Peter Schorsch
One week ago today, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, City Council President Lori Boyer, and a myriad of other city leaders lifted glasses of champagne, toasting the rousing mandate behind County Referendum 1 — the so-called “pension tax,” a one-half cent sales surtax which kicks in just as soon as the current one-half cent tax sunsets.
It was a glorious day. An “unprecedented coalition.” Republicans and Democrats. Union bosses and plutocrats. Every ZIP code; every background.
One crazy summer. Now it’s all over. Autumn brings football pools and falling leaves.
And those issues need resolution, lest #jaxpol enter a winter of discontent.
The Human Rights Ordinance expansion to the LGBT community: Exhibit A.
The bill was last killed in February, as Curry, who believes that HRO expansion is not “prudent,” played a ceremonial basketball game against Sheriff Mike Williams.
Meanwhile, there is Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a major Democratic supporter of the referendum; he took the HRO off the table in February. Hazouri intends to bring it back soon. He’s told the press on the record. Off the record. He’s stood at the bases of bridges and yelled it.
Hazouri, who helped Curry sell the referendum, will force the Mayor’s hand on this one, in a post-Pulse, post-Ken Adkins world. Almost as if his support was not free at all, but contingent on a future revenue stream of political capital.
Also set to force the mayor’s hand: the public sector unions, especially the police and fire representation.
Steve Zona and the Fraternal Order of Police, along with Randy Wyse and the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters, gave Curry useful political cover to sell the pension tax referendum. What was in it for their unions? A secure source of revenue, et al. They sat like silent enforcers as the mayor pitched himself as the straight-talking chief executive who was finally telling Jacksonville the tough truths that no one else would.
Mission accomplished. The deal is done.
Now the real dealing starts.
When will the new plans take effect? Will they be defined benefit, defined contribution or Florida Retirement System? Will general employees get shafted, while the less replaceable public safety workforce gets better benefits?
And so on.
The administration and City Council, later this month, will be able to message — without much rancor — around a successfully completed budget process.
No worries.
Soon enough, rancor will be here.
“Financial sector reassured by Jacksonville resolving pension problem” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Curry had told media two audacious things. One was that, if the referendum passed, other cities would be looking at Jacksonville as a model. Another was that companies, and the financial sector in general, would see passing the referendum and securing a dedicated revenue stream to the city’s unfunded pension liability as a huge positive. Proof of that second assertion has already popped up in city email boxes. Henry Reyes, an executive with J.P. Morgan, sent an email to city officials lauding the city for getting this through … “What another Amazing Accomplishment – successful passage of a referendum to extend sales tax to fund pension needs,” Reyes said, calling the referendum passage “incredible & precedent setting … We will collect thoughts from our research group re potential rating and investor feedback plus the many positive implications from this significant development for Jacksonville’s future” …
The city’s CFO Mike Weinstein, the godfather of this plan, noted in the email chain that Reyes’ assertions are “are consistent with what the ratings agencies have been telling us as we work toward solving our [unfunded pension] liability.” For years, Jacksonville has been hamstrung by pension costs. This solution may have been controversial with some voters. But for the financial sector, which clearly sees peril in unfunded liabilities, Jacksonville’s referendum represented a necessary step, one that may confer benefits beyond relief for the city’s general fund.
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Winning elections takes more than glossy mailers and fresh-faced volunteers” via AG Gancarski in Folio Weekly — Politics is a relationship business. But some pols, regrettably, are bad at relationships … these three below … well, they didn’t exactly help themselves. Full disclosure — I personally like Angela Corey. I also think that, instead of spending a metric ton of money on the beyond-lazy and woefully misnomered Victory Group to run her campaign after Alex Pantinakis got Leighed out, she might have been better served hiring a group that felt comfortable maximizing her positives. The human side of Angela Corey did not show during this campaign, or at many points during the last eight years. Corey, a woman who rose to the pinnacle of power without giving lip service to feminism or post-feminism or girl power, but who instead was the toughest person in any given room.
