Jacksonville Bold for 11.30.22: Meeting the people

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Duval delegation meets the public

The new Duval County legislative delegation will convene Friday at Jacksonville’s City Hall for an organizational meeting ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session.

As usual, the group will meet in City Council Chambers, kicking off speaking slots from 1 p.m. until no later than 5 p.m. The group will see some turnover, however.

Sens. Tracie Davis and Clay Yarborough replaced Audrey Gibson and Aaron Bean. Democrat Kim Daniels is back in the House, and Republicans Jessica Baker, Dean Black and Kiyan Michael are new to the chamber.

Questions may be directed to Duval legislative delegation office staff at 904-255-5105.

Other delegation meetings are pending ahead of the Session, meanwhile, including the St. Johns County legislative delegation meeting, slated for Monday, Dec. 19 at the St. Johns County Commission Chamber Auditorium in St. Augustine. The Clay County delegation will meet the same day in Green Cove Springs, at the Clay County Administration Building.

DeSantis dollars

Gov. Ron DeSantis is awarding $5.5 million to Jacksonville for infrastructure improvements at the Cecil Airport from his Job Growth Grant Fund. The money will go to build a rail connection to the Cecil Commerce Center, in what is the latest capital investment for the Westside project from the state.

DeSantis said the project would lead to 500 new jobs with an estimated economic impact of $14 million for Jacksonville while suggesting there is more to come still.

“Stay tuned; I think you’re going to see some good announcements in the future,” he said.

DeSantis already delivered “6 million smackeroos” to Cecil in 2021 for road infrastructure, so history suggests he’s right.

Department of Economic Opportunity head Dane Eagle enthused that Jacksonville “just keeps on delivering,” and that the state can step up further, adding that “local leadership is doing an excellent job, but it’s not lost on the Governor that the state could be doing more.”

DeSantis also addressed a variety of other topics at the stop, including Elon Musk and Chinese protests, but avoided one local controversy.

Tweet, tweet:

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) deflects when asked if he’s concerned about hate speech, including a Confederate flag being flown over the Jaguars game calling for monuments to be brought back:

“I’m concerned about people in the media trying to manufacture division all the time.” pic.twitter.com/qkJcGDRqph

— The Recount (@therecount) November 29, 2022

Biden bucks

More federal money is available via the city of Jacksonville for rental and utility aid starting Wednesday.

Jacksonville has already moved $62.6 million for rental and utility aid since the beginning of the pandemic, and the city announced Monday an added tranche of $3.3 million.

Applications are open as of the beginning of Wednesday, Nov. 30, and will close at the end of business Monday.

“The funds will be available to citizens to cover up to 12 months of past due rent and utility payments for rental households only that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19,” notes the city. Applicants must have an income 80% below the area median income, with priority given to those making 50% or less of AMI, or who have household residents who have been unemployed for more than three months.

Eighty percent of AMI ranges from $46,850 for a one-person household to $88,350 for an eight-person residence.

Apply here.

Brian’s song

A national talk show host with a home in Ponte Vedra and a history of insults toward Jacksonville is back in town this weekend.

Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade will be at Tom Bush BMW Saturday at noon for a book signing and an “intimate question and answer session,” in an event sponsored by WOKV, which runs his radio show.

Will he get questions about what are still fairly recent quotes?

Months ago, Kilmeade said during a broadcast that Jacksonville needed a “rebuild.”

“The city of Jacksonville’s got such great potential. They’ve got these bridges. Beautiful scenery. They’ve got to rebuild that city,” Kilmeade said, with Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” blaring as a backing track.

“It’s just a mess. The city needs to be revitalized. It has all this potential, overlooking the water,” Kilmeade added.

Some local politicians, including Mayor Lenny Curry, took the bait.

Despite saying Kilmeade was “spot on” in some criticisms, Curry contended that his first-term pension reform proposal has helped to create capital to solve some of Jacksonville’s long-standing issues.

Davis ramps up

Those close to the Daniel Davis mayoral campaign weren’t about to miss the opportunity to tell reporters that the active phase of the campaign began last week and that the more than $4 million on hand is going to be spent.

A thirty-second soft-focus ad called “Ready to Lead” from the Building a Better Economy political committee began its run during Turkey Day football games. The spot makes the case that Davis’ rise parallels that of Jacksonville itself.

“We didn’t have much but we had each other and this great city full of opportunity,” says the candidate’s wife, Rebekah Davis.

She said the candidate is “ready to lead Jacksonville to a brighter future for every family in every neighborhood.”

To watch the ad, please click on the image below:

British bulldogs

Jacksonville’s ties with the United Kingdom continue to strengthen, with the latest evidence being the British Ellerman City Liners commencing voyages to and from three European ports in December to JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.

