Staff Reports
Homestretch begins
This week has offered a lull before a series of General Election campaigns in this region that are likely preordained.
The ultimate example thus far: the once highly anticipated race in Florida’s 4th Congressional District.
Incumbent Republican John Rutherford is on television already with a positive spot. Democratic challenger Donna Deegan says she’ll be on TV as soon as she can.
Rutherford enjoys a strong GOP plurality and consultant Tim Baker isn’t worried, saying Deegan isn’t as well-known as some might think, and she’s too left for the district.
State Senate and House races likely have been decided already. A group of strong Republican incumbents (Sen. Travis Hutson and Reps. Cord Byrd, Clay Yarborough, Jason Fischer, Wyman Duggan) have spirited, yet undercapitalized, competition.
Fischer’s opponent, Ben Marcus, has tried to persuade Fischer (selected this week as an elector for Donald Trump this year) into a debate and has challenged local media for not covering the state House races more. Those arguments have yet to get traction.
Duval County will quite likely go for Joe Biden in November. But coattails? Not on this map.
Primary push
Evidence in the final accounting suggests that Jennifer Bradley took seriously indeed the primary opposition posed by Cross City rancher Jason Holifield.
Bradley, vying to replace her termed-out husband Rob Bradley, spent just over $250,000 in August ahead of the primary for the Senate District 5 seat.
She entered the race buoyed by incandescent fundraising and a who’s who list of endorsements, only to find Holifield running a scrappy campaign predicated on the argument that the Bradleys are married.
Bradley’s campaign spent big in the North Central Florida district to counter what they called the “Holifield Hoax,” painting him as a free-spending Democrat who flipped parties solely for the primary.
Bradley, renominated, faces a general election opponent: Democrat Melina Barrett.
The district is plurality Republican and expected to be an easy path to stay in the family.
Spending surprise
While we have a good idea what Jennifer Bradley has spent campaign money on, less clear by far is what a Jacksonville Democrat who won her party’s nomination in a state House seat has spent.
The reason why: she hasn’t bothered to report.
Tammyette Thomas, a first-time candidate running in House District 15, said campaign finance reporting is “something my deputy treasurer does.”
Then she said, “a lot of the money for my campaign came out of my own pocket,” but records show that the full $5,235 in hard money raised by the Thomas campaign through August 21 came from donors.
A record of spending, she said, is being “logged.” That will eventually have to include her qualifying fee, which was paid by her campaign, but unreported as of yet.
Thomas, a first-time candidate, hopes to make Republican Rep. Wyman Duggan a one-term representative in a district that has a Democratic plurality, with 44,688 Democratic registrants compared to just 41,715 Republicans.
However, while demographics might be with the Democrat, fundraising is with the Republican. Whereas Thomas has just over $5,000 raised in total, Duggan had over $140,000 available to spend as of Aug. 21, the last date for which totals are known.
Snail’s trace
All-but-elected state Legislator Angie Nixon, who must defeat a write-in before officially gearing up to represent House District 14, had a couple of campaign battles.
One was against Kim Daniels on the ballot; in a closed Democratic primary, Nixon downed the “demon buster..”
The other war was against COVID-19.
She’s since recovered, but in a marvel of inefficiency, she was contacted by Health Department contact tracers last week.
“It’s been nearly a month and a half since I tested positive for COVID. I just received a call from the Health Department to do tracing. They keep apologizing, saying they dropped the ball. This is absurd,” Nixon tweeted. “The questions they asked … I had to say, “Ma’am, that was over a month ago. I have no idea.” Clearly, our health department staff is overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and their systems and processes, including levels of accountability, need to be updated ASAP.”
Nixon will be in place to help with that soon.
Sewage sadness
Big dollars will be needed if the city of Jacksonville intends to fulfill promises from decades ago to get the city off septic tanks and on to sewer lines.
The bill could be significant: $3 billion, reports WJCT. Roughly 20,000 of the septic tank units need replacement, and thus far, work has been slow, with two projects going and another stalled out because the utility can’t pay for it right now.
In the Biltmore neighborhood, the per house cost is $53,000.
“It just blows my mind that we’re spending those kinds of dollars hooking up water and sewer to a home that’s worth less than what we just spent to hook it up,” Councilman Ron Salem said.
These projects get talked about periodically. The numbers don’t get cheaper.
A few years back, estimates were that septic tank phaseout could cost between $300 million and $1 billion.