Hans Tanzler III … I had an interesting conversation with Tanzler before he became a candidate. He was quiet, soft-spoken and credible. Then he launched his campaign, and dude was serious. Spent nearly a million dollars — $400K out of his own pocket. And what did he do with that money? An ad with him on horseback, brandishing a shotgun and hollering, “Mr. Obama, we the people say get out of our town.” A reader of this magazine said it evoked Klan images; perhaps the less-explicitly Klanny — but similarly loaded — evocation is that of the dreaded Sundown Town …
I like Corrine Brown — a lot. I always hear it from people when I say that. But I have no illusions about politicians. They aren’t going to expand my civil liberties. They aren’t going to curb entitlements. They aren’t going to lower the deficit or stop inflating the money supply. So at least they can entertain. And Corrine delivers when it comes to that. On some level, she keeps it more real than almost anyone else … On another level, though, she faces serious charges that she should seriously consider pleading out of before she loses her congressional pension.
“Some observations on the election” via Ron Littlepage of the Florida Times-Union — Soon-to-be former Public Defender Matt Shirk proved he’s a jerk and a not very smart one at that. That latter trait had been made clear with the shower in the office, the hiring and firing of attractive young women and sexually suggestive messages, etc. But a day after Charles Cofer thoroughly trampled Shirk, garnering 75 percent of the vote, Shirk solidified that reputation when he fired four of his employees. His claim that politics weren’t involved in the firings might have been a tiny bit more believable if he had waited a few weeks to do it.
Joining Shirk in jerkdom was Kenny Leigh, the write-in candidate who forced non-Republicans, including me, to switch their registrations to Republican if they wanted to vote in the state attorney’s race. Leigh, who was signed up to run by Angela Corey’s then campaign manager, said in the aftermath of Corey’s shellacking by Melissa Nelson that he was withdrawing his write-in candidacy, which had zero chance from Day One of registering even a blip in the general election in November. Thanks for the memories, but now crawl off into oblivion. Using a write-in candidate to close primaries has been a sham practiced by both parties, and it’s a deception that should be stopped.
That brings us to another point after Tuesday’s elections. We will have winning candidates moving to the Legislature and even to Congress who did not receive a majority of the vote in their primaries. That particularly happens in crowded races, and sometimes the victors barely crack 30 percent of the vote. In my book, that’s wrong, and it didn’t happen when Florida used a runoff system. If no candidate received a majority in the primary, the top two vote-getters faced each other in a runoff a few weeks later. That changed in 2002 and was made permanent in 2005 when the Legislature did away with runoffs.
“Time to put a lid on sham elections” via Mark Woods of the Florida Times-Union – I went to the Supervisor of Elections Office and changed my voter registration — from Republican back to no party affiliation. After years of proud no-party affiliation, I became a Republican because of Kenny Leigh. The “men-only” lawyer, a registered Republican who had donated money to Corey, filed the paperwork at the last minute to run for state attorney. Or, to be more accurate, the then-campaign manager for the state attorney filed the paperwork for Leigh to run for state attorney. Not as a Republican. As a write-in candidate. The filing of that paperwork meant that I, and hundreds of thousands of other registered voters, no longer would be able to vote for state attorney. Well, not until November when the winner of Tuesday’s race faced … a blank line reserved for a write-in candidate. The same thing happened, although not quite so blatantly, in the public defender’s race. So I became a Republican three months ago. And when I went to vote, a large factor in my decision was the effort to prevent me from voting, to make races for positions that represent everyone become decisions that don’t involve everyone. It’s wrong when Republicans do this. It’s wrong when Democrats do it. And now that this election is over, it’s time for the Legislature to do something about it. I’m not optimistic.
Too many of our lawmakers, from both parties, have used the loophole to close elections and stay in office. But it would be nice to see them do something really crazy and pay attention to the voters — the ones who already said, with a bipartisan vote for a constitutional amendment, this should not happen.
Melissa Nelson’s decision to run against Angela Corey was difficult, but support was there from the beginning” via David Chapman of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record — Nelson was a political newcomer with no name recognition among voters or crucial donors when she entered the race nearly four months ago. She was going up against someone who was perceived to be a strong incumbent. Yet, there was a clear path to victory, albeit one with little margin for error. It involved a short window. A lot of money. And even more effort. Nelson followed that path almost exactly, which led her to … celebrating a victory that helped reshape the Northeast Florida legal community. Many within that same legal community for years had pushed Nelson to run for the office. Change was needed, they said, and she was the right person to usher it in. Nelson had given it much thought and was flattered, but wanted to find another worthy candidate to support. Yet, the talks never truly died down. She was that worthy candidate the entire time. Nelson had first been approached four years ago, but the timing wasn’t right. After seeing and hearing what had taken place over the past four years, Nelson became more convinced the office needed more accountability, stronger trust and better transparency — hallmarks of the campaign she would wage against her former colleague.
