Peter Schorsch
A highlight of the Florida Times-Union Sunday and Monday: Tia Mitchell’s two-part piece on “dark money.”
The articles were aggressively promoted, taking some big swings at what Mitchell calls “a robust cottage industry of campaign consultants and accountants who set up and manage political committees.”
“Florida’s biggest dark money committees are frequently interrelated, passing money to each other in ways that make the elections process here even murkier. Of the 10 dark money committees in Florida that raised the most money from 2014 to November 2016, the most recent election cycle, eight have financial connections to one another and the Republican Party. In that time, at least $2.2 million flowed between them,” Mitchell writes.
Mitchell’s piece, given that criterion, focuses on the right side of the aisle.
However, not every example listed within her two-parter is as esoteric as she makes it seem.
One not-so-mysterious “dark money” committee: Families for Safety and Prosperity.
This group kicked up to sell the slots referendum for the politically connected bestbet late in September; FloridaPolitics.com tracked it thoroughly.
The committee brought in $2.05 million: all of that money from Jacksonville Greyhound Racing.
None of that was particularly esoteric; we reported on that in real-time, generally within 24 hours of new campaign finance reports.
“Nothing about the referendum, the gaming industry or Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, the committee’s sole source of revenue, is mentioned,” wrote Mitchell, in the official documents filed with the state.
Though all the money ended up coming from Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, the reality was that it wasn’t assured of coming from that source at the time of the documents.
Money, at least theoretically, could have come from elsewhere.
As well, the television ads that ran were not at all shy about the bestbet connection.
Four of the ads spotlighted bestbet employees who found their tickets to the American Dream via the gaming facility.
And the informational ad mentioned “Duval’s only state-licensed pari-mutuel facility.”
In other words, the campaign made it clear that it was about bestbet.
Mitchell also makes a point of bringing up Eric Robinson, the accountant used to run the money side of many of these committees.
An important detail: Robinson is just an accountant, albeit one who understands how these operations work, and how to keep them out of trouble.
Jacksonville residents, at this point, are as aware as they are going to be about the perils of financial missteps on the campaign finance front. The example of Reggie Fullwood offers one illustration. The case of Corrine Brown offers another.
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Beyond questions of transparency, Mitchell looked at how third-party mailers could change the topography of a campaign.
In her piece, Mitchell reprises a story from the primary campaign, about a mailer from the Conservative Leadership Fund that factored into the House District 12 GOP primary race.
The mailer claimed that Terrance Freeman was a closet liberal — standard fare for the closing days of a GOP primary. And it darkened his features in the picture they used.
Did it make a difference in the outcome of that primary, won by Clay Yarborough?
Freeman thinks so.
“I started understanding the magnitude of how it was received,” Freeman told the T-U. “Then knocking on doors and having to answer questions to that mailer from potential voters, it really hit home to me how effective campaigning that way is.”
Nasty mailers, as our readers know, are part of the Conservative Leadership Fund’s M.O.
They compared HD 54 candidate Erin Grall to a grizzly bear. They also described HD 11 Republican primary candidate Donnie Horner as a “top aide” to former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown.
Was the anti-Freeman mailer a high point in Jacksonville politics? No. Freeman’s skin was clearly darkened, as Mitchell and others contended.
However, there was more to the HD 12 race than that mailer.
The third-party attack mailers flowed on all sides, for one thing; yet another “dark money” committee, “Conservatives for Truth,” attacked Yarborough, calling him “Taxzilla.”
Outside mailers and money came in for Freeman against Yarborough, from such disparate elements as trial lawyers, business consortia and gambling interests.
And for another thing, Freeman wasn’t a particularly strong candidate.
In the two debates we covered with Freeman and other HD 12 candidates, Freeman avoided explicit statements about what he wanted to do in Tallahassee, including on an issue he professionally has had to take the lead on since mid-2015.
Despite being the council assistant for one of two Republicans on the city council behind expanding the Human Rights Ordinance to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Freeman wasn’t able or willing to articulate a coherent position on the matter at a debate at the University of North Florida.
When asked if he would support legislation, he said “it’s about jobs to me,” ducking the question when asked directly.
Freeman was never ahead in internal polls put out by the Yarborough campaign, though the margin did close in the weeks up until the vote.
