JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There was a swath of red in council chambers Tuesday night, worn in protest to the proposed deep cuts to library funding.
    
The city's Finance Committee recommended reducing the library's $39 million dollar by about $3.5 million.
    
Library staffers, volunteers and patrons said the resulting cuts in services would reduce the quality of life in Jacksonville and remove a vital resource for job seekers.

"Our libraries are the place where anybody who does not have a computer at home, the libraries are the only place where there's free access to computers," said a member of the Friends of Murray Hill Library.

A final vote on the matter is expected later this month.

St. Johns County Families PAC’s efforts to defeat the $12 million property tax hike were strengthened today, as various local leaders and organizations joined their coalition.

“There is clearly widespread opposition to the latest tax hike,” said Adam Guillette, of the newly formed St. Johns County Families PAC. “And we’re incredibly excited that these local leaders have joined our efforts,” he added.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Former mayoral candidate Mike Hogan didn't win his bid to lead Jacksonville, but he'll still have a job in government.

On Wednesday, Governor Rick Scott announced that he appointed 61-year-old Hogan to the Public Employees Relations Commission.

Hogan, who was the Duval County Tax Collector from 2003 to 2011, will serve as the commission's chair, succeeding Stephanie Williams Ray. 

His term starts on July 27, 2011 and ends January 1, 2012.

In the same announcement, Scott said he appointed Donna M. Poole, a labor law attorney from Tallahassee, to the commission as well.  Her term also starts on July 27 and she'll serve on the committee through January 1, 2014.