“Five primary winners appear headed to Florida House” via Tia Mitchell of the Florida Times-Union — Very little stands in the way of Cord Byrd, Kimberly Daniels, Jason Fischer, Bobby Payne and Clay Yarborough joining the Florida Legislature in November. All five won their House primaries … and now face write-ins or candidates from parties with almost no chance of winning in the general election. Rep. Elizabeth Porter, whose district includes Baker County, also won her primary and is expected to remain in office.
The most competitive Northeast Florida House race in the general election looks to be the matchup in District 13 between incumbent Reggie Fullwood, a Democrat and pastor Mark Griffin, a Republican. Fullwood, 41, almost decided against seeking another term while he faces federal wire-fraud charges. He said Tuesday that the Election Day result is proof that his constituents believe he is an asset in Tallahassee. “I think the people feel like, ‘Hey he’s a good guy; he’s certainly made mistakes, but nobody’s perfect. Let’s give him another chance,’” Fullwood said. Byrd, Fischer and Yarborough each face a lone write-in candidate in November. Along with Payne, they are expected to win seats vacated by Republican state representatives who faced term limits.
Tweet, tweet: @Rob_Bradley: Ready to serve with @bobbypaynefl and @Travis_Cummings in Clay delegation. Bobby is good man, perfect fit for Clay.
“Clay Yarborough discusses his victory in HD 12, outlines path forward” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — Yarborough was ahead in polls (one we saw had him up by 20 points a few weeks out from Election Day). He was also ahead in fundraising. Then, in the end, it got interesting. A third-party mailer from the Conservative Leadership Fund surfaced that darkened Freeman’s features, raising the ire of Republicans across the state, including Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran. Yarborough told us it came from “outside of Jacksonville” and that he knew nothing about why it dropped. Outside mailers and money came in for Freeman against Yarborough, from such disparate elements as trial lawyers, business consortia and gambling interests. Yarborough held on. And won by almost 10 points. His campaign … was a much bigger version of the “robust grassroots” effort that won him his council seat in 2007, augmented by mail pieces and social media. “
You never know until the returns show up,” Yarborough said. Freeman’s surge and Yarborough’s relative loss of position were due to mail on Freeman’s behalf, which Yarborough said: “saw numbers go up for Freeman.” “Once the mail started to roll out,” Yarborough said, Freeman’s numbers went up. Yarborough countered this with a “heavy effort” on the grassroots side, especially in the two-thirds of the district that hadn’t had him as their councilman. Nothing fancy about his strategy: a uniform outreach, chasing absentee ballots and — the “biggest thing” — standing on his “conservative record” and amplifying that message. Attacks against Yarborough didn’t shake his base, the candidate said.
“The political redemption of Reggie Fullwood” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — While he fights a legal battle, Fullwood also had to fight for his political life. His most viable opponent was an old friend: Tracie Davis, who had run for supervisor of elections the previous year. Davis came close to unseating Fullwood, racking up advantages in vote-by-mail ballots and early voting. The tide turned on Election Day, though, with the difference being getting eligible voters to the polls, rather than the super voters Davis targeted and won. In the end, Fullwood won every precinct located in Jacksonville City Council districts 7, 8 and 9. A significant contributing factor: the Florida Democratic Party giving $8,400 as part of more than $15,000 in contributions the last two days of the campaign … What was it like beating a friend in the primary? Fullwood’s not detached from the battle with Davis just yet. “She supposedly was a friend. Mark Griffin” — the GOP nominee that he faces in November — “supposedly was a friend.” “With friends like these,” Fullwood asked, “who needs enemies?”