It ended up being a 10-point loss (37 to 27 percent) for Freeman.
Did the controversial mailer lose the race for Freeman? Or was it just a contributing factor?
The answers to those questions are still being debated, apparently.
What isn’t discussed, however; outside forces weighed in on both sides of the HD 12 race.
And Freeman needed the help more than Yarborough did: in early August, as the contest was winding toward its finish, Yarborough had $70,000 cash on hand; Freeman had just $15,000 — evidence of a campaign burning through money to build name identification against two former council members and a former state legislator in the primary.
Freeman was counting heavily on the Jacksonville Chamber giving him momentum. But that Big Mo was late in arriving; until Richard Clark got out of the race, the Chamber co-endorsed him and Freeman.
Clark and three council members Freeman sees every day at City Hall then went ahead and endorsed Yarborough.
And Yarborough, we have been told by myriad strong sources, was not the establishment’s first choice. They wanted Clark. They settled for Yarborough.
The objectionable mailer Mitchell points out may have been a factor in the campaign. But even without that dark money mailer, Freeman had a tough battle ahead of him.
Mitchell’s piece is a good jumping off point for a discussion of “dark money” in politics. However, at least when it comes to a couple of the examples offered, the story is more complicated than it initially might seem.
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“Lenny Curry extols Donald Trump on Twitter” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Tweets, issued Friday evening upon the Mayor’s return from the city’s annual bond rating trip, speak to an alignment he has had with Trump going back years. “President elect .@realDonaldTrump using football metaphor- that’s music to my ears,” Curry tweeted at 8:03 p.m. “@realDonaldTrump talking tax cuts-That’s a focus on hard working folks & famiiies. Mentioning the forgotten man and forgotten woman,” Curry tweeted at 8:15 p.m. Curry hosted a Jacksonville rally for Trump in August during his push for the pension reform referendum, though he conspicuously avoided serving up “Lock her up” styled red meat, preferring instead to introduce the speakers in a low-key manner. Many pundits … predicted that Curry co-branding with Trump was going to hurt the pension-tax push. However, it had the opposite effect, according to polling conducted at the time of the referendum. Curry’s Trumpian co-brand helped him solidify his base.
“2015 Duval GOP audit raises questions” via Florida Politics – A memo, sent to Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan and Republican Party of Florida Chair Blaise Ingoglia, came from the audit committee, which consisted of current Special Vice-Chair Alexander Pantinakis (best known for filing the election paperwork for a write-in candidate to close the 2016 GOP primary in the 4th Circuit State Attorney race), Lindsey Brock (who represented Pantinakis during a legal challenge of this maneuver), and former party chair Lake Ray. “After reviewing the financial records and reports of the Duval County Republican Executive Committee, it was determined that certain amended quarterly reports would need to be filed before the process can be completed in its entirety. It is anticipated that these amended reports will be finalized over the next several weeks,” the memo read.
Financial issues cropped up during the aftermath of the Duval GOP election for chair, when former chair Cindy Graves seemed to imply that there was less-than-perfect bookkeeping in the party before Graves took over as chair after Ray resigned to run for Congress. “My successor was among the leaders and active bank signers with a Party credit card who failed to provide a smooth transition in May. As the rest of us were hurriedly rebuilding the Party, I discovered they had failed [to] reincorporate the Party, file IRS taxes or properly pay bills. We cleaned that all up in June,” Graves wrote in an email to REC members. Meanwhile, there are questions as to whether this approach to an audit complies with Florida Statute 103.121, which deals with party executive committees.
Kim Daniels’ Davie “parsonage” on slow walk toward foreclosure — One of the ongoing stories from the 2015 Jacksonville City Council campaign: The South Florida property interests of former council member and current state Rep. Kimberly Daniels.
The home, with a $3,674 monthly mortgage, was referred to in divorce filings as a “parsonage” in Davie. Daniels and her ex-husband Ardell had an unusually active and creative approach to home financing.
The Davie home, bought in 2010 by Kim Daniels with a G.I. Bill loan, was quitclaimed to Spoken Word Ministries in October 2010. In April 2011, it was quitclaimed back to Kim and Ardell Daniels, the same time she was running for office in Jacksonville. In November 2011, it was quitclaimed back to Spoken Word Ministries.
Now, claims on the property have quit — permanently.
