A major assumption used by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to secure financial assistance for projects is being challenged by a downtown project that received no CRA financial assistance. This comes as the CRA is defending its existence and advocating for more tax breaks for another major downtown project. The CRA is quick to take credit […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the law firm owned by former City of Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, Marks and Marks, LLC., has recently registered to lobby the City of Tallahassee. The individual listed as the lobbyist on the city website is John R. Marks. The Marks law firm is registered to represent Boodskapper LLC, a […]
A Tallahassee Reports investigation of local government contracts with campaign consultants for current elected officials reveals that three consultants with campaign ties to all five current city commissioners have received approximately $395,000 in payments over the last two years. Tallahassee Reports could not find any campaign consultants for Leon County Commissioners receiving payments from Leon […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the local reporting about the controversy surrounding Canopy Oaks teacher, Chloe Bressack, failed to include any reference to Bressack’s participation in a February 24th, 2017 demonstration for transgender student rights. At the demonstration Bressack was a featured speaker. TR first learned about the demonstration after Greg Marr Jr., a morning […]
In an email recovered by Tallahassee Reports through a records request for city commissioner emails, City Commissioner Nancy Miller refused to meet with the ethics team that is pushing to establish more authority for the city’s Independent Ethics Board. The statement by Commissioner Miller came in response to a meeting request from Peter Butzin. Miller’s […]
City Commissioner Nancy Miller, at the end of the most recent city commission meeting, made a startling request on behalf of the Tallahassee Democrat. Ms. Miller asked if the City of Tallahassee could waive information request fees for the Tallahassee Democrat. The request was only for the Tallahassee Democrat. Other media outlets would have to […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that local public relations expert, campaign consultant, and lobbyist Gary Yordon has recently registered with the City of Tallahassee to represent the interests of city vendor Honeywell. The registration, which was filed on June 16, 2017, states that Yordon will be lobbying on energy and performance contracting issues for Honeywell. A […]
Members of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) voted to gather more information about the ramifications of shutting down the downtown CRA and then the board voted to move forward with possibly providing financial assistance for the Washington Square project. Also, Mayor Andrew Gillum – who has refused to answer questions about his New York excursion […]
Instead of waiting around for indictments, it is time for local leaders and interested parties to begin to form an outline of what changes are needed to address the ethical challenges that face local government. Without rehashing the ethical lapses over the last several years, the are number of simple changes that would address current […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that a proposed development located in downtown Tallahassee at 227 S. Calhoun Street is seeking a $9.6 million refund of post-construction property tax from the downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). At the July 19th CRA Board meeting staff was directed not to bring any additional large-scale Downtown District projects to the […]