Fullwood believes that they saw an “opportunity,” a chance to take out a “wounded” politician. There were no sure things, of course. The money started slowly, Fullwood said and it “took a while to pull the team together.” Ultimately, it was support from people in the community that drove his decision to run, despite “embarrassment” over the legal situation. From community forums to grocery stores, he heard the same message: if you’re going to fight the charges, fight for your seat as well. One factor that will be a determinant: his motion to dismiss counts in his campaign finance case. The delayed action on that one by the judge, Fullwood said, is predicated on giving the prosecution time to respond. He expects a hearing at the end of September. And he is optimistic about how it will go
“Jason Fischer discusses his HD 16 GOP primary win” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — The contrast between Fischer, in his early 30s and coming off serving most of a term on the Duval County School Board, and [Dick] Kravitz, a man in his mid-70s whose career path took him from bartender to hypeman for professional sports franchises of the 1970s and 1980s, to public office starting in the mid-1980s, was stark … Kravitz’s own probity came into question; the National Rifle Association and Marion Hammer backed Fischer in this election, throwing Kravitz into a tizzy that ended with him calling Hammer a liar too. Much of that theater happened during absentees and early voting, in a race that Fischer’s seasoned political consultant, Tim Baker, called a “brawl.” “Lost [absentee ballots], won early close, and then slammed Kravitz with Election Day,” was how Baker characterized the race. Baker also noted Curry “came in strong for Fischer with tens of thousands raised to his PAC [“Conservative Solutions for Jacksonville”] in the last 10 days and went against Matt Schellenberg in Mandarin.” Schellenberg, the district councilman in that neck of the woods, endorsed Kravitz in August. But it didn’t help enough. “Jason blew [Kravitz] out in Mandarin,” Baker added, while Kravitz did better toward the northern part of the district. Hammer, said Fischer, was “aware she was being called a liar.” Fischer had an interesting theory as to why the NRA endorsement against Kravitz vexed the political warhorse so. “He’s a career politician,” Fischer said. “It threw him off.” Those misstatements, Fischer added, are “part of the reason Kravitz lost.”
“Bobby Payne’s HD 19 victory surprised outsiders, but not him” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — In the House District 19 race to succeed Charles Van Zant, expectations were that Katherine Van Zant or former Florida GOP Chair Leslie Dougher would win … after all of that, neither of them won. Bobby Payne did. His momentum … came “very late in the race.” Before that, he worked hard, and raised the majority of his money in the district. The turning point seemed to be just before Aug. 9. At that point, money started coming in — the Florida Chamber of Commerce PAC, Florida Jobs PAC, Disney, Pfizer, Expedia, and the Orange Park Kennel Club all ponied up for Payne. And the polls got more favorable. One done in the last month of the race showed him closing in. And one done a couple of weeks out showed Payne in the lead. Compare that to an internal poll pushed by the Van Zant camp in May, which showed her up by one, and the trajectory is remarkable. Almost as if Payne benefited from Dougher going negative on Van Zant more than Dougher herself did. Payne noted that it got a “little bit dirty at the end,” but he stayed out of that, saying that’s not his style. Also benefiting Payne: “Putnam is the center of the district,” he said, with almost 40 percent of the population. Payne won Putnam with 55 percent of the vote, but he held his own — and then some — elsewhere. He got 47 percent of the vote in Union, 31 percent in Clay (beating out Van Zant), and 35 percent in Bradford, coming within two points of Van Zant … who was up 40 points in Bradford in that poll from the spring.
“David Shoar cruises to easy victory over Debra Maynard, earning fourth term as county’s top law man” via Jared Keever of the St. Augustine Record — Unofficial results … night indicate Shoar defeated his opponent with nearly 86 percent of the vote. Shoar racked up 23,731 votes to Maynard’s 3,916. Standing on the same stage where he first claimed victory in 2004 at Allan and Camilla Roberts’ ranch off State Road 16, Shoar celebrated in front of a barn full of supporters after results came in just after 7 p.m. The 35-year law enforcement veteran spent little time talking about his campaign, the race or the past. He instead thanked his supporters and said he was going to head back to work. “I’m not going to talk about the next four years and all that stuff,” Shoar told the cheering crowd. “We are going to hit the ground running tomorrow and do what we need to do to continue what Neil Perry did before us and what our county commissioners did before us. Because I’m going to tell you, despite the negativity that we hear out there on a daily basis, we live in the best county in the country.”
