Peter Schorsch
In one of his books, late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson recounted a story of a campaign conversation he had, in 1968, with Richard Nixon.
It would be the only conversation Thompson was to have with Nixon, who at that point was a second-tier candidate humping it out on the tundra of New Hampshire.
Thompson, of course, made a career of excoriating Nixon but in 1968 he found common ground with the former VP in discussing their shared obsession with professional football.
“Actually, I suspected he didn’t know football from pig-hustling and that he mentioned it from time to time only because his wizards had told him it would make him seem like a regular guy. But I was wrong. Nixon knows pro football,” Thompson wrote.
“It wasn’t his factual knowledge of football that stunned me; it was his genuine interest in the game. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘the worst thing about campaigning, for me, is that it ruins my whole football season. I’m a sports buff, you know. If I had another career, I’d be a sportscaster — or a sports writer,’” Thompson added.
There are politicians whose affinity to sports teams can be termed ephemeral — think Hillary Clinton in a Cubs hat.
But Nixon wasn’t one of them. And neither is Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, whose enthusiasm for the sport and for the local Jaguars is exceedingly well-documented.
Curry keeps the NFL Network on in his office, allowing him to stay abreast of what’s going on in the league. His fantasy football team had a deep playoff run this year — and being Mayor, he has certain prerogatives: a recent episode of a cable television fantasy football show saw the experts responding to one of his tweets on the subject.
However, being a football fan — much less of one of the worst teams in the NFL this decade — can be a wearying experience even for a nobody. Much less the sitting mayor of Jacksonville, who is compelled to defend his team — and his city — from the slings and arrows hurled from network soundstages at Shad Khan’s sad-sack Jags.
Last week, analyst Trent Dilfer irked the Mayor.
He said that Jacksonville was a horrible place for an NFL franchise and that Jaguars QB and Curry friend Blake Bortles was a horrible quarterback.
Curry fired back: “.@Jaguars just told my 11-year-old son what Trent Dilfer.@TDESPN said about JAX. He’s said ‘Trent who?’ Exactly.”
Dilfer, of course, has the rep of being the worst quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl.
The week before that went down, Curry found himself in a Twitter war with a Sports Illustrated contributor who told fans of the Cleveland Browns to “look on the bright side, at least you aren’t Jags fans.”
Curry took the bait: “watch this cat trash you, our city, our fans our team. — he can pound sand.”
Regarding plays to the cheap seats, bashing sports commentators is a failsafe.
Your average sports commentator, whether on TV, radio or the internet, is expected to deliver hot takes — the kinds of provocations that expand reader engagement in ways verifiable by web analytics.
Curry, in all likelihood, isn’t measuring the relative engagement level of his tweets.
However, in defending the city’s honor, he is speaking for all of those who have lived in Jacksonville and listened to national commentators use the city as a punchline — the way Jackie Gleason used to do riffs on Bayonne, New Jersey.
Curry knows that he is looking at a team with a quarterback who makes a single read on most plays, with wide receivers that don’t always run their routes fully anymore given that quarterback looks for the check-down after three seconds.
And he knows, also, that his friend Gus Bradley was as effective a head coach at Terrance Ashanta-Barker was at running the city’s Neighborhoods Department.
But he’s not going to serve up that material to the national media — or even locals, on the record.
Curry’s engagement on Twitter is notable.
Even when local media members broadcast stories that are critical of the Mayor, he doesn’t respond to them directly.
However, in terms of talking sports, the Mayor is in his comfort zone — as an analyst, and as the city’s most prominent fan of the gridiron game.
Curry will often exchange messages with AM radio sports talking heads — and the tone of those messages generally is more relaxed than the press availabilities with the political/hard news media.
There are, of course, political benefits to messaging in such a boosterish way about the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One benefit: it reminds people who may have a better grasp of a football game than collective bargaining that the mayor is on their team.
Another benefit: Curry’s downtown strategy is predicated to a significant degree on Khan driving the private investment.
However, this must be stressed — Curry means it when he demonstrates an affinity for the Jags.
He defends the team reflexively. And the city.
And the critics, as he likes to put it, are welcome to “pound sand.”