OK for now
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s budget looks like it will clear the City Council, with the Florida Times-Union noting that the proposal survived the Finance Committee’s review with just a few tweaks.
“I think the mayor put together a good budget to work with,” said Finance Chair Matt Carlucci. “Nobody knows what revenues are going to come in… We wanted to be prepared for a worst-case scenario. So if everything pans out the way our projections are, we’re safe. If they pan out the way the Mayor thought, we may have some extra money.”
The budget’s most significant legacy will be a massive, by Jacksonville standards at least, infrastructure commitment: nearly a quarter-billion dollars, roughly half earmarked to older neighborhoods promised the improvements decades ago without fulfillment.
The budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, will be approved by the full Council later this month, though floor amendments and such can’t be ruled out before final ratification.
In the Navy
Aquatic adventures continue for Northeast Florida supporters of President Donald Trump.
Though Florida Politics (which cannot swim) was not on hand for Saturday’s Trumptilla, WJXT apparently was cruising, or at least hipped to the scene.
“A steady stream of boaters lined the St. Johns River on Saturday in a parade to celebrate the Republican National Convention. The boats featured Trump 2020 flags and other banners as they churned up and down the river from the Hart Bridge to the Fuller Warren Bridge and back.”
These events have been a regular feature of socially-distanced campaigning in Northeast Florida and beyond.
Democratic candidates such as Joshua Hicks, running against Rep. Cord Byrd in HD 11, have criticized these events. But what is clear is that as badly as they may play with the Democrats, these boating events have becoming voting events, or at least visual reminders of a real live campaign in this era of Zoom and gloom.
Rocket testing
Not long after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of a rapid coronavirus testing kit, the Trump administration announced a $750 million deal with Abbott Laboratories to distribute the tests that take only 15 minutes to reveal results. The President announced the agreement during the Republican National Convention last week.
There are limitations, with the possibility that negative tests may need to be confirmed by a lab. Despite that, the ability to detect positive tests quicker makes the test, which will cost five dollars, a plus, prompting Rep. Rutherford of Jacksonville to praise the accelerated testing.
“I’m pleased to see the @realDonaldTrump Admin announce the expansion of America’s COVID-19 testing capabilities, Rutherford said via Twitter. “This initiative will give us the tools we need to help defeat the virus, protect vulnerable populations, & get our country back to work.”
The test will sell for only $5, according to Abbott, giving it a competitive edge over similar tests that need to be run through a machine. Despite its limitations, the Trump administration’s agreement with Abbott could increase COVID-19 testing in the United States, a goal of public health experts that the President dismissed only months prior.
Faster testing comes within the context of an enormous data dump this week, consisting of thousands of Florida COVID test results. Some dated back to April, making the results worthless. The State of Florida immediately cut ties with the lab.
Downtown Jax storefronts
Downtown Jacksonville businesses aiming to spruce up their storefronts can get financial help from the city, according to a new program being implemented by the Downtown Investment Authority.
The DIA is setting aside $950.000 for businesses considering a makeover of their street-facing storefronts. The Storefront Façade Grant Program is seeking to incentivize business owners to make their stores and shops look better in the urban core.
Grants will be provided to those businesses engaging in makeovers of their “good side” facing streets running through downtown in the Northbank Riverwalk Community Redevelopment Agency, which is a historic area near the St. Johns River.
“We are determined to improve the appearance of our Historic District in Downtown,” says DIA CEO Lori Boyer. “This program helps building owners renovate deteriorating windows, doors, siding and the like without requiring historic designation, which has been a deterrent for some.
“We are hopeful this added incentive will be what it takes to encourage owners to invest in exterior improvements that not only increase their building value but also enhance walkability and overall Downtown values.”
The grants will be capped at 50% of the costs for the improvements to storefronts or a maximum of $75,000 per applicant.
Those business owners interested in the program can apply at the website or communicate through the email address of [email protected] for more details, specific boundaries, and additional qualifications.
UF Health honored
For the second consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recognized UF Health Jacksonville as an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader — receiving a perfect score.
The HEI bases its score on health care policies and practices related to equity and inclusion of LGBTQ patients, visitors and employees. UF Health Jacksonville, which became the first hospital in Northeast Florida to receive the designation last year, earned the best score in each category for 100 points.
“This is yet another example that highlights the great work our staff is doing to provide compassionate and inclusive care for all patients and their families,” said Leon Haley Jr., M.D. CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. “It has always been, and will remain, a priority to promote and support diversity and inclusion efforts across our enterprise and in the community.”