“Kathy Knight Burns wins GOP nod for Superintendent” via Kathie Colgrove of the Nassau County Record – … beating out Janet Adkins with more than two-thirds of the vote … Burns with 68.01 percent of the vote, totaling 11,200 votes while Adkins garnered 31.99 percent or 5,268 votes by Tuesday evening. Burns will face non-partisan candidate Cheryl James in the general election Nov. 8. Among the 59,735 registered voters in Nassau County, 21,221 ballots were cast, representing a voter turnout of 35.53 percent. More than 3,000 voters changed their party affiliation before the primary race, declaring themselves Republican to vote for the local candidates. In another big battle, the clerk of the circuit court and comptroller incumbent John Crawford easily overtook outgoing Nassau County CommissionerWalter “Junior” Boatright with 58.1 percent of the vote. He totaled 11,570 votes while Boatright reached 41.9 percent of voters, earning 8,343 votes. Property Appraiser Michael Hickox and Supervisor of Elections Vicki Cannon each ran unopposed. Tax Collector John Drew overwhelmingly defeated opponent Carlos Slay. Drew captured 90.75 percent – or 14,660 votes. Slay received 9.25 percent or 1,494 votes. In the contest for the Nassau County Commissioner District 1, incumbent Danny Leeper captured 70.04 percent or 13,918 votes while Sarah Pelican received 29.96 percent with 5,954 votes. In the District 3 race, current Commissioner Pat Edwards won with 66.72 percent or 12,409 votes. Tim Peak had 33.28 percent with 6,191 votes cast for him. In District 5, Justin Taylor narrowly won against opponent Klynt Farmer.
“Campaign funding: Where did it all go?” via Jake Martin of the St. Augustine Record – Money may not buy an election but it does have a way, throughout the life of campaigns big and small, of getting spent. By the time candidates learn whether their time and effort have paid off, many of those who helped their campaigns cross the finish line have already cashed in their checks. According to campaign financing documents on the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections website, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised and spent for five county offices up for grabs in Tuesday’s primary election. In each of those races, the candidate boasting the larger war chest received considerable support from Jacksonville-based developers, investment firms, attorneys and lobbyists, whereas their opponents received little to no support. Almost as telling as where the money comes from in the first place is where it goes. While consultants in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Tampa reeled in the big payouts, several local businesses fared quite well, too, particularly through the proliferation of campaign gear. Candidates making it onto the ballot for clerk of the circuit court and comptroller, sheriff, and three county commission seats spent anywhere from $8,227.38 to $208,200.10 — with mixed results.
“Corrine Brown Chief of Staff’s hearing on his legal counsel pushed back to Sept. 7” via Florida Politics — The hearing scheduled for Elias “Ronnie” Simmons … has been pushed back to Sept. 7. Brown’s hearing, regarding her own lack of counsel and plans to resolve that, was scheduled already for Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. … the two hearings are not expected to be combined into one, which creates a “doubleheader” of sorts for watchers of this case. Simmons’ lawyer had represented a grand jury witness in another action, precluding his ability to cross-examine. Meanwhile, Brown’s latest attorney — Mark NeJame — left the case last month, after filing a motion to withdraw alleging hostile and unproductive communication. NeJame then muddied the narrative by talking about the difficulties of representing friends at and after the hearing, likening the dissolution of legal ties to an amicable breakup.
“Charlie Cofer plans refocused mission at Public Defender’s office” via Marilyn Young of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – When Cofer was Downtown … he ran into a group of lawyers from the Public Defender’s Office. It was a couple of days after Cofer had trounced their boss, Matt Shirk, by a three-to-one margin in Tuesday’s Republican primary. The lawyers shared what they said the state of affairs had become: Morale was down, nobody knows what’s going on, the office was in turmoil. All things Cofer had heard before he decided to retire as a Duval County judge and run for the chance to lead the office where he had spent 18 years. The lawyers were ecstatic change was coming, Cofer said. “I know you’ve been through very traumatic thing,” he told them. “Let me tell you where I’m heading.” Cofer told them he will refocus the office’s mission on its clients and helping the lawyers improve. The two go hand-in-hand, he said. He let them know he didn’t demand their loyalty — a criticism many had said about Shirk. Instead, Cofer said, over time, he would earn that loyalty. He consistently told voters during the campaign there were a lot of good people in the office. A point that often got lost after Shirk’s inappropriate behavior with female employees came to light in 2013.