“Why 2017 is pivotal for Lenny Curry” via AG Gancarski for Folio Weekly – Curry’s campaign for re-election has already begun, according to one senior staffer in the Mayor’s Office. I reviewed the papers of Policy Director Robin Lumb last week, and Lumb had a September memo to Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart that was intended to formulate a policy strategy that plays into the strategy for re-election. That strategy, posited Lumb, would be predicated on Curry’s “vision for Jacksonville,” a 12-page 2015 campaign document that expresses priorities, such as public safety, economic opportunity, education, neighborhoods and Downtown. “[The] next six months,” Lumb noted, need to contain “specific policy recommendations and initiatives to address key features in all policy areas” in the plan. All of these, Lumb added, will “require funding and need to be addressed in the FY 17-18 budget … . At a minimum, we need to be seen as having done two or three significant things in each policy area by July 1, 2018.” … “Lenny Curry’s ‘Vision for Jacksonville’ will be the benchmark against which we are measured in the 2019 election,” writes Lumb. “For obvious reasons,” Lumb adds, “it’s important that we begin to act on it.” Indeed.
Curry draws 2019 challenger via – Democrat Doreszell “DC” Cohen actually filed in November. An alumna of the University of Phoenix and Raines High School, Cohen has yet to raise any money for her bid against the mayor and his high-powered political machine. We’ve reached out to Cohen to find out her reasons for running, and she pledged to get back to us.
“2017 offers Jacksonville promise, uncertainty” via Nate Monroe of The Florida Times-Union – Jacksonville will usher in the new year with the wind at its back and the potential to expand on promising 2016 trends and announcements, if politicians, developers and government administrators can deliver long-sought successes on economic development. But uncertainty still abounds in the business and political arenas, and that too will figure prominently in 2017. Here are some big stories to watch: What does Jaguars owner Shad Khan have in mind for downtown? Khan, one of the wealthiest men in the nation, is already overseeing the construction of an amphitheater and indoor practice field next to EverBank Field. Jacksonville’s Air National Guard is one of five bases in the country vying for two squadrons of F-35 Lightning II fighters. Mayor Curry embarked in late 2016 on a potentially precedent-setting goal of placing all future City Hall employees into 401(k)-style retirement accounts rather than traditional pensions. No major city has done that. Curry’s move is part of a larger reform plan aimed at tackling the city’s $2.85 billion pension debt. Curry is poised to ask the state Legislature for $50 million to tear down a portion of the Hart Bridge Expressway that runs past Met Park and a part of the Shipyards.
“Curry’s hostile rhetoric not helpful in pension talks” via Steve Zona of The Florida Times-Union – Jacksonville’s police force begins the New Year with our ongoing commitment to the safety and security of our community. Our men and women in uniform proudly wear the shield while risking their lives every day. It’s their selfless resolve to protect our city that compels the Fraternal Order of Police to find a fiscally sound resolution to the city’s embattled retirement fund. The stakes couldn’t be any higher — not only for our 2,300 law enforcement and correction officers — but for how the city will fight crime in the future. At this stage, the city is in the crosshairs of uncertainty. The good news is we have common ground with Curry, who has publicly stated that the city “must get out of the pension business.” The question is this: Will the mayor continue to play politics with our men and women in blue to score political points with the Republican establishment and outside special interests like Americans for Prosperity? This is a group that is aggressively coordinating a grassroots operation to politicize our current retirement negotiations. Over the last few months, the mayor has approached our good-natured negotiations with an overly hostile “us versus them” posture in the media. We understand negotiations have a positioning element. However, the mayor’s political rhetoric in calling police representatives “union bosses” and “union leaders” appears to be focused on impressing the Republican establishment, political elites and conservative donors. This is unfortunate.
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Matt Schellenberg pushes for ‘council of leaders’ – Second-term Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Schellenberg believes he has some unfinished business from his first term.
Schellenberg recently attended the National Association of Counties (NACO) Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Symposium in New York, and one of the lessons he brought back was the need for something he had pushed during the Alvin Brown era.
The memo discussed a “Resolution (2013-0079), unanimously passed by the City Council, that asked then Mayor Alvin Brown to convene a ‘Council of Leaders’ that included various leaders throughout the city. Nothing was done by that Mayor’s office, but I do hope the current Mayor understands the importance of getting our universities, producers and decision makers working together.”
Schellenberg resuscitated this concept in light of the discussions held at the NACO conference, which included talks on re-integrating reformed felons into larger society via community programs that include drug rehab initiatives, and ways in which Rust Belt cities are being transformed into hotbeds for emerging technological industries.
Schellenberg, who represents Jacksonville as a delegate to both the Florida Association of Counties and Florida League of Cities, has been an active proponent of a dedicated travel budget for city delegates to events put on by the state and national groups.
