Phil Ammann
This week, our Northeast Florida correspondent has been ensconced in the Corrine Brown trial.
The trial is finally moving into defense testimony after a blistering week of witnesses for the prosecution saying that Brown knew “One Door for Education” was one big scam.
However, here’s the rub: Donors didn’t care.
They didn’t really vet the status of the nonprofit; for a billionaire like Florida Democratic Party chair Stephen Bittel, a four-figure donation and lending out his private plane has no personal impact … though it did sound lurid to the rubes on the jury.
Bittel, talking to local media, said “transactional money” — such as the $833K One Door cleared in just over three years — is a “challenge.”
Is it really?
For CEO types needing access, “transactional money” is a no-brainer. Prime the pump and see what comes out. No need to vet the charity. Corrine Brown’s word was good enough.
Some wax poetic about “getting money out of politics.” But money is politics. That is the lesson of Brown — whose (alleged!) graft, and the reason for such graft, boils down to having a lot of mouths to feed, a lot of image to maintain, and an inconvenient cash deficit of $1,400 a month, at least according to FBI forensic accounting.
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Kerri Stewart out at City Hall
In the first major shake-up of the Lenny Curry administration, Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart resigned Tuesday.
“For nearly two years, Ms. Stewart served as chief of staff in the Curry administration, supporting and working for successful implementation of many of the mayor’s priorities for Jacksonville,” said spokeswoman Marsha Oliver to the Florida Times-Union. “Mayor Curry values the work that she has led and wishes her much continued success in her new role.”
The move comes after a protracted, behind-the-scenes power struggle, and as recently as last month, Stewart denied rumors that she was headed out — as did Oliver.
Now the power struggle has wrapped. And Stewart heads to JEA for an executive position open since January.
And it all came together very quickly.
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Curry for CFO? Religious Right: “Hell no!”
Curry failed to say “no” to the expansion of the local HRO, or Human Rights Ordinance, to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
So, Florida Family Action, which agitated against expanding the ordinance, urged Gov. Rick Scott Monday to just say no to Curry as CFO.
They’ll take almost anyone else: Sen. Aaron Bean, Sen. Tom Lee, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, or Pat Neal.
“As the former head of the Republican Party of Florida, Lenny has become the darling candidate of the GOP establishment, but he is not reform minded. This is a politician who is trying to please everyone. He appears to be more concerned with what the left thinks about him than the conservative base who helped get him elected,” the FFA contends.
The group calls Curry a “Charlie Crist Republican,” prone to “unsound decisions” should he ever reach higher office.
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Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Scott was in Jacksonville this week for one of his many job creation events, reports THE Local Station.
“Jacksonville’s Sunteck TTS, a transportation logistics company, made Scott’s list, and Mayor Lenny Curry was also on hand to applaud the company’s effort,” the report added.
The hot quote from the gaggle had to do with who replaces him as governor.
“There are a lot of people that want to get in the race. This is a great job,” he said. “My goal is the next governor is somebody who is going to focus on jobs. I grew up in a family without jobs, so I know that the most important thing you can do is give a family a job. When you do that, they get to live a better life.”
Indeed.
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New Jax office for Marco Rubio
For those in Jacksonville looking for constituent services from Sen. Rubio, the nightmare is over.
Rubio had to close his office on Jacksonville’s Southbank this year due to the impact of protests but now has permanent digs in a zone as secure as anywhere in the city: the federal courthouse downtown.
The precise location: Suite 8-111.
“I am happy to announce the opening of our new Jacksonville office inside the federal courthouse,” said Rubio in a news release.
“As we serve constituents from this new location, my staff remains focused on ensuring Floridians are getting the help they need on issues related to Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits and more,” Rubio contended.
“It’s unfortunate that the disruptions at our previous location became problematic for the children’s health center next door,” added Rubio. “I’m grateful for the center’s patience over the past few months, and I’m hopeful the children receiving treatment there will no longer be impacted.”
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JTA Center sees cost hikes
$57 million. That’s the new price tag for the proposed Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s transportation center, the Florida Times-Union reported this week.
“JTA executives have secured or identified $37.6 million in funding. Staff recommended utilizing $19.7 million from the Capital Projects Fund, a fund of $50 million that is replenished when JTA has surplus funds, to fill the funding gap,” reports the T-U’s Sebastian Kitchen.
“Other additional costs include more elevators to meet the needs of the disabled and senior citizens, additional roadway improvements (including a dedicated bus exit lane to allow the buses to enter traffic without causing congestion), increased foundation requirements based on underground conditions and additional modifications to incorporate the Skyway rail system,” Kitchen added.
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Westside, the best side
That old saying clearly applies for Amazon, as the Jax Daily Record reveals that the site the e-commerce giant secured on Bulls Bay Highway will have a $2.3M conveyor belt system.
That is, according to zoning applications, part of over $5M in capital improvements for the site.
The conveyor belt system allows for the processing of small packages — stock-in-trade for Amazon, which is finally exploiting opportunities in the Jacksonville market.
That said, we’ll know the company is serious about Duval when same-day delivery becomes an option.