“Mark Hulsey wins re-election by 0.4% of vote” via News 4 Jax — Hulsey has won re-election to another term on the 4th Judicial Circuit bench by 753 votes. State election’s officials ordered a machine recount in Group 25 race in Clay, Duval and Nassau counties because the margin of victory was less than 0.5 percent. According to the Florida Division of Elections’ website, that recount is complete and Hulsey had 96,663 votes to challenger Gerald Wilkerson’s 95,910. In Nassau County, Hulsey received 1,522 more votes than Wilkerson, giving him enough of a margin of victory to overcome narrow losses among voters in Duval and Clay counties. Hulsey actually gained a few votes in the recount, which also includes provisional ballots. Hulsey remains under investigation by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission on accusations of making racially and sexually inappropriate comments and misusing office staff.
Tweet, tweet: @CMGregAnderson: Duval recount finished. 11 hours rerunning 164,874 ballots. Thanks to SOE Hogan and staff! Results posting today.
“Winning Circuit Court judgeship was final check on Bruce Anderson’s career bucket list” via David Chapman of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – The road to becoming a judge was one filled with challenges for Anderson. Thankfully, he had some guidance along the way. His parents — a Navy father and a seamstress mother — didn’t have a lot of money but raised him to work hard and pursue a solid education. A high school guidance counselor led him toward academic success. A college basketball coach broke a hard but necessary truth. A Sunday school teacher who doubled as a county court judge piqued Anderson’s interest in-law. They were public servants in their own right and “all sacrificed to help me get there,” said Anderson. He’s worked at Terrell Hogan for 11 years, checked off his legal “bucket list” and made a healthy living. But as his parents instilled, “It’s more important to help others than yourself.” Pursuing that mentality was the reason Anderson entered law and why he decided to run for an open circuit judge seat. He fulfilled that goal Tuesday. How he got to that point was filled with sacrifices of his own.
Happening today – Renewal Florida is hosting a luncheon conference with the National Director of Faith Engagement for the Republican National Committee Chad Connelly; complementary lunch at noon, auditorium program begins 12:45 p.m. Event will be at the First Baptist Church, 124 West Ashley Street in Jacksonville.
“Matt Schellenberg leaves Jax Council NCIS committee” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Schellenberg, citing the pressures of running a business outside of the council with serving on three standing committees, cut his workload last month by resigning from one of those committees. The casualty: his position on a new standing committee, Neighborhoods, Community Investment and Services. The Mandarin Republican, in his second term, has two other time-intensive committees: Finance, and Land Use & Zoning. Those committees, which now include special committees after the regular meetings, simply create too much of a time impact. NCIS, in light of Schellenberg’s other work on and outside of the council, is simply “too big a commitment” in terms of time. Council President Lori Boyer, who made some changes to the committee structure this year to help Council take more of a policymaking role, confirmed Schellenberg had resigned the committee position, and that she had accepted the resignation … “He told me that his business was undergoing challenges,” said Boyer, “and he needed to be able to work on Mondays.”
“Closing act for Metropolitan Park canopy; demolition permit issued” via Karen Brune Mathis of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – The city issued a permit Thursday for Realco Recycling Co. Inc. to demolish the stage canopy structure whose official address is listed as 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd. At a job cost of $107,126, Realco Recycling will take down the fabric canopy structure and the band pavilion, which is more than 30 years old. The city is removing the 20,000-square-foot waterfront structure as the Jacksonville Jaguars build a new amphitheater across the street near EverBank Field. Realco Recycling will secure the site, confirm that utilities are disconnected, and then use various equipment pieces, including an excavator, to do the demolition work. Once demolition begins, hours will be 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday–Saturday. Debris will be loaded into dump trucks and hauled to the steel recycling facility or the Nine Mile Road Landfill in St. Augustine. Realco then will broom sweep the site to prepare it for future uses.
Happening Wednesday – JAX Chamber hosts the Professional Woman’s Council Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 10367 Midtown Pkwy. in Jacksonville. Cost is $20 for PWC members, $25 for non-members.
Happening Thursday – Florida Public Relations Association hosts a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. with Javier Correoso, Public Affairs Manager for Uber Technologies in Florida. Discussion will be on how Uber is facing challenges and winning legislative battles across the country, including during the 2016 legislative session in Tallahassee. Event is that Matthews Restaurant, 2107 Hendricks Ave. in Jacksonville.