Schellenberg has gotten support for that position recently, with Council VP John Crescimbeni calling for a budget line-item of up to $20,000 for association-related travel.
Council members are coming around to the position that Jacksonville needs to leverage its size and prominence to take more active roles in these associations than has been the case in recent years.
Medicare for COJ retirees? – On Thursday, Jacksonville City Council Auditor Kirk Sherman will present three audits to the Finance Committee.
The audit of the city’s compensation and benefits division escaped media notice when released last month, but that might not be the case after Finance.
The most interesting recommendation?
“The City should consider forcing retirees to switch to Medicare and claims could be audited to decrease the overall costs for the plan,” Sherman contends.
“The Compensation and Benefits Division currently does not require retirees to apply for Medicare Part B at the eligible age so that Medicare can be used as the primary insurance. It appears that it is a common practice for employers to force or at least encourage retirees to opt for Medicare Part B,” Sherman notes, adding that most large private employers and many public-sector outfits compel that switch.
“Of even more significance, the State of Florida requires its group health plan retired participants to apply for Medicare so the State’s group health plan becomes the secondary insurance. Given the City is now self-insured, there is a great incentive for the City to force or encourage retirees to apply for Medicare and offer City’s insurance as secondary insurance. It would likely decrease City’s claims costs since the population of group health plan members would likely become younger and healthier,” Sherman contends.
In response to Sherman’s recommendation, the city notes that collective bargaining and “employee/retiree morale” could be adversely affected.
However, the members of the Finance Committee often disagree with those managing the city’s civil servants.
Sherman will serve up another dose of castor oil in at least one more of the Wednesday group of audits.
His report on Fiscal Year 2016 spotlighted issues with pension contributions below where they could be, inadequate emergency reserves, and questions about one independent authority’s accounting practices.
Academic accreditation bill in committee: A bill to be considered Wednesday by the Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee Wednesday, then Finance Thursday, proposes tightening up a definition of academic credentials for city hires.
The bill, filed in the wake of a report that found would-be Neighborhoods Department head Derek Igou had a degree from an unaccredited college (thus driving his letter of resignation), seeks to tighten up credential requirements for various city departments.
Ordinance code would be “amended to provide a definition of ‘accredited university or college degree’ to mean a degree from an institution accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.”
The semantic glitch, according to the bill summary, affects “several Code chapters where college degrees are required as credentials for various appointed officials, but the sections do not mention accreditation.”
Among the divisions affected: Planning and Development, Fire and Rescue, Public Works, the Downtown Investment Authority, and the Board of Library Trustees.
Ticket surcharge bill back to NCIS for second time: Tuesday morning sees the Jacksonville City Council’s Neighborhoods, Community Investments, and Services committee take a second look at a bill that frustrated it in December.
The bill would increase city-imposed ticket surcharges for the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jax, and the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, while adding surcharges for events at the under-construction amphitheater and flex field at the stadium.
The arena and T-U center would cost $1 more per person per ticket; a baseball game, meanwhile, would be $.50 more per ticket.
The express purpose of the new money: funding infrastructure repair and improvement.
It’s needed. The Times-Union Center, to name one, has a $5 million list of deferred repairs, including HVAC rehab.
To put the impact of fee hikes in perspective, if the boosted fees had been in effect in the current fiscal year, the city would have collected $3.68 million, compared to the $2.42 million in the current budget.
And the T-U Center would have collected $255,000 more in fees according to projections.
The bill had its first hearing in Neighborhoods, Community Investments and Services Committees, where it was deferred because of objections by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra; they noted that since they are in the middle of the season, that would affect season subscriptions.
Orchestra fees, should the bill be passed, would not be increased until the summer.
Other venues would see the increases take effect upon the mayor’s signature.
Council weighs school board tiebreaker votes: The NCIS and Rules Committees of the Jacksonville City Council are slated this week to consider a bill that would change tiebreaker votes of the Duval County School Board.
Resolution 2016-782, sponsored by Councilman Aaron Bowman, would express support for a J-Bill that would amend the Florida statute so that the vote of the Duval County School Board chair would not break a tie. In 2006, the Legislature adopted a measure for Orange County that dictated that, in counties with between 800,000 and 900,000 people, the school board chair’s vote breaks the tie.
Bowman said it is his understanding the entire Duval County School Board supports this measure.