The former parsonage is on the slow walk toward foreclosure.
A Dec. 7 hearing in Broward County saw a final judgment against Spoken Word Ministries and for Freedom Mortgage Corporation, which appears to have been amicable, as those things go.
No deficiency judgment was issued, and foreclosure will be no sooner than the next 120 days — which gives Ardell Daniels, the signatory of the judgment, some time to figure out his next move.
Duval Delegation not in catbird seat in Florida House – The Duval County Legislative Delegation may have its time atop committees yet, but 2017 won’t be that time. The one leadership role for a local goes to the returning member from Jacksonville – House District 15 Republican Jay Fant, who will be Vice Chair of the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. Other than that, not much for Duval.
Duval will have some committee presence in terms of “strength in numbers.” Kim Daniels, Clay Yarborough, and Tracie Davis will all be on the Public Integrity & Ethics Committee, and on the Oversight, Transparency & Administration Subcommittee.
And there clearly was an attempt in assignments to put previous experience to use where applicable. Yarborough, a former Jacksonville City Councilman, will bring an interesting perspective to both the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, as well as to the Joint Select Committee for Collective Bargaining. House District 16 Republican Jason Fischer, a former member of the Duval County School Board, has two subcommittee posts that jibe with that experience: PreK-12 Innovation and PreK-12 Appropriations.
Overall, though, this appears to be a session where Duval legislators will learn the process, rather than push an ambitious agenda.
Spotted – State Rep. Paul Renner at 2016 Bio Florida Annual Conference:
“Pension reform flush with unknowns” via Nate Monroe and Chris Hong of the Florida Times-Union – More than three months after Duval County voters approved a referendum that is a linchpin of Mayor Curry’s plan to reform the city’s troubled pension system, the effort is mired in uncertainty — a familiar place for Jacksonville City Hall in its years-long struggle with employee retirements. But Curry confidently says that this time is different from the past twists, turns and setbacks that have beset previous reform efforts. And yet the list of unknowns is daunting. It’s not clear Curry and his administration will be able to strike a deal with the city’s nine employee unions that will unlock the city’s ability to use tax revenue and pay off its $2.85 billion pension debt. It’s not clear what Curry’s plan for new employees — to place them in 401(k)-style investment accounts — would cost taxpayers, or if it would be less expensive than pension plans put into place in 2015 for police and firefighters that were intended to be cost effective. It’s not clear what those 401(k)-style accounts could be expected to yield for career employees, or if shifting from the more certain benefits guaranteed by a pension to an investment account would hurt future recruiting and employee retention. And it’s not clear what the city will have to pay next year for existing employee retirements. A surprising recent revelation from the Police and Fire Pension Fund showed the city might be responsible for a $44 million increase in cost — putting the city on the hook for over $200 million next year just for public-safety retirement expenses.
“Rick Scott: Pension reform a ‘local decision’” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Curry wants new city hires on defined contribution plans. Public safety unions want the Florida Retirement System. And Scott will let the locals figure it out, he said … “That’s clearly a local decision. This community will make a decision on that,” the governor said. “I think what’s important with regard to any retirement program is it needs to be a program the taxpayers can afford. It needs to be a program that, if you are in the system, you feel comfortable that if you’re going to rely on it, that it’s going to be funded,” Scott said. When asked if FRS was a program the taxpayers can afford, Scott said “the issue with regards to what happens in this area will clearly be a local issue. I know at the state level, I’ve worked to make sure that the pension plan is fully funded … I’m going to continue to work that way.”
Curtains for Council: The Jacksonville City Council closes its calendar year with a couple of bills that received attention during the committee process.
One big talker: 2016-489, which seeks to take $70,000 from the $133,000 council contingency account and make it available to the 19 council members for what bill sponsor Reggie Brown calls “community events.”
The bill drew solitary “no” votes in the Rules and Finance committees, which explains why it is not on the consent agenda.
A concern in committees: that the $70,000 wouldn’t go far enough for all council members to host events, which could mean that one or more of them would be left out.
“It might be successful for three or four people,” Councilman Matt Schellenberg said during Finance, “but it wouldn’t be so keen for the other 16.”
The council president, as the bill now stands, would have the power of the purse.
Some have worried that money from city coffers for these events could be purposed for political/campaign uses.
