Staff Reports
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stirred things up on Twitter this week, essentially declaring total war against his electoral competition.
“Same s%#t different place. Elected office is loaded w/amateurs. Folks w/no ability to implement ideas. Many are full of empty rhetoric & a false sense of self. They survive on the bottom w cheap talk. We will retire some in the fights that matter When it matters,” Curry said.
As compared to the anodyne public personae of his immediate predecessors, Curry’s unvarnished criticisms of “amateurs” with “empty rhetoric,” a “false sense of self,” and “cheap talk” are brutal.
Curry has not been shy this cycle about supporting friends. His political consultant is handling a number of local campaigns, both for state House and Jacksonville City Council.
Curry, with roughly $1.75 million banked, may or may not face electoral competition. Former Council President Anna Brosche is mulling a run, even as Curry keeps banking a quarter-million dollars or so every month.
Media members have mocked the declaration. Unaffiliated Republican consultants wonder what’s wrong with the mayor. Some say he sounded unhinged. Others opine that the tweet is unprofessional.
Whatever it is, though, Curry — much like President Donald Trump — is setting the narrative, compelling opponents and critics to react.
How and when do they throw down? Is it already too late?
‘This girl, or whatever she is’
Rep. Ron DeSantis wasn’t expected to say anything particularly off script in his Orange Park appearance Saturday, but an offhand remark got national attention.
The Republican candidate for governor, per Huffington Post, “referred to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democratic congressional nominee who is seen as a rising star in her party, as ‘this girl Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is.’”
“You look at this girl Ocasio-Cortez or whatever she is, I mean, she’s in a totally different universe,” he said to laughs. “It’s basically socialism wrapped in ignorance.”
David Vasquez, a spokesman for DeSantis’ campaign, said that the congressman’s comments were “expanding on the importance of education” and that teaching students more about the Constitution might “prevent more socialists like Ocasio-Cortez calling for ‘free’ everything.”
Soderberg up big with CD 6 Dems
A poll released Tuesday shows that if the Democratic primary were held today in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, former U.S. Ambassador Nancy Soderberg would defeat both her male opponents.
The survey from St. Pete Polls gave Soderberg 30 percent support, more than opponents Steve Sevigny (10 percent) and John Upchurch (13 percent) combined.
However, there is still room for movement; 46 percent of respondents are currently undecided.
The poll has a sample size of 420, 4.8 percent margin of error and a 95 percent confidence level.
With female voters, Soderberg has a 22-point lead over her nearest opponent. Nevertheless, the survey also suggests she is having a harder time closing the deal with men, with whom Soderberg only has an eight-point lead over Upchurch.
As well, per the poll, the older the voter is, the more likely that voter will support Soderberg. The former ambassador has double-digit leads with voters aged 30-49 (12 percent), 50-69 (18 percent), and 70+ (18 percent).
Soderberg is well-positioned to make her case with undecided voters, with nearly $1.5 million in total fundraising since she entered the race and $981,790 cash on hand.
ICE heats up Dem primary in CD 5
The Democratic primary battle in Florida’s 5th Congressional District between U.S. Congressman Al Lawson and former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is heating up.
Last week, Lawson found himself voting with Republicans (and against many Democrats) on a key issue: the future of the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Lawson was just one of 18 Democrats voting in favor of ICE, which is under fire of late due to the internment of migrant children.
Suffice it to say Lawson had no regrets over his vote.
“You’ve got to have some kind of border security. You can’t just have open borders,” Lawson said. “They need to be reformed, but they do other things besides immigration. Protection [against] traffickers — drug traffickers, human traffickers and everything else.”
“The Democrats — someone had a protest vote to say ‘present,’ but there’s no such vote as ‘present.’ They would refuse to vote to get rid of them. They voted present. I’m just not that kind of person.”
“You’ve got to reform them, but you can’t just get rid of them. That’s probably the worst decision that we made, saying that we’re going to get rid of ICE,” Lawson said.