The timing of this resolution will interest some observers who remember 2016’s very public rift between School Board Chair Ashley Smith-Juarez and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, at a time when the board was down to six members after Rep. Jason Fischer resigned.
The rhetoric became peculiarly personal between the two, with Vitti’s job security becoming a matter of public discussion and board deliberation.
Vitti and Smith-Juarez soon thereafter struck a more collaborative note, but not before members of the Jacksonville Chamber and Civic Council agitated in Vitti’s defense.
Smith-Juarez, an independently wealthy public servant who holds a paying position with the Clinton Foundation, was urged – publicly and privately – to be more measured in her approach.
She has since been replaced as board chair by an ally: Paula Wright.
Fred Newbill to JEA Board? – What happens when a preacher who took a public position against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights is up for a position on the board of a city agency that protects those rights for its employees?
The answer to that question will be predicted Wednesday in the Rules Committee, as anti-HRO agitator Fred Newbill is being considered for a position on the JEA Board.
In September 2016, JEA codified its commitment to anti-discrimination policies for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“We did it because it was the right thing to do,” JEA spokeswoman Gerri Boyce told the Florida Times-Union.
Will the newest potential board member agree?
In 2015, Newbill and “Bishop-Designate” Ken Adkins (who currently languishes in a Georgia jail on charges of sexual impropriety) collaborated on a preacher-presser expressing opposition to expanding the Human Rights Ordinance.
Adkins helped to manage a news conference of pastors who wanted to see an HRO referendum. After the push for HRO expansion ended with a withdrawal of both a bill that would do so by ordinance and one that would do so by referendum, Adkins and Newbill continued to collaborate.
The two co-messaged against scandal-ridden Judge Mark Hulsey during Hulsey’s re-election campaign. Hulsey was re-elected, but is mired in a Judicial Qualifications Commission investigation.
Ironically, when (not if) Newbill is confirmed by council to the JEA Board, his public opposition to HRO expansion will place him at odds with one of the most respected Republicans in Jacksonville history, one who also happens to be in favor of HRO expansion: Mike Hightower.
In October, Hightower addressed the Jacksonville Coalition for Equality, urging all parties to “stay together and stay focused” to “get the HRO passed.”
“Steny Hoyer tags Al Lawson as regional Dem whip” via Byron Dobson of The Florida Times-Union – Lawson has been elected by his peers in the House Democratic Caucus to serve as a Regional Whip for the 115th Congress. Lawson will represent Florida’s 5th Congressional District in the 115th Congress which convenes Jan. 3. “The role of Regional Whip will perform crucial first-run responsibilities, and work to build consensus among House Democrats on legislation that will come to the floor for a vote,” said U.S. Rep. Hoyer, Maryland, House Democratic Whip. Lawson will serve as a Regional Whip for Florida and Georgia. “I am pleased to have been selected by my peers in the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives to serve as a Regional Whip for Florida and Georgia,” Lawson said in a release.
“Court awaits Corrine Brown” via Steve Patterson of Panama City News Herald – The week after the 12-term Jacksonville congresswoman leaves office … she will be due in federal court for a hearing involving the fraud charges she’s scheduled to stand trial on in April. Two things helped shatter her long political career in 2016: boundary changes that stretched her congressional district west past Tallahassee and the federal indictment accusing her of pocketing thousands of dollars from a bogus scholarship fund. Since her indictment in July, Brown has painted the charges as payback for decades of her advocacy for the dispossessed. “During my entire political career, I have fought racism, injustice and advocated for individuals who normally get left behind,” Brown wrote on a website that asks supporters to help pay for her defense. “It should come as no surprise that some took offense to my efforts to stand up for you. … I was falsely accused by the federal government. … I am a woman of integrity and I categorically deny the charges.”
“Last gasp for August sales tax referenda?” via Florida Politics – Considered to be an audacious, high-risk play when the initiative was formally launched early in 2016, former RPOF Chair and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry invested a great deal of local and statewide political capital to shepherd the measure from concept through to a 65 percent popular vote for the tax extension. However, Curry’s August triumph may not be repeated ever again after Florida’s 2017 Legislative Session. Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, the current RPOF Chair, introduced a bill in the Florida House Thursday that would ensure any future sales tax referendum bills would have to be on the general election ballot. The bills covered include transportation and indigent care sales surtax measures. Ingoglia, a Hernando County Republican, had a similar bill in 2016; it passed the House 95 to 19, but died in committee in the Senate. H.B. 139 stipulates also that all infrastructure sales taxes, such as the one Jacksonville voters opted to extend past its 2030 sunset date, would have to be approved by referendum.
