Jacksonville Bold for 5.17.16 – Money changes everything

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With April’s campaign finance reports in for legislative candidates, it’s as good a time as any to check in on the fundraising in Northeast Florida races.

The one competitive state Senate race in the region sees Republican incumbent Travis Hutson cruising, with $37,000 on hand, headed into a General Election showdown with Democrat Curtis Ceballos, who had $5.03 on hand at the end of April.

In House District 11, which includes parts of Duval and Nassau counties, Sherri Treadwell increased her money advantage over her Republican primary opponents. Treadwell has raised roughly $115,000 and has over $105,000 at her disposal. Running second behind Treadwell in the money race is Donnie Horner, who has raised $113,300 through April and has $77,000 on hand.

House District 12 sees another close money race between former Jacksonville City Councilmen Clay Yarborough and Richard Clark.

The former president of the Jacksonville City Council raised almost $14,500 in April, bringing his total raised to $63,546 with $61,962 cash on hand. Clark lost ground in April’s numbers. The return of a doubled $1,000 contribution from Tire Outlet Direct was the only movement on the former Jacksonville councilman’s contribution list, pushing Clark down to $59,000 raised with $48,549 cash on hand.

In House District 13, three Republicans are vying for the chance to face the Democratic nominee, who could be incumbent Reggie Fullwood, though Fullwood faces fourteen federal counts and many are speculating that he won’t run in the end.

No one in HD 13 has raised any money yet, for what it’s worth.

In HD 14, Leslie Jean-Bart holds the money lead against former legislator Terry Fields and former Councilwoman Kim Daniels.

Daniels, facing legal issues of her own that include a messy divorce and a foreclosure hearing, was the first candidate in this race to qualify for the ballot by petition, raising questions (again) as to whether voters in this district will care or not about her scandals.

House District 16 sees Dick Kravitz closing in on $100K raised, but Jason Fischer has doubled that number when one combines his PAC money with his campaign account. Kravitz, a political lifer with deep roots in Jacksonville’s Southside/Beauclerc/Mandarin area, looks to parlay that history into a trip back to Tallahassee.

Marco Rubio vs. ‘Today Show’” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO — As he makes the most of his last few months in the U.S. Senate, Rubio got a stark reminder that the national TV media cares a lot more about you know who than it does about, say, urban poverty … Rubio was shocked (shocked!) when the “Today Show” … didn’t devote enough in-depth coverage to what he calls the “slum like” conditions of Jacksonville’s Eureka Gardens, run by a HUD contractor. So Rubio let the “Today Show” have it on Twitter: @MarcoRubio: “Agreed 2 bring @TodayShow on tour of HUD project run by slumlord. They turn it into campaign piece. http://on.today.com/1NuzwTA via @todayshow”


“Marco Rubio, the Today Show, Eureka Garden and journalistic malpractice” 
via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics – As those who watched the Today Show footage might have seen, I was walking behind Sen. Rubio and Lenny Curry, Jacksonville’s mayor, as they toured the property with camera crews … Rubio’s comments throughout the walking tour of the property, with visits to three separate apartments in which the politicians spent some minutes reviewing conditions and talking to tenants, had nothing to do with the 2016 presidential race, as we reported Friday afternoon in the first story to come out of the senator’s tour of the property … Rubio was focused on the neglect of the property, talking to a representative of Global Ministries Foundation about the owner/operator not following through with commitments to make substantial repairs as they said they would.

Donald Trump to find fertile ground in Jacksonville” via John Burr – Trump will find fertile ground in Jacksonville, and across Florida, come November, if recent surveys hold true.

Trump has found millions of supporters among people who are being left behind economically in a rapidly changing economy. The Pew study suggests that Jacksonville, in particular, is a place where these type of Trump supporters are increasing. The Pew study found that middle-class households in Jacksonville declined by 2.3 percent between 2000 and 2014. Indeed, all of Florida major metropolitan areas have seen a reduction in middle-class residents, according to Pew: Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale/ West Palm Beach down 3.7 percent, Orlando metro down 5.3 percent, and Tampa Bay lost 3.2 percent of its middle-class households.