“They were led by Maxine Waters, you know, in California. But really, it’s not the issue.”
Brown took the weekend to formulate a response to the incumbent’s ICE advocacy, but once he finally did it was full of fire.
Also see: Lawson, Brown serve BBQ in Leon County.
U.S. Senator backs Polson in HD 15
In yet another sign House District 15 Democratic nominee Tracye Polson is getting some interest from well outside Jacksonville, the campaign touted an endorsement from a U.S. Senator.
First-term Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen endorsed Polson in the race to succeed outgoing Rep. Jay Fant, citing firsthand knowledge of what the candidate brings to the table.
“I have firsthand knowledge of Dr. Tracye Polson’s remarkable expertise and leadership having been a board member of an organization — where Tracye spent 12 years ending in the role of Executive Director — whose mission is focused on early childhood mental health and education. She is expert, caring and trustworthy,” Van Hollen asserted.
Polson said it was “an honor to be endorsed by U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen who has earned bipartisan respect and worked across the aisle to file this year a bill to protect our democracy through the Defending Elections Act (DETER).”
This bill, co-sponsored with Florida Republican Marco Rubio, would use economic and criminal sanctions to punish foreign interference in American elections.
Polson and Van Hollen go back almost two decades.
Polson, with $127,000 on hand as of the most recent report, still holds a narrowing cash lead against the Republican field. Lobbyist Wyman Duggan had almost $123,000 on hand (and is already up on television), with opponents Mark Zeigler ($32,482 on hand) and Joseph Hogan ($12,537) well behind.
If Polson/Duggan is the general election, expect this to be one of the most expensive state House races in Florida. Polson appears poised to have help, including staffers, from the Florida Democratic Party. Duggan will have all the help he needs from the Jacksonville business and political establishments, along with state interests.
Daniels late with campaign finance report, ahead in money race
State Rep. Kim Daniels, a first-term Democrat in Northwest Jacksonville’s House District 14, has been fined for filing a campaign finance report late earlier this summer.
Daniels missed the deadline for the June 29 report, per the Division of Elections, with the report eventually filed on July 7, resulting in a fine of $450.96.
That report covered the first three weeks of June, a period in which Daniels reported no fundraising and a primary expenditure of paying her campaign filing fee. The fine appears to be the maximum 25 percent of that filing fee.
Despite this glitch, Daniels appears to have a strong advantage in what is an open primary race in HD 14.
Daniels, a first-term lawmaker often friendly to GOP interests, has $47,227 raised with almost $28,000 of that on hand.
Much of that was Republican money. Democrats have called Daniels a DINO and worse off record, but for the second straight cycle, they seem unable to do anything about the GOP picking a winner in a Democratic primary.
Opponent Paula Wright is far behind in fundraising, with just $3,501 on hand.
See also: How the Florida Star slimed Paula Wright.
NRA says ‘ABC’ to McBurney’s latest judge bid
“Anybody but Charles”: that’s the message from the National Rifle Association regarding former state Rep. Charles McBurney‘s bid for a judgeship in Florida’s 4th Circuit.
A mailer in Duval County mailboxes this week reprises a number of charges against McBurney, with the idea of stopping his current electoral bid for a judgeship just as the gun lobby did McBurney’s bid for an appointment from Gov. Rick Scott in 2016.
The candidate’s “actions as a legislative chairman,” per the NRA, make McBurney “unfit for the bench — any bench — anywhere.”
“It’s as simple as A-B-C: vote for anybody but Charles McBurney,” the mailer adds.
The pique between the gun lobby and the former four-term Republican legislator from Jacksonville goes back to the 2016 Legislative Session.
McBurney, who chaired the House Judiciary Committee in 2016, tabled a bill that would have shifted the burden of proof from defendants to prosecutors under the state’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law.
