Jacksonville Bold for 8.16.23: Diversity Counts

Jacksonville, Florida, USA downtown city skyline at dusk.

— Diversity counts —

The Donna Deegan administration has produced a spreadsheet backing up claims of demographic diversity in the Mayor’s office.

“We’ve also looked at the numbers, and I am proud that our new hires look a lot like Jacksonville to date,” Deegan said last week. “Twenty-six percent of our new appointments are African American. Nine percent are Asian American, and 6% other ethnicities. Three percent of our new appointments are Native Hawaii residents or Pacific Islander, 9% LGBTQ, and across the city of Jacksonville, our workforce includes 5% Hispanic.”

The Deegan administration’s appointments are marginally Whiter than the city at large, at 56% compared to Jacksonville’s 55%.

However, the Mayor’s Office itself is 65% white.

Appointments are marginally less Black than the city overall, with 26% African American compared to 31% in the city population. To date, there are no Hispanic employees in the Mayor’s Office, according to the spreadsheet.

Deegan claimed her team is “15% more diverse in Jacksonville’s city administration than we were in the previous administration.”

Per the spreadsheet, former Mayor Lenny Curry’s office was 79% White and 21% Black.

— Wait and see —

Jacksonville’s Mayor weighs in on legal developments that could see a path toward a Democratic congressional seat in North Florida.

Democrat Deegan says she is “hopeful this lawsuit will be successful and give Black voters in Jacksonville the ability to elect the candidate of their choice.”

A joint stipulation agreement was reached Friday in the legal challenge against what plaintiffs call “unconstitutional congressional maps” in Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute v. Byrd, which focuses on the former 5th Congressional District that ran from the Tallahassee area to downtown Jacksonville. The challenge to the maps passed in 2022 by the Legislature could restore that district, thus giving Black voters in North Florida a chance at representation.

Jacksonville is currently divided between two safe Republican congressional seats, with Duval County’s North and West sides yoked to Nassau and Clay County since 2022 to create a seat represented by Fernandina Beach’s Rep. Aaron Bean.

Previously, much of that area was represented by former Reps. Al Lawson (CD 5) and Corrine Brown, but a redistricting map insisted upon by Gov. Ron DeSantis ended Duval’s tradition of having at least one Democrat-controlled seat in Congress.

Lawson has already suggested he might want to run again for the seat should it be reinstated. The former Congressman endorsed Deegan for Mayor this year. Still, Deegan’s not offering a preemptive endorsement for him or anyone else, saying she doesn’t “want to make predictions about a hypothetical district or field of candidates.”

Speaking of Bean, he’s not saying much.

“We will not comment on pending litigation, and Congressman Bean is very proud to represent and serve his constituents and community in Congress,” asserts Bean spokesperson Sarah Bascom.

— Delegation doings —

Jacksonville’s legislators want to hear from the public before the 2024 Legislative Session.

The Duval Delegation’s Local Bill Public Hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Jacksonville City Council Chambers at City Hall. For the unfamiliar, that’s located at 117 W. Duval Street, First Floor, City Hall — St. James Building, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

Are you interested in speaking? Email [email protected] for a speaker’s form. If you do not receive a response within two days, please call the Delegation office at (904) 255-5011. This form and all material for the meeting must be received by Sept. 22, 2023.

The local bill is still being finalized at this writing, meanwhile. Expect updates at their dedicated webpage: Delegation meeting information webpage.

— Back to the Bay —

Guess who’s back?

The Tributary’s Andrew Pantazi and Jacksonville Bold’s A.G. Gancarski will deliver an encore performance Friday at First Coast Tiger Bay.

The excitement kicks off at 11:30 a.m. at the River Club, located way up in the sky on the 34th floor of 1 Independent Drive.

The discussion will focus on the early days of the Deegan administration, including the new mayor’s audacious nominations of Randy DeFoor to be the city’s General Counsel and Al Ferraro to run Neighborhoods. Do they have a shot to get through the GOP supermajority City Council?

Time will tell about that and other issues.

Interested in attending? Email [email protected] sooner than later.

— Market malaise —

There has never been a worse time to buy a home in Northeast Florida.

At least, that’s the case if housing affordability is a concern for buyers, according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.

The Housing Affordability index is at its lowest level ever: 65.

“This reflects Northeast Florida’s home affordability index rate registering at 65, which is down 3% from last month and 12% from last year,” said 2023 NEFAR President Diana Galavis.

For those unacquainted with this metric: “An index of 100 is defined as the point where a median-income family has the exact amount of income needed to purchase a median-priced existing home. An index value over 100 means that the family has more than enough income, while a value below 100 means that a family doesn’t have enough income to qualify for a mortgage loan.”

In July, sales of single-family homes were off 20% from the June levels in Northeast Florida, and macroeconomic conditions may be the culprit.