Pew found that in 2014, 53 percent of Jacksonville households were middle income, 19 percent as upper income and 28 percent as lower income. As Pew defines it, a three-person household was middle class in 2014 if its annual income fell between $42,000 and $125,000.

Speaking of fertile ground for Trump, he was in a virtual dead heat with Hillary Clinton across Florida in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, with Clinton at 43 percent and Trump at 42 percent.

All this points to a squeaker of a Florida presidential contest in November. For those people disenchanted with their declining economic prospects, Trump is seen as the candidate who will shake up a broken government in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Clinton looks more and more like a continuation of the status quo – and if your quo consists of declining status, her appeal is lacking.

Republican Bill McClure formally announces his CD 4 run via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics – Sounding populist themes similar in tenor to what he said last month, McClure, a Republican, opined: “Congress is broken. And electing the same kind of career politicians who are focused on what’s politically correct won’t fix it. “That’s why we need someone who’s done more than just run for re-election — someone with a proven record in the private sector of tackling tough problems, speaking their mind, and creating jobs to build a bright future for our children and grandchildren … The last thing we need in Washington is another politician looking out for his next re-election or how to pay back one of his fat cat lobbyist buddies … That’s not how you do things in the real world. I’m running for Congress because I think we need a businessman, not another politician, to take on the serious challenges facing America.” McClure is one in a crowded field of Republican hopefuls, including former Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, Rep. Lake Ray and perennial candidate Deborah Pueschel. Additionally, Democrat Eric Smith announced his plans to run.

“Eric Smith is running in CD 4 Democratic primary” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Smith, a Jacksonville Democrat and City Council mainstay of the 20th century, told the Florida Times-Union he would run in Congressional District 4 … Smith, who last served on Jacksonville’s City Council in 1999, narrowly lost a special election to Ronnie Fussell for an at-large seat on council in 2005. He followed that up with a 2010 loss for Duval County School Board to Becki Couch, who beat him 56 percent to 23 percent.

“Citizens United Political Victory Fund endorses conservative Pat Mooney in Florida’s 6th Congressional District Primary Election,” via press release – “Mooney is a true conservative citizen-politician. He’s running for Congress because he’s concerned about the dangerous direction out of touch career politicians are taking our country,” says David N. Bossie, president of Citizens United. “The last thing residents of the 6th Congressional District of Florida need is a career politician with stale ideas representing them … Mooney is an outsider who is ready to tackle our national debt crisis, fix our broken immigration system, and simplify our impossible tax code, once and for all.”

Happening tonight – State Sen. Travis Hutson will be holding a fundraising event beginning 5 p.m. at the Fiorentino Group, 31 West Adams St. in Jacksonville. RSVP with Melissa Langley at [email protected] or 904-358-2757 or Brianna Jordan at [email protected] or 203-313-4695.

“Audrey Gibson reports no fundraising for third straight month” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Florida Sen. Gibson raised no money for her District 6 re-election campaign in April. The Jacksonville Democrat likewise raised no money in February or March. Why has Gibson has stopped fundraising? In December and January, Gibson had been fundraising, bringing in over $14,000 in those two months. Since then, however, there has been nothing. Whether the lack of activity is because she is running unopposed and simply doesn’t need to raise funds, or if it’s a consequence of the prolonged uncertainty over if or when Corrine Brown would launch her re-election campaign in United States Congressional District 5, is a question worth considering.

“Activists protest write-in candidate in 4th Judicial Circuit races” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics – On Monday, the New Florida Majority and allies, including a state senator, held a news conference in front of the Duval County Supervisor of Elections office to protest closed primaries in the 4th Judicial Circuit races for public defender and state attorney… Audrey Gibson noted drily that ‘the [television] cameras didn’t roll for us,’ before observing that of 19 judicial circuits in the state, two of the three races closed by write-in candidates included Duval County. Gibson, currently running unopposed for re-election to the state Senate, noted that the suspicious closing of the primaries represented ‘colluding’ to silence non-Republican voters.