”CEO: Wounded Warrior Project lost nearly $100M in wake of scandal” via Lynnsey Gardner of News 4 Jax – The Wounded Warrior Project has lost $90-100 million in donations due to the embattled charity being in the spotlight since January when the News4Jax I-TEAM and national media exposed questionable spending practices and a culture of intimidation and fear by the nonprofit after whistleblowers came forward. New Chief Executive Officer Mike Linnington [said] that the Jacksonville-based veterans’ charity had lost 25 percent of donations. “We’re coming to the end of the year. We’ve lost about 25 percent of generous Americans’ donations and we hope to build that back quickly. Next year is going to be a very important year for us,” Linnigton said. The extensive loss in donations led to about 85 people — 15 percent of the charity’s workforce — being laid off this week, nearly 50 percent of its executive staff being reduced and the closing of 9 satellite offices across the country. The Wounded Warrior Project’s website used to show 18 executives, but only four appeared, as of Friday.
“Tommy Hazouri hoping for support for fall HRO legislation” via David Chapman of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – Hazouri saw firsthand how people with ideological and political differences could come together to drive change … He served on the finance team for Yes for Jacksonville, which helped make Tuesday’s pension sales-tax referendum an overwhelming success at the polls. He’s now hoping for a similar show of support and success for a social issue he’s long advocated. In March, Hazouri withdrew his legislation to expand the city’s anti-discrimination law to include protection for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. He didn’t have the political support at the time. There also was a narrow focus in City Hall on selling pension reform. Hazouri is gearing up for another run “sometime this fall” though he’d like to have it done sooner. He said he’s talked with people at the JAX Chamber and Jacksonville Coalition for Equality, who will have even bigger roles in seeking support when he files the legislation. That bill will likely include tighter definitions for gender identity and further explanation of exemptions for small businesses and churches. Hazouri said there are discussions about an individual or group of business and nonprofit leaders being the point people to meet with council members and explain the issue and answer questions.
“How Baptist Health is making itself a medical tourism destination” via Alexa Epitropoulos of the Jacksonville Business Journal – Through its partnership with Houston, Texas’ MD Anderson … Baptist Health is looking to become a destination for cancer patients, Baptist CEO Hugh Greene said at [the] JAXUSA Partnership luncheon. The hospital has already started the partnership with MD Anderson, which Greene calls “transformational.” It’s a partnership that allows Baptist to have full ownership over the facility, while also following MD Anderson’s procedures and methods. Baptist’s staff at the cancer center is also credentialed by MD Anderson. Now, that cancer center is in the midst of expansion, with a nine-story structure in the works, with the “iconic structure” is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. When that renovation is complete, Greene said it will set the stage for local cancer patients to seek treatment in the area or patients from other states to come to Jacksonville. Baptist Health’s San Marco campus is the third of six of MD Anderson’s planned partnerships, which have already rolled out in Scottsdale, Arizona and Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Greene said it’s a win-win for Baptist and MD Anderson, with Baptist able to improve its cancer treatment and MD Anderson able to better accommodate patients. “They simply can’t take more patients at their campus,” Greene said.
“Job posts show Jacksonville facility is preparing to begin maintenance work on presidential helicopters” via Joe Daraskevich of the Florida Times-Union – An official announcement to move the maintenance work to Jacksonville has not been made by the U.S. Navy, but job opportunities have been posted online in anticipation of the decision, said Terresa White, spokeswoman for Fleet Readiness Center. “We are definitely in preparations to take on the work load, so that’s the intention, and if we are chosen then we will be performing that maintenance,” White said. Aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky had previously maintained the fleet at a facility in Stratford, Connecticut. Sikorsky was acquired by Maryland-based Lockheed Martin in 2015, but negotiations to keep the contract with the Navy were unsuccessful. “The Navy informed us in July of their decision to transfer the work to a government facility in Jacksonville,” said Paul Jackson, spokesman for Sikorsky. “We have supported this critical, no-fail mission for more than 40 years and we have signed a contract to continue supporting it during the transition. Any additional information should come from the Navy.”
“Florida Supreme Court suspends St. Augustine attorney from practicing law after arrest on drug charges” via Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – The Florida Supreme Court disciplined 26 attorneys — disbarring four, revoking the licenses of four, suspending 12 and publicly reprimanding six. One is from Northeast Florida: Samuel Harker Lanier, 3791 Florida A1A S., Suite B, St. Augustine, suspended until further order … Lanier pleaded no contest to several charges, including possession of cocaine, a felony; driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked, a misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to drug offender probation for two years for the felony charge and one year of probation for the possession of drug paraphernalia charge to be supervised by the Department of Corrections. He failed to notify The Florida Bar, as required, of his felony charge and judgment of guilt.