While those concerns likely will be rehearsed — again — Tuesday evening, it doesn’t appear they will be enough to sink this ordinance.
Another ordinance that is up in front of the entire council didn’t get any no votes in committees, but did elicit adverse reaction from the Florida chapter of Americans for Prosperity.
Ordinance 2016-736 allots $415,343 for the installation of 2,000 temporary club seats at EverBank Field for New Year’s Eve’s TaxSlayer Bowl.
The matchup between Georgia Tech and Kentucky isn’t expected to sell out by anyone not directly promoting the game, yet the city is obligated to install temporary club seats through 2018.
The Florida Times-Union took dueling statements between the Koch Brothers’ front group and the city’s self-styled conservative mayor last week.
“Elected officials need to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars and rein in government’s misconstrued notion that it can be a better investor than hard-working citizens can be,” said AFP state director Chris Hudson.
“Annual events like this generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue for our city,” Curry retorted. “Outside special interests not knowing the facts doesn’t change this equation. It’s a good investment for our city and the taxpayers.”
As ever, agenda meeting starts at 4 p.m., with the council meeting starting an hour later.
“Don’t hold your breath on de-consolidation” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Brown is still looking into a measure to review the nature of city consolidation, but action won’t happen anytime soon. Brown … spoke with the city’s Office of General Counsel this week. “What we’re finding out is that we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re going to have to make a presentation to the [Duval] Delegation first before we can go to Tallahassee,” Brown said. “This is a state issue. It’s going to take the state legislators to hear our concern and then take it to Tallahassee,” Brown asserted. “In the meantime, we have some homework to do as to what our issues are going to be. Because what they have intended to be a good bill for the entire county in ’68, we’re starting to realize that as it pertained to the growth of Jacksonville, the Northwest area of Jacksonville is not moving at the same pace as the rest of the city in terms of infrastructure and things like that. Consolidation did not work for the best interest of these areas.” … “We also want to look at the voting process. Maybe it was a good thing to have at-large seats [on the city council], but we feel now when we look at … the voting process where one can vote in two municipalities, it appears to be unfair,” Brown said regarding voters in the Jacksonville beach communities who also get to vote in city elections. When asked if the presentation to the Duval Delegation would be at January’s meeting at Jacksonville’s city hall, Brown said “we’re going to take some time to do it,” as “the state legislators have a process, and if we don’t follow the process, they won’t take it up.”
“Business groups working to gain council support on HRO legislation; hoping for January” via David Chapman of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – Three months ago, City Council member Tommy Hazouri said he was hoping to introduce a bill by year-end to expand the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to include the LGBT community. That was on the heels of the August primary, a time when political differences largely were set aside to coalesce behind a referendum to address pension reform. Hazouri hoped to see the same type of effort go into one of his top priorities after that vote. It hasn’t happened yet. On Thursday, the final postings of the year for newly introduced legislation were without a human rights ordinance among them. Hazouri said he isn’t disappointed the timing didn’t work out before the holiday break. “I would have liked to have done it,” Hazouri said … He and council members Aaron Bowman and Jim Love filed a bill at the beginning of the year to expand city policy, but withdrew it in February when it appeared it would fail. This go-round, Hazouri said he wanted to see groups outside City Hall lead the effort to show how important the issue is for the city. They have. The JAX Chamber, Jacksonville Civic Council and Jacksonville Coalition for Equality are among the organizations that have partnered to lobby council members privately in hopes to secure the needed 10 votes to pass a bill. “I would say so far it’s been positive,” said Audrey Moran, this year’s chamber chair and a staunch advocate for expanding the local law.
“Jacksonville to hike fees at sports, entertainment venues” via Chris Hong of The Florida Times-Union – The plan would raise the city’s ticket fee by $1.50 at the Times-Union Center and Veterans Memorial Arena and $2 at the baseball stadium. It would have no impact on ticket fees at EverBank Field; those are laid out in a separate agreement the city holds with the Jaguars. Each of those fees would then increase 3 percent every year. Councilman Bill Gulliford, who introduced the plan, said the city hasn’t raised the fees in years and that they’re now on par with comparable facilities in the region. Gulliford said he believes maintenance has been neglected in the past, and that he’s heard the performing arts center alone has a $5 million list in necessary upgrades and repairs. He said the raising the fees will shift some of the costs of the facilities away from the city’s operating budget, which pays for daily services like police protection and street maintenance, on to the people who attend events. He said he believes some attendees do not live in Duval County and are not otherwise paying to maintain the facilities through property taxes. “This is a positive for the taxpayer,” Gulliford said.