“New entry could pose real challenge to Angela Corey” via  Larry Hannan of the Florida Times-Union – The National Rifle Association endorsed Melissa Nelson days after she became a candidate. And while Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has supported Corey, the campaign team that helped elect him is working for Nelson, and several of Curry’s big-money donors are assisting her …  Nelson repeatedly stressed that she had nothing personal against Corey, who was at one point her supervisor when Nelson was an assistant state attorney but decided to run because crime has not gotten better during Corey’s eight years in office … Well-regarded in the Jacksonville legal field but essentially unknown outside it, Nelson has a little more than three months to introduce herself to voters and convince them to throw Corey out and install her in a position that is arguably the most powerful office in Northeast Florida.

“Kim Daniels faces foreclosure hearing” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics – While the divorce of House District 14 Democratic candidate Daniels has been finalized, legal woes still dog the former Jacksonville councilwoman in the form of a foreclosure case. Daniels, ex-husband Ardell Daniels, and their shared business, Spoken Word Ministries, have a case management conference regarding that foreclosure case July 12 at the Broward courthouse in Fort Lauderdale … This hearing will be complete before the Aug. 30 primary election in HD 14, in which Daniels battles former state legislator Terry Fields and first-time candidate Leslie Jean-Bart. Daniels’ cash position, despite the foreclosure hearing, appears to be secure. She contributed $20,000 to her current campaign in April.

Daniel Evans becomes third Republican to run in House District 13” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

Tom Taylor proves he is the community candidate in District 11 House race” via press release – In April, Taylor was endorsed by 10 elected officials, four religious leaders and over 50 businesses. These endorsements included; Charlie Latham, Jacksonville Beach Mayor; Christine Hoffman, Jacksonville Beach Councilwoman; Keith Doherty, Jacksonville Beach Councilman; Bruce Thomason, Jacksonville Beach Councilman and former Chief of Police; Phil Vogelsang, Jacksonville Beach Councilman; Lee Buck, Jacksonville Beach Councilman; Scott Wiley, Neptune Beach City Councilman; Mitch Reeves, Atlantic Beach Mayor; Mitch Harding, Atlantic Beach City Commissioner; Bill Gulliford, former Atlantic Beach Mayor and Jacksonville Council President; Bishop Percy Golden of the Revival Center; Reverend Don Lynn, Retired Chaplin Baptist Hospital; Don Jacobs of BEACH Church, and Father William A. Kelly, retired priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. Taylor’s campaign launched their new website; www.tomtaylorforhouse.com and placed nearly 300 signs across neighborhoods in Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach … also raised over $5,000, all coming from citizens and businesses within the district.

Business groups back Cyndi Stevenson for House District 17” via press release –Stevenson announced several endorsements from prominent pro-business organizations. The Florida Chamber of Commerce, JAXBIZ, and the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors are all backing Stevenson for re-election …  In addition to its endorsement, Stevenson also earned a grade of A+ on the Florida Chamber’s 2016 Legislative Scorecard. “The Florida Chamber has a long-standing reputation of only endorsing those candidates who are brave enough to place Florida’s long-term future before short-term and politically popular fixes,” said Marian Johnson, Senior Vice President of Political Operations for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “It’s these candidates that will help ensure Florida continues to create jobs and economic opportunity and we are proud to support each of them in their efforts.” Stevenson is also the District 17 choice of JAXBIZ, the nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization affiliated with Jax Chamber …  the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) is also backing Stevenson’s bid.

Happening Wednesday – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) will hold its State of the Authority luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Ballroom at Omni Jacksonville at 245 Water Street. Featured is a presentation by JTA CEO Nat Ford and keynote remarks by John Massengale, an international leader on the connections between urban design, architecture, place-making and walkability.

Ethics complaint filed against St. Johns Water Management District chair” via Asia Aikins of the Palatka Daily News – St. Johns River Water Management District governing board Chair John Miklos is at the center of a Florida Commission on Ethics complaint stemming from his company’s involvement in a potential public land acquirement in Volusia County. Deltona resident Donald Mair recently filed a complaint with the ethics commission claiming Miklos has a conflict of interest, as Miklos’ company, Bio-Tech Consulting, works with the city of DeBary to acquire land at Gemini Springs.