“Jake Godbold: Champion of the little man” via Matt Soergel of the Florida Times-Union – Jake was a celebrity who couldn’t eat out without being greeted by well-wishers. When he ran for mayor in 1979, the paper took note of a city employee who marveled at how so many cars downtown honked as he walked by, “as if he were Miss America.” Though some winced when he did it, Godbold usually spoke his mind, sometimes with some particularly salty language. After an out-of-town journalist bashed Jacksonville as a poor host after the Florida-Georgia game, Godbold, a city councilman at the time, fired back, calling the criticism “childish and asinine.” As mayor, he complained about lazy city workers and city departments with too many trucks: “City trucks never get a ticket for speeding because they are never going anywhere. We must have more pickup trucks than all the rednecks in Duval County.” After three years of leading the city, he publicly resolved to quit saying “damn” — “because every time I do,” he explained, “the newspaper quotes me.” That lasted about two days. At 82, Jake still has a way with a quote, a way with a yarn, delivered with a deep North Florida drawl. He’s been a Jaguars season-ticket holder since the beginning, though last year he took a pass. This year though? He’s back. Godbold laughs: He loves his Jaguars still. They put on a fine show. But he’s told owner Shad Khan the team simply needs to start winning. He tells how he dropped his face in his hands and cried on that glorious day in 1993 when the NFL announced Jake’s hometown was getting the league’s newest franchise. “I said, ‘Oh s—, we got it.’ I cried … It just tore my heart out, boy.” Godbold became mayor Jan. 1, 1979, taking over after Hans Tanzler had to step aside before his term was out because he was running for governor. As City Council president, Goldbold was next in line. Later that year, he ran for the seat outright, as a Democrat and was instantly the favorite. Why not? In conversation, then and now, Jake often talks about the little people, the regular people who perhaps didn’t have much money or power: Those were his people, from school kids to the senior citizens — the Mayor’s Older Buddies, or M.O.B., whom he hosted at annual fishing tournaments. He also reached out, repeatedly, to black residents, asking their concerns, says Alton Yates, a civil-rights activist whom Godbold appointed director of the human rights commission. They responded by giving him a solid base of support.
“United States and Trinidad and Tobago meet Tuesday night in Jacksonville in World Cup Qualifier” via Kartik Krishnaiyer – Both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago assured themselves of passage to the final round of World Cup Qualifying with their results Friday. The USA beat St. Vincent 6-0 while Trinidad and Tobago just needed a draw against Guatemala to advance to the final “hexagonal” round of qualifying. But this match still has a great deal on the line for the United States who have topped their World Cup qualifying semifinal group every cycle since this format was introduced before the 1998 World Cup finals in France. The United States must win tonight to top the group with Trinidad and Tobago one point ahead of the USA entering this match.
Jurgen Klinsmann‘s side will need to cope with the Soca Warriors strong physical attack led by Kenwyne Jones, who after 10 seasons in England has signed for next year with MLS expansion side Atlanta United FC. 17-year-old Christian Pulisic scored twice for the USA in the 6-0 win over St. VincentFriday. Pulisic who plays his club soccer for Borussia Dortmund, last season became the youngest ever foreign-born scorer in the German Bundesliga, one of the top leagues on the planet and has continued his strong form through the summer into international play.
The United States will be captained in the match by Boca Raton’s Jozy Altidore who has scored 35 goals in his international career placing him third all-time among US players. Altidore will likely share the forward line with Bobby Wood who scored a goal in the Bundesliga opener for Hamburg last week before flying to the Caribbean and recording a goal for the USA against St. Vincent.
This match represents a great opportunity for First Coast fans of the sport and others throughout Florida and Georgia to see a competitive match involving the United States men’s national team. The U.S. man have played only four competitive matches previously in the state of Florida since 2000. Jacksonville has played host to multiple U.S. friendlies in the past few years, as has Miami, Boca Raton and Tampa. However, this is the first competitive match held in Jacksonville in U.S. Men’s National Team history.
The hexagonal round of qualifying will start for the United States in February.
