has learned that the Mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, is spending city funds to promote a controversial claim about Tallahassee’s local economy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the Tallahassee GDP per capita grew faster than in any of the other 21 MSA’s in the state of Florida in 2016. However, further […]

Data Shows Hurricane Hermine Major Driver of Tallahassee GDP Growth, Not Local Development

Data Shows Hurricane Hermine Major Driver of Tallahassee GDP Growth, Not Local Development

As local officials rush to take credit for a recent report that showed the Tallahassee MSA had the fastest growing GDP per capita in the state of Florida during 2016, new information threatens the credibility of the explanations offered by these officials. Based on research by Tallahassee Reports and lengthy discussions with Bureau of Economic […]

City Reports a 14% Decrease in Leon County Crime, Status of Body Cameras and New Facility

City Reports a 14% Decrease in Leon County Crime, Status of Body Cameras and New Facility

At the City of Tallahassee annual retreat today, Chief Deleo reported that the number of crimes in Leon County in 2017 have decreased by approximately 13.7% when compared to data from 2016. The comparison period was January to November. During this period, the number of crimes fell from 14,092 to 12,152. The decrease was led […]

Local Leaders Report Tallahassee has Fastest Growing Economy in Florida, But Can’t Explain Why

Local Leaders Report Tallahassee has Fastest Growing Economy in Florida, But Can’t Explain Why

The Mayor’s Office, the City of Tallahassee and the Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) are publicly stating that Tallahassee has the fastest growing economy in the state of Florida despite questions about the data used to support the claims. From the Mayor’s Office twitter account: “The numbers don’t lie, folks! #Tallahassee has the fastest growing […]

George Soros Puts Another $100k On Gillum Gubernatorial Bid

George Soros Puts Another $100k On Gillum Gubernatorial Bid

The latest campaign reports for Mayor Andrew Gillum’s PAC, Forward Florida, show that George Soros has donated $100,000. Previously, media reports verified that George Soros and, his son, Alex Soros, gave $150,000 to the Forward Florida Committee. While Norman Lear, founder of Gillum’s former employer, People for American Way, gave $50,000. Tallahassee Reports has written […]

Taxpayers May Be Responsible For Future Legal Fees Incurred By City Manager Fernandez

Taxpayers May Be Responsible For Future Legal Fees Incurred By City Manager Fernandez

The recent resignation of City Manager Rick Fernandez – amid various ethics charges and a federal investigation of city hall – has raised questions about who may be responsible for future legal fees incurred by Fernandez. Language in Section 6 of the separation agreement between Fernandez and the City of Tallahassee states: In the event […]

City Commissioner Nancy Miller Critical of City Attorney Search Process

City Commissioner Nancy Miller Critical of City Attorney Search Process

At the most recent City Commission meeting, Commissioner Nancy Miller discussed her concerns about the search process for a new city attorney. Addressing the limited number of qualified applicants, Commissioner Miller said that if potential applicants understand that an internal candidate is favored, many people will not waste their time applying. Then, looking at City […]

City Manager Rick Fernandez Submits Resignation Letter

City Manager Rick Fernandez Submits Resignation Letter

Tomorrow at 1:00 pm, the City Commission will formally consider the resignation of City Manager Rick Fernandez. Fernandez submitted a letter of resignation today. The resignation is effective January 3rd. The resignation letter can be read here and the agreement here. On November 8, 2017, the City Commission approved paid administrative leave to the City […]