“Cindy Stevenson ‘excited’ to carry craft distillery bill” via Florida Politics – Current rules, Stevenson said, have “long past served any purpose.” Among the highlights of the legislation: increasing production caps from 75,000 to 250,000 gallons; allowing for off-site distribution points; and removing limits on how many bottles a consumer could buy in a given year. Stevenson told us she’s “really excited to carry this bill” in the House. As a customer of the St. Augustine Distillery, whose co-founder and CEO helms the Florida Craft Distillers Guild, Stevenson has gotten a unique perspective on the myriad benefits of the craft liquor industry. Specifically, Stevenson says the distillery has been a “great story for Northeast Florida” and has been the “most gratifying economic development effort that [she’s] ever been involved with.”
“Clay Sheriff mulls body cameras” via Teresa Stepzinski of The Florida Times-Union – Clay County Sheriff-elect Darryl Daniels says he’ll explore the idea of equipping deputies with body cameras after he takes office and begins work … Daniels also plans to evaluate the long-standing Sheriff’s Office practice of asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate officer-involved shootings. Those are among potential changes Daniels says he will consider during his first 100 days in office. In addition, Daniels says he will focus on community police initiatives including regularly walking neighborhoods — beginning with those with crime issues — and holding monthly town hall-style meetings to listen to people’s concerns, ideas and suggestions. Both measures as well as forging and reinforcing working relationships with other Northeast Florida law enforcement agencies are on Daniels’ to-do list.
Nassau County legislative delegation meets — Sen. Aaron Bean is scheduled to attend the Nassau County legislative delegation at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Nassau County Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place in Yulee. The delegation is expected to take up a local bill from the Ocean, Highway and Port Authority requesting changes to their charter.
Flagler County Republican Club elects new officers — The Flagler County Republican Club announced the election of its 2017-18 executive officers. The club announced Danielle Anderson will serve as president, Richard Russell will serve as vice president, Linda Osborn will serve as secretary, and David Alfin will serve as treasurer. The Rev. Wes Priest is the club’s immediate past president, and Gail Wadsworth will serve as the club’s executive committee advisor. The Flagler County Republican Club also recognized Robert and Joanne Updegrave, who were selected as the club’s 2016 volunteers of the year.
“Amazon confirms new facility, hiring 1,500 in Jacksonville” via First Coast News – The company will build a large facility on the city’s Northside, hiring more than 1,500 people full-time. It will be built at International Airport Boulevard and Pecan Park Road. The property was recently sold for $15 million. “Becoming a member of the Jacksonville community is very exciting for us as we grow our presence in Florida. We’re proud to be creating more than 1,500 full-time jobs to join the thousands we currently employ across the state,” said Akash Chauhan, vice president of Amazon’s North America Operations said in a statement. “We look forward to continue building relationships in the community to make Jacksonville home.” Amazon says their employees will pick, pack, and ship items ranging from books to electronics.
Global toy giant consolidates shipments through JAXPORT — Ja-Ru, a Jacksonville-based toy supplier, announced last month it would begin shipping all products destined for U.S. markets through JAXPORT. The company, which has offices and showrooms in Jacksonville and Hong Kong, specializes in toys bought “on impulse” in groceries, convenience stores and other retailers. The company ships to more than 35 countries and employs more than 150 people, most of whom are in Northeast Florida. “Getting product to market quickly and seamlessly is incredibly important to our business success,” said Andrew Selevan, with Ja-Ru. “Comparing the service we have been receiving at other ports to what JAXPORT now offers us in global connections, efficiencies, savings and the ease of doing business made the recent decision to consolidate our shipments here an easy one.”
“Mayport Naval Station welcomes 2 littoral combat ships” via The Associated Press – The USS Milwaukee and USS Detroit will be part of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two, which will consist of all the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-variant littoral ships. The Navy’s Independence-variant ships will be based in San Diego. The Detroit has been conducting system ship qualification testing since arriving Nov. 23. It was commissioned Oct. 22 in Detroit. The Milwaukee was commissioned in 2015 and arrived at Mayport in February. The littoral fleet is designed to operate close to shore with steerable jet propulsion … the Navy’s plans call for 52 littoral ships and frigates, which means half will be stationed at Mayport.