McBurney was passed over for the gubernatorial appointment that went to Judge Robert Dees.
McBurney holds a significant cash on hand advantage, thus far, over his opponent — former prosecutor turned family law attorney Maureen Horkan.
Heavily self-financed Horkan has roughly $4,300 on hand. McBurney, backed by an impressive cross-section of the legal community, has over $105,000 in cash.
However, the NRA imprimatur may help shake some of the conservative support McBurney has down the stretch.
Election year budget for Curry
Curry rolled out on Monday his administration’s fourth budget, one continuing an upward trajectory of spending since 2015, without a tax increase.
As compared to the $1.19 billion general fund budget in FY 16-17, and the $1.27 billion budget last year, the general fund budget is up this year to $1.31 billion.
The stated reason: savings realized from pension reform, which the Mayor’s Office says contributes to $331 million of savings over two years.
“Without pension reform,” Curry said, “millions and millions of dollars would be diverted away from making our city better.”
A big part of the spend: capital improvements. FY 18-19 will see $161.4 million allocated to improvements, with big spends on Hart Bridge offramp removal ($12.5 million from the city matching the same sum from the state), a new fire station ($5 million), road resurfacing ($12 million), money for infrastructure at U.F. Health ($15 million, part of a $120 million commitment) and sidewalk projects (many of them delayed for years).
The Hart Bridge project is budgeted for the first phase, per Curry, who expressed confidence that — as he has demonstrated for the past three years — he “gets things done.”
“Without pension reform,” Curry reiterated in the media availability, “there would not be [this level of investment]” in capital projects.
Also, drainage rehab and septic tank phaseout continues, and over $60 million will be spent on the Emerald Necklace and McCoys Creek projects. And $10.8 million will be devoted, over three years, to remedy dilapidated African-American cemeteries ($2.5 million this year).
This was, said Curry, a “decade-long backlog” of needs.
The $161.4 million CIP — up more than double from Curry’s first $72 million CIP.
#JayZonTheRise
The London Daily Mail brings us an interesting story with the convergence of Curry’s favorite rapper and favorite donor.
Per the paper, “Jay Z and Beyoncé splash the cash when it comes to their holidays — including on their current break in Italy, during which they have chartered the Kismet yacht, worth an eye-popping £180 million, for the height of luxury on the vacation.”
“The couple have been spotted on the jaunt around the Amalfi coast where they have been enjoying the spoils of the yacht, owned by US billionaire Shahid Khan, who is also the owner of NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars, and includes luxuries including a beauty salon and on-boat cinema,” the piece adds.
Khan’s yacht has often been docked outside the Jacksonville Landing, a vision of opulence adjacent to a crumbling mall.
JTA talks transit, Smart Cities
On the latest JAX Current, experts at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) discuss the future of regional transit and how Jacksonville is taking part of the Smart Cities Initiative.
The JAX Current is a monthly podcast hosted by leaders of the JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development arm of the JAX Chamber. Each month, the podcast highlights company executives, civic leaders and national location consultants to discuss ‘Why JAX’ and emerging economic trends and how Jacksonville’s role in the global marketplace.
The JAX Current is available on iTunes, SoundCloud and other outlets.
Jacksonville creates over 21K new jobs last year, third highest in state
Per news release: The Jacksonville area added 21,600 new private-sector jobs in the past year, creating the third-highest number of jobs among all Florida metro areas. Jacksonville’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in June, down 0.5 percentage point from one year ago.
The industries with the highest growth over the year in Jacksonville were trade, transportation, and utilities, and leisure and hospitality each with 4,500 new jobs, and professional and business services with 4,400 new jobs. Jacksonville once again rounded out the top five metro areas in job demand, with 18,248 openings, and had the fifth-highest number of openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 4,829 online openings.
As of June, Florida’s unemployment rate remained at 3.8 percent, a drop of 7 points since December 2010; this drop is faster than the national decline of 5.3 percentage points. In the past year, 130,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.3 percent, which is greater than the national labor force growth rate of 1.2 percent.
