Guide: Nonpartisan Ballot (August 24, 2010) Duval County Election

According to my ballot, the only election is for Circuit Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Group 25.

The two candidates are:

1) Samuel P. Garrison.

2) Mark Hulsey.

Below is a little bit of research I found on the two candidates. Hopefully it will help those who have no clue who these guys are (which is most likely 99% of voters; fortunately, I suppose, only a few will actually vote). Sadly, neither candidates discuss any actual legal opinions on their websites. So, good luck choosing one of them!

1) Samuel Garrison:

• Currently an Assistant State Attorney in the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
• 10 years of legal experience.
• Supported the establishment of the Clay County Victim Service Center.
• Endorsed by Sheriff Rutherford, Public Defender Shirk, and Senator Wise.

Sources:

http://jacksonville.com/interact/blog/sportsrgood/2009-12-30/sam_garrison_to_run_for_judges_seat

http://garrisonforjudge.com/

2) Mark Hulsey:

• 30 years of trial experience.
• U.S. Army veteran.
• Volunteered "hundreds of pro bono legal hours" with local organizations.
• He runs his own law firm.
• Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida.
• "Accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at age 15."
• Endorsed by John Delaney, Tommy Hazouri, Daniel Davis, Michael Corrigan, Kevin Hyde, Dr. Johnny Gaffney, and Mike Hogan.

Sources:

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/401019/mandarin/2010-04-21/some-background-mark-hulsey

http://votehulsey.com/endorsements.html

32,000 Duval properties owe $65 million in taxes

Jacksonville's 2009 property taxes came due April 1, and a month later, the owners of some 32,000 properties still hadn't paid. That means there's a 3 percent penalty on their tax bills, and if they don't pay by May 26, their tax debts can be sold as "certificates" to investors. Here are the top 10 biggest delinquent tax bills:

Owners of more than 32,000 Duval County properties fell into delinquency when they missed the April 1 deadline to pay a combined $64.8 million in property taxes.

The delinquent bills ranged between $17 and $516,000, according to records obtained by the Times-Union.

The top 10 in delinquent Duval County property taxes owes $2.9 million for the 2009 tax year. Of the 10, six are apartment complexes.

Ranked by who owes most, developer Jay McGarvey's Old San Jose on the River project is No. 1, with $561,109 in overdue property tax.

Council Considers Fee Change

Hate getting the stormwater and solid waste fees in your mailbox? One proposal Jacksonville's City Council is considering would consolidate those fees into your property tax bill.

"We are actually going to save a tremendous amount of money," Council President Richard Clark says. "Which means we'll make better use of those dollars we take in."

Clark says the cost of sending out and collecting those annual fees comes with a hefty administrative price, totaling more than $700,000.

"So it is something we have to produce entirely on our own, at great expense, as opposed to simply adding a line item to an already posted bill that goes out," Clark argues.

But Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan says this idea has been tried before with little success.

In 1991, the city added a garbage fee to property tax bills. The result created a lot of problems, Hogan said.

"First of all, nearly everyone's mortgage account was short that year," the Tax Collector said. "And then the following tax year, everyone's escrow payment increased, which of course irriated the taxpayers."

Hogan suggests collecting the stormwater and solid waste fees through monthly JEA bills. Already the city's utility franchise fee is collected through electric bills and Hogan questions why the other two city service fees can't be collected the same way.

Council could vote on the city fee change at it's next meeting December 8. If approved, the fees would start appearing on property tax bills next year.