“Bethel Baptist reopens main building after hurricane havoc” via News4Jax –Members of Bethel Baptist Institutional Church met in the main sanctuary Sunday for the second time since repairs were made. Church leaders told News4Jax a new year is the perfect opportunity for new beginnings and they’re thankful to be back in their main sanctuary. In October, Bethel Baptist took a major hit during Hurricane Matthew when heavy rain and wind caused the sanctuary’s roof to fall on pews and drywall to crash down. The church was told it couldn’t qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance because it is located downtown. The popular church, with 10,000 members, was forced to hold services in its old sanctuary, which is also the oldest Baptist church in Florida.
“Long-awaited renaissance for Lavilla underway” via Max Marbut of Jacksonville Financial News & Record –The 246-acre plot of ground — bounded by State Street on the north, Broad Street on the east, Interstate 95 on the west and Brooklyn on the south — was a deteriorated neighborhood turned into bare ground ready to be renewed as part of the 1993 River City Renaissance redevelopment program. Over the years, several projects were proposed, but only the Duval County Courthouse came to fruition. That started changing in 2016 and by the end of this year, there will be an apartment community completed, another well under construction and a new Greyhound Bus Lines terminal that’s the first phase of a mass transportation complex. The Vestcor Companies broke ground in October for Lofts at LaVilla, a five-story, 130-unit apartment development near the rime Osborn Convention Center. The business model for the $22 million project is to set rents to attract Downtown workers and others whose annual income is 80 percent or less of the state median income — about $38,000 per year for a single person and about $49,000 a year for a family of four. The project is supported by a $270,000 loan at zero percent interest from the Downtown Investment Authority and $270,000 from the Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority. Vestcor will begin accepting lease application in the spring and the apartments will be ready for occupancy in the fall, said Vestcor spokeswoman Holly Hepler.
“UNF receives donation of land valued at $8.8 million” via Derek Gilliam of the Jacksonville Business Journal — The University of North Florida received a 1,050-acre donation of saltmarsh wetlands valued at $8.8 million from the Widan Investment Corp. The property stretches into both Duval and St. Johns counties from slightly south of Beach Boulevard to the end of Harbour View Drive in Marsh Landing. It’s northern end is adjacent to Cradle Creek Preserve. he property will be used by UNF students and faculty for research purposes with the property being named the William C. Webb Coastal Research Station after the father of the president of the Widan Investment Corp. “I’m proud to give this unique property to the University of North Florida Foundation in honor of my father, William C Webb,” said Dan Webb. “I’m excited by the University’s enthusiasm for the development of educational programs, utilizing the William C. Webb Coastal Research Station for our future leaders.”
“St. Augustine sees holiday business after Hurricane Matthew” via Caitlin Dineen of the Orlando Sentinel – The season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — which has always been a busy time for the Historic Coast’s tourism sector — has provided a timely lift. Small-business owners and hoteliers alike are relying on tourists to fill registers and beds. The weekend of Christmas saw heavy traffic, long lines and parking headaches. St. George Street bustled with the energy of eager explorers in the nation’s oldest permanently inhabited city. The annual Nights of Lights event, a trolley ride through a decked-out-in-white-twinkle-
“How a 6-year-old got locked on a psych ward” via Rosalind Adams of BuzzFeed News —In September, a 6-year-old Northeast Florida boy was taken from his school by police cruiser to River Point Behavior Health, a troubled unity of the nation’s largest psychiatric hospital chain Universal Health Services. According to a BuzzFeed News report, the school’s counselor decided to send the boy — identified by BuzzFeed as Nicholas — to a psychiatric hospital after he had been kicking and biting. The child was locked up under the state’s Baker Act law, which allows someone to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for an examination if the person appears mentally ill and appears to be causing severe harm to themselves or others. The hospital can hold a patient for up to 72 hours. According to BuzzFeed, Nicholas’ parents asked to take their child home at least three times. At the facility, the boy “would be given a bloody nose by get locked in a “seclusion” room at 3 in the morning, and wait more than 24 hours to see a psychiatrist, according to medical records provided by his parents.” The hospital, BuzzFeed reported, also “filed a petition to get a court order to hold him for longer. Nicholas was released only after a lawyer intervened on his behalf.” UHS was the subject of a recent BuzzFeed News investigation, and River Point is under criminal investigation for Medicare fraud as part of a wider federal probe into UHS as a corporate entity, the company told investors. Federal regulators have been looking into whether River Point misused Florida’s involuntary commitment laws to hold patients at the hospital who did not need treatment.