Save the Date: City Council invites citizens to Holiday Open House — Never met your district’s City Council member? Now’s your chance! Jacksonville citizens can Celebrate the Holidays at City Hall (117 W. Duval Street, Suite 425 — 32202) Wednesday along with City Council members. In addition to hors d’oeuvres, hot chocolate and coffee, guests will have an opportunity to meet their local City Council representatives and tour the City Council office suite. The celebration will begin at 4 p.m. Persons should call (904) 630-1451 to RSVP” via City of Jacksonville.
“FDOT to go slow on Hart off-ramp ask from Jax” via Jensen Werley of Jacksonville Business Journal – Following Mayor Curry’s announcement that he wants the state to take down the Hart Bridge ramps due to a safety hazard, the Florida Department of Transportation has said it will treat it like other projects and examine it down the road. “We look forward to working with the transportation planning organization and work with them on prioritizing the project,” said FDOT Spokesman Ron Tittle. “We’ll determine if it fits into our five year or 10-year work program and try to work ahead with the planning organization and the legislature, who is involved in funding.” As to the safety of the bridge, Tittle couldn’t speak to the most recent inspection records, but did say there are two classifications important for bridge inspections. If a structure is marked as deficient, then it needs to be replaced in the next six years. If it is obsolete, then it doesn’t meet today’s building standards but is still safe, such as the Main Street Bridge … he did say if it was actually a safety hazard, FDOT would have already taken action. “If we knew it was unsafe, we would close it down,” he said.
“Shands pier restoration uncertain” via Teresa Stepzinski of The Florida Times-Union – The Clay County Commission likely will decide in February whether to rebuild the popular Shands Fishing Pier — an iconic county landmark relied on by many Northeast Florida families to put food on the table — destroyed by Hurricane Matthew two months ago. Commission Chairman Wayne Bolla said he’s open to holding a town hall-style community meeting to gather residents’ input. However, the county also needs a comprehensive parks plan – which it currently lacks – to eliminate a piecemeal approach to such projects, he said. Among the factors to be considered is the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to replace the existing Shands Bridge, which is about a mile from the fishing pier. The County Commission previously voted to leave the span up and use it as a fishing pier. That could make rebuilding the pier moot, some county officials say. County Manager Stephanie Kopelousos said county staffers, meanwhile, are preparing as if the commission will approve rebuilding the pier, which officials estimate will cost slightly more than $1 million. Kopelousos said they are working through the necessary paperwork to seek Federal Emergency Management Agency money to help pay to replace the pier, which is considered a public facility. The county wants to be ready to proceed should the commission approve rebuilding the pier, she said.
“JIA expanded routes in 2016” via Jensen Werley of Jacksonville Business Journal – Silver Airways added a direct flight between Jacksonville and Nassau, in the Bahamas. Silver also made a big move in March, when the airline applied for flights to Cuba from several Florida cities, including a flight from Jacksonville to Havana. Ultimately, the airline was not awarded that flight path. Allegiant added four new flights, three of which were seasonal for the summer: Asheville, Columbus and St. Louis and a year-round flight to Indianapolis. The addition of flights signaled a promise from Allegiant to make Jacksonville one of its priority markets. Southwest brought back its direct flights from Jacksonville to Las Vegas. The airport was inducted into its hall of fame at the end of the summer and Allegiant added a new direct flight to Cleveland. The airport was hit hard during Hurricane Matthew with all flights canceled over several days. But JIA ended the year strong, offering TSA Pre-Check, a new area for service dogs to relieve themselves and opening a new eatery.