Every year, HRC recognizes the health care facilities that take part in the HEI for their commitment to LGBTQ inclusion. A record 765 health care facilities actively participated in the HEI 2020 survey. Of those included in the HEI, 495 earned an LGBTQ equality leader designation.
Golden bridge
One of the mainstays of downtown Jacksonville’s skyline will have a 14 karat twist at night over the next week.
The Acosta Bridge spanning the St. Johns River on the western edge of Jacksonville’s urban core, will be lit at night in a golden hue. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is handling the lighting effects on the bridge for the event.
The bridge has had lighting trim on the edges of the span for several years but is usually aglow in blue or even purple and sometimes other colors.
The gold lighting on the rails of the bridge is honoring National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The golden lighting of the bridge also honors the medical facilities and personnel who work in Jacksonville and beyond in the fight against cancerous afflictions.
In Jacksonville, much of the forefront of that cause is taken up by Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation (tcjayfund.org/), which has been responsible for multiple initiatives highlighting fights against childhood cancer in the past 25 years in Jacksonville.
Coughlin, the former and founding head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise, developed the foundation.
The Jay Foundation is in the process of trying to convince other downtown businesses to turn their buildings into gold light at night as a sign of support for the efforts for the rest of September.
The Jay Foundation is named after Jay McGillis, who was a player on Coughlin’s football team he coached at Boston College. McGillis contracted leukemia and eventually died from the affliction.
Game time
Continuing a season of political activism, Jacksonville Jaguars players and coaches urge locals to “get in the game” and register to vote by Oct. 5.
It's time to get in the game.
Register to vote and have your voice heard:https://t.co/WcMDScDwUs@risetowin | #DuvALLTogether pic.twitter.com/WZ3KRa2tEq
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) September 1, 2020
Tuesday morning saw the campaign launch, with a public service announcement urging Jaguars fans to participate in the civic process.
“Get in the game. Be an American,” advised second-year signal-caller Gardner Minshew II in the video, which kicks off a campaign destined for Jags-centric radio and television outlets.
In a media release accompanying the launch, Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan said it was “our duty to cast a ballot.”
“You can look at voting as a privilege, and as a naturalized U.S. citizen, you can be assured that I do,” Khan said. “But I also see it as a civic responsibility. If we’re serious about being better in our communities and throughout our nation, and all voices being heard and respected, we have to participate in the electoral process.No exceptions.”
Jags’ big changes
For a team already expected to struggle in 2020, the loss of any impact players is not a good thing, but this week the Jacksonville Jaguars said goodbye to a pair of big names. They willingly parted ways with one, but were forced to make a trade with the other, leaving them with relatively little in return.
The rancor between the team and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue began under the Tom Coughlin regime and ended with his trade to the Minnesota Vikings. In between were attempts to lure Ngakoue into returning despite his insistence he would never play for the Jags again.
He was true to his word, leaving the Jaguars with limited bargaining power in working out a trade. Trading a rising star for a second-round draft pick and a conditional fifth-round selection was likely the best they could get for a guy that wanted out badly enough to accept a nearly $6 million pay cut to head north.
The fifth-round pick becomes a fourth-rounder if Ngakoue is selected to the Pro Bowl and moves to the third round if he makes the Pro Bowl roster and the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
On the other side of the ball, if any doubt remained that the Jaguars’ offense is Gardner Minshew’s offense, that doubt was removed by the shocking release of top running back Leonard Fournette this week. The fourth overall choice in the 2017 NFL draft is free to sign with any other team while the Jaguars get nothing in return.
It’s not that General Manager Dave Caldwell and the staff did not attempt to make a trade. Still, other teams were apparently not interested in taking on Fournette’s $4.17 million salary, owed as part of the last year of his rookie contract. Head Coach Doug Marrone said it was time to part ways.
“I just felt that’s what’s best for the team,” Marrone told the media shortly after the trade was announced. “And doing it now, we’ve exhausted all trade opportunities and weren’t able to get anything there, so I just felt we can now work on the team, the plan, and getting ready for the season.”
With the start of the regular season a little more than one week away, the Jaguars can only hope that a successor to Fournette that best complements the offense run by Minshew already exists. That would seem to be slightly easier than finding anyone that could come near the production of Ngakoue.
Here is hoping first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson can have a Rookie of the Year-type season.
