Andrew Pantazi Profile picture
Editor @TheJaxTrib | alum @jaxdotcom 2013-2020 | Jax native | @timesunionguild forever | support the @newsguild | Calvin's & Ari’s dad | #T1D
Oct 17 7 tweets 2 min read
Breaking: A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order preventing Florida officials from coercing TV stations to pull ads supporting Amendment 4, which legalizes abortion up to viability. The court ruled the state’s actions violated free speech rights. Image I got a copy of this order just as I was walking down a plane aisle, and sitting next to me is @DouglasSoule, USA Today’s First Amendment reporter. Image
Sep 2, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: A Florida judge struck down Gov. Ron DeSantis' North Florida congressional districts in the redistricting lawsuit, ordering the Legislature to draw a district that allows Black voters the ability to elect their preferred candidate. jaxtrib.org/2023/09/02/flo… The full ruling is here:

I have a date in 30 minutes, but I'm going to do my best to read through and update the story accordingly.documentcloud.org/documents/2393…
Aug 24, 2023 100 tweets 16 min read
I'm at the Leon County Courthouse where the state and voting-rights plaintiffs are going to argue over whether Florida must restore a North Florida district that preserves Black voting power. jaxtrib.org/2023/08/24/wha… Jazil is arguing last decade's CD5 district is the specific district the state says is a racial gerrymander. Last decade, the court said an east-west district was the only one that would comply with the Fair Districts standards.
May 16, 2023 22 tweets 13 min read
NEW in Jax Mayor's race: First results are in and everything is still too close to call. Democrat Donna Deegan is up by 14 points against Daniel Davis, but these are the heavily Democratic-leaning early votes & mail votes. #jaxpol Image Daniel Davis needs 59% of the remaining votes from Election Day to win.
May 16, 2023 27 tweets 10 min read
I'll make this a thread on turnout throughout the day. To start: Here's what Election Day turnout looked like during the March jungle primary hour-by-hour. Republicans did well all day, but they particularly dominated turnout between 9a-4p. ImageImage At 9:30 a.m. on Election Day in March, Democratic turnout was up by 3,211 votes.

Right now, Democrats have 3,399 more votes, despite coming into Election Day with a larger gap than last time. Republicans are more rapidly gaining on Democrats.
May 16, 2023 14 tweets 5 min read
Today is Election Day in Jacksonville, the 12th most populous city in the US and one of the only major cities with a Republican strong mayor.

Republican @DanielDavisFL & Democrat @DonnaDeegan face each other in a runoff after March's jungle primary. Even though Democrats lead turnout, Republicans usually make that up on Election Day. In March, the GOP overtook Democrats in turnout at 11:59 a.m. Image
Nov 2, 2022 76 tweets 20 min read
I’m at today’s redistricting committee meeting. Jacksonville City Council President Terrance Freeman says if it looks like they won’t meet the court’s Nov. 8 deadline then he will ask city lawyers what to do next.