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Some Jax employees will get defined benefit pensions
Good news for a few City of Jacksonville employees: despite pension reform becoming law last week, a few will get DB pensions.
“The elected offices of mayor, City Council, sheriff, clerk of courts, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections are all in the Florida Retirement System, which is separate from the three city-managed pension plans that are closing to future hires on Sept. 30,” reports the Florida Times-Union.
Curry promised not to draw a pension, yet the article notes that future mayors still have the FRS option opened to them — though campaign rhetoric almost makes it a fait accompli for whoever to forego the pension.
“Jacksonville’s elected leaders used to be in the General Employee Pension Plan, but in 2004, City Council authorized moving them into the Florida Retirement System’s “elected officer class” after a state attorney general opinion determined those officeholders are eligible for FRS under state law,” the T-U report notes.
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Another year, another tax referendum
Want a bigger homestead exemption? Who wouldn’t? But reports the Florida Times-Union, if a November 2018 referendum is successful regarding increasing the exemption an extra $25K, it will take $26M out of the city’s General Fund.
City Councilman Matt Schellenberg, who represents the city in the Florida League of Cities and Florida Association of Counties, panned the move.
“They should leave us alone and not get into the nooks and crannies of how cities and counties operate,” Schellenberg said. “It’s a huge disappointment.”
Rep. Jason Fischer — not a political ally of Schellenberg’s, despite the shared Republican status — supported the measure on the House Floor.
People “elected me to come up here and rein in government spending. And so, anytime I can get a chance to cut taxes for them, I’m going to do that.”
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CRC swings through JAX
Florida’s Constitutional Revision Commission hit Jacksonville last week. And the Jax Daily Record was there.
However, according to CRC member Hank Coxe, there was not that much new under the sun: “People are similar in what they talk about and the strength with which they talk. I’m impressed with their preparation.”
Some familiar faces on hand included Lake Ray, head of the First Coast Manufacturers Association; the former State Rep. wants a Commissioner of Manufacturing and Logistics.
Local mayors Charlie Latham of Jacksonville Beach and Nancy Shaver of St. Augustine also were on hand to argue for “home rule,” a concept under siege this Legislative Session.
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Summer fun with JTA, MOSH
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is joining the Museum of Science & History (MOSH) to provide free admission to MOSH through Sept. 10, 2017, for all youth with a JTA issued Purple Youth ID STAR Card.
The Purple Youth ID STAR Card is a free “smart” STAR Card that identifies riders 18 years old and younger. STAR Card can be loaded and reloaded for up to three years with value passes or cash value in increments from $1 to $80. Youth ages 7-18 years old can obtain a 31-day pass deal at the discounted rate of $30 (vs. the standard cost of $50).
To take advantage of the offer, youths between 7 and 18 years of age can visit the STAR Card Center at Rosa Parks Transit Station in downtown Jacksonville. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Individuals should bring eligibility documentation: a school I.D. and a birth certificate or other government issued I.D. Children ages 7-14 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Staff will verify eligibility, take photos and issue a new Purple Youth STAR Card.
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JAXPORT welcomes new Alfa Romeo Giulias
JAXPORT has become the Southeast distribution point for the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the new premium midsize sedan manufactured in Italy.
The line-up includes the 280-horsepower Giulia and Giulia Ti as well as the 505-horsepower Giulia Quadrifoglio. Vehicles arrive in JAXPORT via Grimaldi Lines; APS Stevedoring will handle offloading, with AMPORTS taking care of the processing.
JAXPORT has a long-standing partnership with FCA US, serving as a major import/export port for many of the company’s brands and models.
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Jacksonville offers ‘big help’ for small business
“Big” help is on the way for Jacksonville’s small-business people needing help with city-related processes and requirements. The City of Jacksonville has announced this new program to coincide with National Small Business Week, which runs through May 6.
“Starting a business can be complex,” Mayor Curry said in a statement. “There is a lot of information new entrepreneurs need to know to ensure they are meeting City requirements and ordinances allowing them to operate safely and efficiently. I am pleased that we can provide support to our local business owners to help make this process easier, getting them up and running faster.”
One-on-one help sessions led by City of Jacksonville experts will offer new business owners the resources and tools to better understand the ordinances, expectations, processes and documentation necessary for safely and efficiently operating a business in Jacksonville.
Persons interested in registering for a half-hour consultation should complete the online form at www.coj.net/smallbizhelp. Individual consultations are by appointment. The city encourages participants to bring and share site plans, leases, occupancy information and any other materials for review.
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Pundits grade Jaguars Draft performance
Now that the 2017 NFL Draft is history, analysts (and fans) are starting to speak out.
After last year’s less-than-satisfactory performance, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot to prove. With the return of Tom Coughlin and an active free agency, expectations are once again high, reports Southern Strategy Group’s “Need to Know.”
So, did the Jacksonville’s draft performance help (or hurt) those expectations?
The league’s pundit class grades the Jags:
NFL.com: A-
Yahoo! Sports: B
Sports Illustrated: B
Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union also weighed in, as did CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin, who talks about what the draft means for Blake Bortles’ future.