“Isaiah Rumlin to chair JTA Board” via Florida Politics – Rumlin, a Jacksonville insurance agent who helms the local NAACP, was elected chair of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority board Friday. Rumlin was appointed to the JTA Board in 2012, beginning his second stint. Rumlin previously served on the JTA Board from 1987 to 1991. Rumlin, who had previously served as vice-chair until his election to chair, is a sought-after supporter for political initiatives. Rumlin backed the “Yes for Jacksonville” referendum in August, which allows the city of Jacksonville to take future local sales tax revenue and apply it to pension debt, provided one of the city’s plans is closed and opened up under different terms. “I have looked at the options available to Jacksonville and believe that this plan is the best one for the city at this time. The unfunded pension liability has caused the City of Jacksonville’s budget to be so constrained that much-needed investment has not occurred. Getting this issue behind us is critically important for the future.”
Happening today: The JAXUSA Partnership and JAX Chamber hold its 4th Quarter JAXUSA Partnership luncheon Dec. 13. This event features a panel discussion on “the changing global economy and how Jacksonville can continue to thrive.” Leslie Slover, Regional Head of Deutsche Bank in Jacksonville and Cary, NC, will moderate the discussion. Peter Hooper, Deutsche Bank’s Chief U.S. Economist, and Nathaniel Karp, BBVA Compass Bank’s Chief U.S. Economist, will be panelists. Doors open at 11:30 for this event at the Hyatt Regency downtown.
“Two warehouses for Tradeport” via Karen Mathis of the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record – Dallas-based land owner Jackson-Shaw has applied for permits for two buildings totaling 178,000 square feet of warehouse space along International Parkway in Jacksonville International Tradeport. Rick Haskew Jr. is the contractor for the project, which totals almost $7 million for the shell buildings. Jackson-Shaw wants to build a 124,000-square-foot warehouse on almost 13.5 acres at 13525 International Parkway at a cost of $4.5 million. It also wants to develop a 54,000-square-foot structure on almost 3.6 acres at 13475 International Parkway at a cost of $2.3 million. Both plans show dock doors — the larger with 19 and the smaller at 16 — showing they are conducive to distribution uses. Jarzyna & Associates Architects of Amelia Island is the architect. No tenants or uses are included.
“Census data: St. Johns County recovered better than Florida overall from 2010 to 2015” via Stuart Korfhage of the St. Augustine Record – During the recovery (2010-2015), jobs were lost in construction, real estate, government and manufacturing. But jobs were gained in education, health care, tourism and professional positions … However, St. Johns County didn’t follow all those trends. Florida lost 340,000 manufacturing and almost 150,000 construction jobs. Manufacturing makes up only around 5 percent of Florida’s labor force, and construction work has bounced back, but not necessarily construction workers since many moved out of state following the housing bust. The loss of jobs in those sectors was offset by healthy gains in health care, hospitality, professional and retail workers. The county lost jobs in construction, going from 6,495 jobs in 2010 to 5,175 in 2015. But the county gained jobs in manufacturing, improving from 4,936 in 2010 to 6,258 in 2015. In St. Johns County, the biggest field for employment was educational services, and health care and social assistance accounting for about 20 percent of the employment. St. Johns County has consistently ranked among the lowest in terms of unemployment rates in recent years. Part of that is attributed to the high level of education here.
“St. Johns County Commission to revisit county administrator’s soon-to-expire contract” via Jake Martin of the St. Augustine Record – St. Johns County commissioners in upcoming meetings will discuss whether they will renew, amend or terminate County Administrator Michael Wanchick’s contract, due to expire July 30. According to the contract, the “Agreement shall automatically be renewed, at the expiration of each term, for a two (2) year term unless written notice that the Agreement shall terminate is given from the County to the County Administrator at least 180 days before the expiration date.” Wanchick sent commissioners a memo Dec. 1 informing them of their options for moving forward and expressing his desire to continue serving as administrator. Commissioners can allow the contract to roll over (with or without discussion), in which case all contract provisions would remain as they are for a new two-year term. However, by statute, severance would need to be reduced to a maximum of 20 weeks and there would be no severance available to Wanchick if he were fired for misconduct as defined by statute. “Should the Board wish to change the renewal period or alter the contract in any manner otherwise, I am open to discussing other options should they arise from the Board,” Wanchick wrote. He said although he would be “disappointed” should commissioners wish to make a change, he would respect the decision and would anticipate receiving written notice of non-renewal by Jan. 31, 2017, consistent with his contract. Wanchick said he would be “honored” to continue serving in his role.