Jacksonville will be one of three domestic ports, along with New York and Wilmington. Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Tilbury, England, will be the three foreign ports.

“Jacksonville has a strong relationship with the city of London, and we are proud to build on that partnership by offering a new direct trans-Atlantic container service from a UK-based ocean carrier,” said JAXPORT Director of Ocean Carrier Development Joyssy Woody. “Jacksonville’s location, the capabilities of our port partners, and lack of congestion continue to attract the interest of ocean carriers like Ellerman looking to take advantage of JAXPORT’s efficiencies.”

Finished goods will be imported, with forest products among the expected exports.

Showing up

There is no more virtual participation at the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners meetings, meaning those looking to speak out must now appear in person.

“In order to actually participate, they need to come to the podium, send an email, or (use) the other means that were always available to them before,” County Attorney Denise May told the Board during its organizational meeting. “For those reasons, Zoom will not be available for any Board meetings — this or your lower boards — going forward.”

She said statistics show public participation through online means has dwindled to nearly nothing. The issue came up upon review of Board procedures.

“What’s not in these procedures, and was never in your procedures, is for participation via Zoom,” May said. “The reason was (it) was not allowed under Florida law. It only came into existence during the pandemic, and that was done by Gov. DeSantis through an executive order. That executive order expired at the end of 2020, and it’s no longer valid to take part via Zoom.

“Participation using Zoom and other similar technology is problematic from a hearing perspective, from a due process perspective. Clerks cannot see who they’re swearing in, they cannot affirm the identity of anyone who may be speaking.”

Days Of Hope

Hope Haven, Northeast Florida’s leading nonprofit provider of specialized services for children and their families, is hosting Winter Days of Hope, a day camp for children ages 3—22 with physical and/or developmental disabilities.

The program — which runs Dec. 19-23, 2022, and Jan. 2-3, 2023 — offers campers a range of activities including:

— Music therapy

— Daily theme-based art projects, outdoor play, and more.

The specialized approach focuses on a student’s abilities, not diagnoses. They support social and emotional well-being and growth and supply a structured environment for kids to thrive. Siblings are welcome to sign up, too. Campers are grouped by age, maturity, and need; the camp supports a 1:5 teacher/student ratio.

Winter Days of Hope sessions will be Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A daily fee of $90 includes all program costs; no registration fees apply. For financial aid information, or to register, call (904) 346-5100. You can also email Brittany Beavers.

Winter Career Camp

Hope Haven is also offering a career camp, which focuses on a variety of job exploration, work readiness, and self-advocacy skills. The program is scheduled for Dec. 19-23, 2022, and Jan. 2-3, 2023, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The camp includes a discussion of multiple topics: Finding job postings, completing an application, interviewing, on-the-job etiquette, and communicating with others in the workplace.

The program is free to participants but requires a referral from the camper’s VR counselor.

For more assistance in the enrollment process, Hope Haven can be reached at (904) 346-5100 or [email protected].

READ JAX

Next week, Cuppa Jax will be hosting Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, who will talk about the READ JAX coalition, a group that looks to improve third-grade literacy in Jacksonville.

Cuppa Jax holds gatherings for neighborhood and community leaders; meetings are open to the public.

The discussion begins Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 a.m., in the Skyline Room, Riverplace Tower, 1301 Riverplace Blvd., Jacksonville. Admission is $15 and includes breakfast provided by Village Bread Café.

Fortune leads the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, which helps close the opportunity gap between historically underserved students and their peers in Duval County’s public schools. Having served in government, nonprofit, district and school-based roles, she draws upon significant professional experience at all levels of the education system.

A Jacksonville native, Fortune returned to her hometown as JPEF’s executive vice president in 2017 before her appointment as president in 2018.

For information and tickets, please click here.

Two points to paradise

Behold, the best 4-7 team in the National Football League? The Jacksonville Jaguars are at least making it interesting, including a dramatic comeback victory with a clinching two-point conversion in their last contest.

“It’s a strange year for us,” Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said. “You look at a lot of different things and you’re thinking, ‘This should be different.’ But you know what? I’m just amazed by the guys. Regardless of what happens, the outcome, they’re either happy or they’re mad, but they learn to put it behind them and get focused on the next challenge.

“That’s what I’ve seen. That’s what’s encouraging and as we move forward. Then a win like we did (Sunday), and it only enhances the process.”

The Jaguars are third in the AFC South, behind the 7-4 Tennessee Titans and 4-7-1 Indianapolis Colts, with the postseason being still a possibility.

The Jags get a 1 p.m. kick against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. While the Lions were a one-point betting favorite at the beginning of the week, the line’s moved toward Jacksonville, which was favored by 1-1.5 points, depending on venue, as of late Tuesday.