Going Swimmingly” via Melissa Ross of Florida Politics – The St. Johns Riverkeeper is the beneficiary of a new film festival in North Florida. The “Swim Shorts Film Festival” is billed as a celebration of Northeast Florida’s waterways. Filmmakers are asked to submit their short films that feature local waters and/or their favorite water activities. Submit at www.swimshortsfilmfest.org. A showcase of the top films selected to screen is set for Sun-Ray Cinema On Aug. 18.

Ceres now official operator of JAXPORT ICTF” via press release – Ceres Terminals CEO Patrick Burgoyne and JAXPORT CEO Brian Taylor signed the Operator Agreement for JAXPORT’s new on-dock rail facility, the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Dames Point. Ceres will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the terminal. Commercial container operations are scheduled to begin in August. JAXPORT’s ICTF at Dames Point serves JAXPORT’s Northside terminals: The TraPac Container Terminal at Dames Point and the Blount Island Marine Terminal. The rail that connects to CSX’s main line allows for two unit trains each day (one inbound and one outbound) carrying up to 200 containers each. Two truck lanes allow vehicles to transport containers to and from the adjacent shipping terminals. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded JAXPORT a $10 million grant toward the development of the facility, and the State of Florida Dept. of Transportation allocated $20 million to fund construction of the project, which was delivered on time and under budget.

Heroin, Fentanyl blamed for overdose uptick in Jacksonville” via Lindsey Kilbride of WJCT – As more addicts on the First Coast are turning to heroin for their highs, overdoses have skyrocketed. When paramedics respond to overdoses, they’ll administer Narcan, a drug that reverses an overdose within minutes. And Jacksonville’s Fire and Rescue Department has used a lot of it this year … from 2011 to 2015 the rescue division averaged between 200 and 300 administrations of Narcan a year. But in the past year alone, it’s seen a 100 percent increase in the amount of Narcan that’s been administered … just in the last four months, there’s been a 278 percent increase in Narcan administration for overdoses. Before last month, Narcan was only available on 41 rescue vehicles. Now all the advanced life support engines carry it too … But heroin isn’t actually the cause of many heroin-related deaths … The culprit is fentanyl … “it’s 60 times more potent than heroin … It’s a synthetic analgesic and these drug manufacturers and dealers they’re cutting synthetic fentanyl with heroin because it’s cheaper to manufacture and it’s much quicker to produce than heroin.”

The Opioid Epidemic (and Prince)” via Melissa Ross of Florida Politics – Thursday night at 8 p.m., yours truly will moderate a WJCT-TV town hall on the opioid epidemic. It’s become a scourge nationwide and in Northeast Florida. Make sure to tune in for insights into this problem as we welcome everyone from Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams and Dr. Kelli Wells of the Duval County Health Department, to local activists pushing for systemic changes in the way “the system” deals with addiction issues. Also, heard some truly heart-wrenching stories from parents who have lost their kids to opioids, and from people who are now living in recovery (after very difficult journeys). The show will simulcast on radio on 89.9.

Speaking of the opioid epidemic, as more evidence continues to come out about late music legend Prince’s dependence on prescription opioid meds, fans of the icon will pay tribute to The Purple One in downtown Jacksonville.

Next Thursday, June 2, local bands will perform Prince classics in Hemming Park from 5 – 9 p.m.

“We hosted a similar event for David Bowie after his passing and found that people embraced the opportunity to pay their respects by celebrating his life and music,” said Vince Cavin, CEO of Friends of Hemming Park. “By having the community come together around Prince’s music, we can, at a local level, honor and reflect on his immense talent as well.”

The tribute event will benefit the Jazz Foundation of America, an organization Prince personally supported.

The lineup features local bands Stank Sauce, Band of Destiny, Fonix Movement, Lunar Coast, The Groove Coalition, Master Radical, Billy Buchanan and more.