On the field, the business for the Jacksonville Jaguars is as harsh as ever via Gary Shelton
But when the team looks to its memories, and its highlights, there is still a reason for its fans to celebrate.
In the midth of perhaps the most disappointing season of all for the Jags, former wider receiver Jimmy Smith was introduced into the team’s Pride of the Jaguars Sunday. The memories were better than the play. Smith caught 862 passes for 12,187 yards and 67 touchdowns. Certainly, watching Smith’s old highlights were preferable than watching the tepid offense and the pedestrian quarterback play of Blake Bortles in a loss to Minnesota.
Teams love to remember; it’s why such things as Rings of Honor exist. If, for just a moment, fans can lose themselves in yesterday’s highlights rather than today’s disappointment, it helps.
Of course, Smith had his struggles, too. He was a former drug addict and an ex-felon.
(Being sober) is not a victory because it’s a lifelong battle,” Smith said last weekend. “I’ve never won. Like anything else, whether it’s drinking or gambling, I can’t just go on to the next because then it’s that monster [addiction] again.
“Whatever the issues are, it just shows I’m human. I got struggles. Please help keep me accountable. I’m scared as hell. Now the real work begins.”
Smith, 47, remembers that he wasn’t crazy about joining the Jags.
“I didn’t want to go to an expansion team, they were considered second-tier,” Smith said. “To be honest, I didn’t want to go down there with a bunch of misfits because I didn’t see myself as that.
“I didn’t want to go to Jacksonville because I thought it’d be a revolving door of players going in and out.”
Smith was found to have cocain in his system in 2001. He denied it, and fans tended to believe him.
“People wanted to know, ‘What the —— was he thinking?’ “ said Smith. “It’s been tough on my family, my parents, my kids. Some of us, when we leave the NFL, we’re in bad shape. There’s no infrastructure in place to make sure we continue to manage our lives.
“Being in that jail cell forced me to take a hard look at where I was headed. I got a close friend who has gambled his life away, but I couldn’t stop him. Everybody has their own battles. There was nothing Keenan [McCardell] or Tom (Coughlin) could do. I’m the only one that can do something about (my drug addiction).”
Smith now says he wants to help people.
There’s a bigger calling for me,” said Smith. “There’s so many people out there I can help and that’s a huge responsibility. I’m not a Bible thumper, but I can’t do it without prayer. There’s a man, woman, boy or girl facing the same struggles I do. It’s work. You have to have motivation to take it one day at a time.
“You can’t be a drug addict and have your name up on a stadium. It’s all about timing. I wasn’t in the right place. I wasn’t ready yet. What I owe everybody now is I have to take this blessing [of ongoing recovery] and change the world. I didn’t go through that ——, being in jail, for nothing.”
On the field, the Jags lost again Sunday, 25-16 to Minnesota. But the lesson in Smith’s life is that things can be overcome.
Eventually, the best players triumph. Like Smith.
Clickbait – “50 years ago: Topless dancers arrested and charged with indecent exposure” via the Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record
“2016 Year in Review” via Claire Goforth of Folio Weekly – Start to (almost) finish, this year has been a wild ride. Hope, hate, snarky GIFs and all things great and deplorable have flowed from the far corners of the Earth and the interwebs as 2016 brought us together and tore us apart. We’ve been enraptured by the Mannequin Challenge, perhaps more fittingly known as flash mobs for the extremely sedentary, and hid out in the safe spaces (echo chambers) of our Facebook pages. We’ve bled, we’ve survived, and much of what we thought we knew has changed — time will tell whether for the better. As twilight wans on one of the most dramatic and divisive years in living memory, let’s reflect on 2016’s highs, lows and WTAFs, the stuff that dreams, nightmares and Twitter wars are made of. Locally, the first sign that 2016 would be more ‘divide and conquer’ than ‘united we stand’ came minutes after we rang in the New Year. Michael Davis was murdered in Jacksonville at 10 past midnight Jan. 1, signaling the beginning of what has been a bloodbath of a year. As of this writing, there have been 109 homicides in Duval County, putting us on track to have the highest homicide count since 2008 … In other happy election news, Floridians voted against a contentious solar ballot initiative funded by big energy and, drumroll please, FINALLY LEGALIZED MEDICAL MARIJUANA!! Oh, happy, happy day! Going to grandma’s house just got a whole lot sweeter.