State signs off on Jacksonville trauma center
The Florida Department of Health issued a final order rejecting a challenge to a new trauma center at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, reports the News Service of Florida.
The rejection was based on recommendations by Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen, who ruled against UF Health Jacksonville, which has long operated a trauma center. Last year, the Department of Health gave “provisional” approval for Memorial to open a trauma center. UF Health Jacksonville filed a challenge to the approval on a series of grounds, including whether a “slot” was available in the state trauma system to open another trauma facility in Northeast Florida.
In his recommendation, Cohen said: “Memorial met its burden of establishing that its trauma center application met the applicable standards” and rejected UF Health Jacksonville’s argument that the department wrongly gave approval to the Memorial trauma center without an available slot.
Crowley adds natural gas-powered ship to fleet
Crowley Maritime is adding the world’s first LNG-powered ship for container and roll-on/roll-off cargo. VT Halter Marine Inc. built the El Coqui specifically for Crowley, for use on the Jacksonville-Puerto Rico trade line.
Named after a Puerto Rican species of frog, El Coqui will make its first voyage to San Juan from Jaxport this month. According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, its sister ship Taino is being assembled at the VT shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to begin service later this year.
At 720 feet long and weighing 26,500 deadweight tons, El Coqui can carry up to 2,400 container units at a cruising speed of 22 knots. The ship can hold a range of container sizes, up to 300 refrigerated containers and a mix of about 400 cars and larger vehicles.
“This delivery represents another milestone in our unwavering commitment to Puerto Rico and the Jones Act,” CEO Tom Crowley said in a statement. The Jones Act is a 1920 maritime law mandating that cargo shipped between U.S. ports must use U.S.-built, owned and manned ships.
Are you ready for some futbol?
In what is clearly an indication of stronger branding and a recognition of Jacksonville’s changing demographics, the Jaguars will have Spanish language broadcasts this year.
Tico Sports will air the games on WBOB 600 AM and 101.1 FM, the team’s Jacksonville flagship Spanish radio partner, and on 107.3 Solos Exitos in Orlando. The broadcasts will also be digitally streamed on a mobile application.
“We look forward to reaching a new and growing audience with a Spanish language airing of our games this season,” said Jaguars President Mark Lamping. “Our efforts to develop new fans and expand our fan base internationally are well-established, and this initiative is a new avenue for us to reach and develop new Jaguars fans in the Latino communities. We look forward to our partnership with Tico Sports and to bringing to our fans Jaguars game action in Spanish.”
The grind begins; Jags open training camp, but without Ramsey
When last seen, the Jacksonville Jaguars were trudging off the field at Gillette Stadium after coming up on the short end of a 24-20 thriller to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. On Wednesday, they made their first appearance of this season as training camp opened at TIAA Bank Field complex.
The cool temperatures of January were replaced this week with the heat and humidity of northeast Florida. To get to another title game, or beyond, the drudgery of July and August must come first.
“I think it’s a grind. We talk about coaching stamina, player stamina — how do we keep that focus for that long a time?” said Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone. “You’re talking about starting a day at 7 a.m., and by the time you’re ending the day, it’s 9 o’clock at night. You’re going through a lot of different things — football, in the weight room, out on the field, nutrition … all of that stuff is going on.”
The first day of training camp was uneventful, other than the absence of star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. That absence will be excused because Ramsey remained in Tennessee for a few days after the birth of his daughter.
“Today starts a new chapter in my life, as Bre and I are blessed to welcome our baby into this world,” he tweeted. “With that said, I want to let everyone know that I’ll be in Tennessee with my family, and as soon as I’m comfortable knowing my family is healthy and happy, I’ll return to Jacksonville to rejoin my teammates on our quest to handle some unfinished business.”
There will still be plenty of the grind left when he returns.