Financial Times newspaper touts Jacksonville’s role as financial center” via Roger Bull of the Florida Times-Union – New York and London are getting serious competition when it comes to banking and finance, and some of that is coming from Jacksonville. That’s the conclusion of a story published in the Financial Times. “Forget the bright lights and fast pace of living in two of the world’s greatest metropolises,” the story began, “city living for a new generation of financial workers is now more Jacksonville in Florida and Warsaw in Poland than New York and London.” The story isn’t really just about Jacksonville, the only other reference to the city is this: “Other preferred options include Jacksonville in Florida, where operating costs are 23 percent lower than in New York. The city has gained more than 4,000 jobs, including Macquarie, Deutsche Bank and Ernst & Young.”

“Reports on Jacksonville’s pension costs have dramatically different findings” via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union – Mayor Lenny Curry has said the city’s annual pension costs for its three plans — police and fire, general employees and corrections officers — will balloon from $260 million this year to $433 million in 2039. That figure comes from in-house calculations done in early January by the city’s finance department. But a different report issued in February by Milliman, an actuarial firm hired by the city, paints a much less dire picture for the portion of pension costs attributable to the Police and Fire Pension Fund. Based on Milliman’s long-range projections, the city would be paying about $113 million less in 2039 for police and fire pension costs than the city’s in-house number-crunching estimates … Financial Services Director Mike Weinstein acknowledged the variance in the financial projections. ‘You can basically say that under different scenarios that have been done over the past six months, you get different numbers,’ Weinstein said.

“Lenny Curry sells pension tax referendum” via Florida Politics – Curry has become comfortable with the hard sell on this issue, outlining a case of what happens if the deal doesn’t go through. ‘If folks don’t like my option,’ Curry said, ‘someone will come behind me and ‘you will have a 30 percent property tax increase’  … Curry expects that his option will prevail: ‘I will be running a very aggressive campaign to make sure people are educated on the issue.

“Jax moves to fill inspector general position” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Jacksonville’s inspector general, Thomas Cline, announced recently his desire to leave the position at the end of May after under a year in place. Thus, the “selection and retention committee” for the inspector general’s office had work to do Monday in outlining the process to fill that position going forward … Before the next meeting, board members are intended to vet potential interim inspectors general who would be willing to serve at a salary range of $120K-$160K a year, on an hourly basis … This process will move forward again publicly with a meeting Monday, at which time the language of the advertisement for the job opening should be finalized by the committee also. Hiring a permanent inspector general could be completed by the end of the summer. 

“Doyle Carter, John Crescimbeni tied in Jax Council veep race” – via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics – With just eight days before the Jacksonville City Council elects a new vice president, every pledge counts in a tight race between Carter and Crescimbeni. After a short meeting with Reggie Gaffney … Carter tied the count in the VP race at 7 pledges a piece, as Democrat Reggie Gaffney crossed party lines and signed on with Carter. The next scheduled meeting between a candidate and a pledge is Thursday, between Crescimbeni and Danny Becton.

“Duval School Board sued over bathroom policy” via Florida Politics — The suit was filed by Wes White, a Republican candidate for state attorney, on behalf of plaintiff Wryshona Isaac and her four children, all of whom attend Duval County schools. The plaintiff “seeks declaratory and injunctive relief against Defendants for adopting and establishing a policy of allowing students an unfettered right to use the bathroom or changing facility of their choice based on ‘gender identity,’ [which] denies her children a safe and supportive environment.” White’s filing cites a joint letter from the Department of Justice and the Department of Education, issued last week, “that issued a non-binding directive to public schools that they must allow transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room corresponding with their gender identity.”

Focusing on Fathers” via Melissa Ross of Florida Politics – Jacksonville’s continued problems with gun violence and homicide are often attributed to a number of causes – everything from poverty, to family breakdown, to the drug trade. The lack of positive male role models in struggling neighborhoods has long been a concern for civic and nonprofit leaders. With that in mind, the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition is launching a new program focused on others.

The Coalition was awarded a five-year grant from the Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families New Pathways program to provide fatherhood services to dads in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The Coalition’s “Growing Responsible Fathers” program will strengthen and expand responsible fatherhood, employment, housing, health care, mentoring and recidivism reduction services through case management, referrals and group classes.

Happening Wednesday – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) will hold its State of the Authority luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Ballroom at Omni Jacksonville at 245 Water Street. Featured is a presentation by JTA CEO Nat Ford and keynote remarks by John Massengale, an international leader on the connections between urban design, architecture, place-making and walkability.