Background:
jaxtrib.org/2022/11/02/jac… Image Councilwoman @RandyDeFoor_D14 says after a night of reflection, none of the proposed maps "reflect real-life human beings" and the maps don't address her concerns about splitting neighborhoods.
Nov 2, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read
The Jacksonville City Council says it will not attempt to comply with the VRA with its court-ordered redistricting, claiming it's too late to do a voting analysis, even though the lawyers have known for nearly two years they needed such an analysis. jaxtrib.org/2022/11/02/jac… The map drawers say they followed communities of interest. Yet here’s what they did to split Murray Hill, Riverside and Avondale into three districts: Image
Nov 1, 2022 5 tweets 2 min read
This is an extraordinary order from Judge Howard denying Jacksonville's motion to stay her injunction against the City Council map. ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_p… She basically is calling the lawyers idiots, in legal-speak.
Nov 1, 2022 72 tweets 13 min read
I’m at the Jacksonville council meeting on redistricting where they’re passing out proposed maps & not sharing them with reporters or the public. I had filed a public records request before the meeting. The city’s lawyer says the city can wait a “reasonable time” before releasing It’s apparently reasonable to have a copy of a public record and say you’re not gonna release it until after the City Council gets to see them and discuss them. This is a meeting supposedly designed to get public comment on maps they haven’t yet seen.
May 11, 2022 111 tweets 21 min read
Redistricting news: We're live with a hearing to consider an injunction request to redraw Jacksonville's congressional districts after the new map dismantled a Black ability-to-elect district. Judge Layne Smith: "I know y'all eat and breathe this, and you're very experienced litigators and very successful litigators. I don't."
He says he read "easily 2000 pages" while juggling other cases.
May 10, 2022 5 tweets 2 min read
In first of two vote counts, @SBWorkersUnited wins its first shop in Jacksonville. 10 voted for the union. 7 voted against.
There were ~25 eligible voters. @SBWorkersUnited It's remarkable that the first unionized Starbucks in Jacksonville is in Mandarin, one of the most conservative parts of the city.
May 10, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
I'm at the campaign announcement for @SenatorHill, a Democrat running for one of Jacksonville's congressional seats. Jacksonville’s Black ability-to-elect seat was dismantled in redistricting, so Hill will have a tough battle to get elected in this Trump +7 seat. Hill’s campaign announcement comes at the Longshoreman’s hall. Hill started out as a longshoreman and then the @FLAFLCIO secretary treasurer. He served in the FL house and senate and then worked on the staffs of Mayor Alvin Brown and @RepAlLawsonJr.
Mar 22, 2022 32 tweets 7 min read
I'm at the Jacksonville City Council meeting where the council will vote on its redistricting plan, which has sparked sharp criticism of racial gerrymandering. jaxtrib.org/2022/03/22/jac… The night is starting off by honoring Greg Burton for 25 years at JSO. Burton is also the husband of Jacksonville sheriff's candidate @for_burton.
Mar 22, 2022 6 tweets 1 min read
We’re about an hour away from the City Council meeting and a group of activists have gathered in front of City Hall to protest the redistricting plan. jaxtrib.org/2022/03/22/jac… Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition: redistricting should’ve been a touchdown. Instead it was a fumble, and now a federal court may need to call a flag.
Mar 21, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
The @DuvalDEC passed a resolution condemning the Jacksonville City Council redistricting maps, saying they "reflect an unfair and gerrymandered process" that "cement incumbents while sacrificing accurate representation of the Jacksonville community". @DuvalDEC As I've reported, the City Council map packs Black voters into four districts, bleaching the surrounding areas. jaxtrib.org/2022/01/11/jac…
Mar 15, 2022 59 tweets 16 min read
I'm at the Jacksonville City Council rules committee meeting.

You can live stream here: coj.net/city-council/c… A majority of Black residents (55%) are in four City Council districts in the redistricting proposal. Those districts vary from 60% to 70% Black, even though lower percentages could ensure Black voters' ability to elect. jaxtrib.org/2022/01/11/jac…
Mar 4, 2022 110 tweets 37 min read
Florida Congressional Redistricting bill is up for a vote today. Debate is beginning. myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.as… Image Rep. @JoeGellerFL laments the lack of using Zoom for public comments. The House Democratic strategy to date has been to largely ignore the map proposals and instead focus on process issues (lack of public comment, transparency, etc).
Mar 1, 2022 29 tweets 6 min read
The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee is meeting and will discuss the city's redistricting plan, including amendments. Redistricting discussion will happen last in the meeting.

Live stream: jaxcityc.granicus.com/player/event/2… Chair @Priestjax says they will not vote on the plan today but will await a memo from the Office of General Counsel to address "issues" raised.
These include the many comments at the four public hearings citing the Tributary's reporting.
Feb 25, 2022 97 tweets 17 min read
Florida House Redistricting Committee meeting is starting.
thefloridachannel.org Image Chair @leek_tj says a letter from Ranking Member Joe Geller has "shaken" his confidence about the process.
He says praises the House Black caucus but criticizes Geller. Image
Feb 18, 2022 122 tweets 26 min read
The Florida House Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee is about to start. This is the first meeting since the Legislature paused its congressional redistricting due to Gov. DeSantis' failed request for the Florida Supreme Court to issue an advisory opinion. You can live-stream here: thefloridachannel.org