Happening today – Beaches Democratic Club National Police Week and National Emergency Services Week Event begins 8:30 p.m. at the Neptune Beach Senior Activity Center, 2004 Forest Avenue in Neptune Beach. RSVP with Billee Bussard at [email protected] or 904-249-2468.

Project Rex is Amazon” via John Burr – Jacksonville economic development people pride themselves on their ability to keep secrets, but the mystery company behind Project Rex – a $200 million business development that will create 1,500 jobs – seems to be common knowledge.

It’s Amazon, according to media reports, the mammoth online retailer that seems intent on putting every department store chain in the country out of business.

The latest word in the Florida Times-Union is 170 acres near the Jacksonville International Airport has been under contract to the Rex mystery company for months. City and state economic development officials have already approved $18 million in economic incentives to snare this prize.

Amazon has been rumored to be interested in building a distribution center in Jacksonville before now. The Cecil Commerce Center off of Interstate 10 was rumored as a possible Amazon building site in February 2013.

The company currently has two distribution centers in Florida and agreed in August 2015 to add 2,000 workers to its existing workforce in the state.

Even before the Rex deal, it’s been a highly productive 10 months for Jax Chamber and Jax USA, the chamber’s economic development arm: Eight economic development projects, some of them expansions by existing employers (Deutsche Bank, Anheuser-Busch), and relocations to Jacksonville by other companies, for 1,733 jobs.

The city is enjoying a virtuous cycle of economic development, said Jax Chamber chair Audrey Moran, with each corporate relocation and expansion raising the city’s profile higher.

“When there are these big announcements, – like Ernst & Young,” Moran said, “other businesses pay attention. If we weren’t on somebody’s radar screen before, they know how selective those companies are, and they say, maybe we better take a look as well.”

Armada FC lose after blockbuster sale of Richie Ryan via Kartik Krishnaiyer – The Jacksonville Armada FC were involved in a blockbuster transfer last week sending club captain Richie Ryan to last-place Miami FC on Friday for a reported transfer fee of $750,000 according to both Northern Pitch and Empire of Soccer. Ryan is arguably the deep-lying midfielder in the second division NASL and his contributions last season helped lead the Ottawa Fury FC within an earshot of the league title.

NASL clubs typically don’t disclose details of transfers or trades, but this move appears to have been a blockbuster. For some perspective, Major League Soccer has never paid a transfer fee of more than $5,000,000 for a single player and while in Europe you have big money sales like that of Gareth Bale, the Welsh superstar sold for over $100 million to Real Madrid in 2013, big money transfers are rare in the United States. Ryan is 31 which makes the reported amount all the more remarkable. If the fee is anywhere near what was stated it is a great bit of business for the Armada FC, but it does set the side back on the field, no doubt.

How Ryan’s move impacted Jacksonville on the field was evident Saturday night in Minnesota. The Armada was ripped open early in the match, playing in what appeared to be a 4-3-3 formation. Minnesota United scored two early goals with Kevan George having to cover additional space in midfield with Ryan gone. George ended up playing in a far more withdrawn role than he had all season, shielding the back four and not able to make the short of runs forward as frequently as he did when playing in midfield as a double-pivot with Ryan. The result was two early United goals en route to a routine 2-0 home win in front of almost 9,000 fans at the National Sports Center.

The Armada continue to struggle in NASL play having not recorded a point since the April 23 draw at Fort Lauderdale, where the opposition equalized despite being reduced to 10 men. Jacksonville’s next match is Sunday in Ottawa.

Save the date – The James Madison Institute holds its Spring 2016 Jacksonville Regional Meeting Thursday, June 2, from 12 to 1 p.m. at the River Club, 1 Independent Drive #3500 in Jacksonville. Check in begins 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $10 for JMI members; $15 for nonmembers. JMI BOA Members and Leaders Fellows receive complimentary access. Further information with Alyssa Gill, Director of Events & Logistics, at [email protected] or 850-386-3131.

Peter Schorsch

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including Florida Politics and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Schorsch is also the publisher of INFLUENCE Magazine. For several years, Peter's blog was ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.



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