“Interest rates, the cost of goods and services, and available supply are all factors in the decline in closed sales,” Galavis added.

Despite these problems, sellers are still getting 98% of their listing price, a number driven primarily by the continued red-hot market in St. Johns County, where July 2023 median prices jumped 5.7% to $585,000 for single-family homes and the “affordability index slid 6.4% to 44, demonstrating that it is terribly expensive to live in St. Johns County.”

(Not that it’s much cheaper to own a home anywhere else in the area, as those unlucky recipients of the latest inflated property tax notices can attest.)

— Slide elide —

Jacksonville City Council member Matt Carlucci is a State Farm agent by trade, and his professional roles collided when he offered unsolicited advice about a competitor in the troubled Florida property insurance sector.

Last week, he tweeted: “If you have a Citizens homeowner insurance opportunity to move away from Citizens to Slide insurance co, I advise against moving to Slide Ins. Co. Slide ins co. does not share the same values I feel important. Stay with citizens and stay away from ‘Slide Ins. Co.’”

“I deleted the tweet because I probably should not have put it up,” Carlucci told The Florida Standard on Monday. Pressed further, Carlucci said he had a “very distasteful experience” with Slide but did not offer the Standard details.

Florida’s insurance crisis has become national news and a pressure point for the Governor in his presidential campaign. Citizens has the most customers it ever has, and the Governor has raised the possibility of the company being unable to handle payouts if a massive storm hits Florida. Slide, meanwhile, is one of the new market entrants.

Customers are forced to move to private companies if they offer rates up to 20% more than Citizens, so it’s uncertain how many Jacksonville homeowners can take Carlucci’s advice.

— Children’s story —

Some good news for children dealing with mental health issues: Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville will add a 20-bed behavioral health and wellness unit early next year tailored to minors.

The news, first reported by Florida Trend, will nearly double the hospital’s capacity for dealing with psychiatric issues with its youngest patients. And it will be a regional boon: currently, only 65 beds between Daytona and Fernandina Beach are available.

The state is funding $5 million for this purpose, and The Players’ Championship is chipping in another $3 million. This is helpful, especially given that Medicaid reimbursement formulae don’t fully subsidize this treatment.

The hospital contends that 95% of pediatric patients with mental health issues seek voluntary treatment.

— Cool it now —

With August’s extraordinary heat finally ending, the Deegan administration has hard numbers for its introduction of cooling centers, with 408 visitors between Aug. 7 and Aug. 13.

Five hundred thirty-five water bottles were distributed, along with 630 JTA rides. And despite best efforts, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue reported 73 calls for heat-related illnesses.

“As we are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel regarding the excessive heat, it is wonderful that our partners have helped us keep people safe and out of danger. This is truly a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together,” said Dr. Sunil Joshi, Chief Health Officer.

“(More than) 400 people have benefited from the Cooling Centers in the last week, and this has likely helped to cut back on JFRD calls and ER visits for heat-related illnesses. We still need to remain vigilant and remind people to stay hydrated and to minimize outdoor activities as much as possible during the hottest times of the day,” Joshi added.

— Fashion-forward —

JAXPORT hasn’t been a name typically associated with high fashion, until now.

Chief Operating Officer James Bennett will serve as Master of Ceremonies during this month’s @wtsnefl Going Places VII Fashion Show on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

“This event supports the organization’s scholarship and professional development programs in Northeast Florida to advance women in the transportation industry,” the group asserted in an X post this week.

Bennett isn’t the only big-name who will be in attendance, however.

“Jacksonville City Council Member Ju’Coby Pittman will serve as your Mistress of Ceremonies,” the event page notes. “Many of Jacksonville’s leaders in the transportation industry will model the latest in Dillard’s fashion while sharing cherished tidbits on their career journeys.”

Tickets are $65 each. Table sponsorships are available at $480.

To register, click the link here.

— Yacht rock —

Kudos to Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who is finally upgrading that boat he calls a yacht.

Luxury Launches reports that Khan, who seeks a billion dollars from Jacksonville taxpayers (more on that below), has commissioned “a 400-foot mammoth, $360 million Project Jag owned by Jacksonville Jaguars billionaire owner Shahid Khan. The superyacht will feature indoor and outdoor cinema, spa, gym, and a beautiful silver Jaguar mascot on her bow.”

“If Kismet could accommodate her owner’s extravagant lifestyle and his entire sports team, Project Jag would surely do it with more luxury. As opposed to Kismet’s eight guest cabins, Project Jag accommodates 20 guests across 11 staterooms, looked after by a crew of 40. This floating homage will feature a well-designed indoor theater and also an al fresco cinema setup. A helipad, wellness center, well-equipped gymnasium, several toys, and tenders are part of the $360 million megayacht. With a bigger, better boat Khan will shell out a minimum of $30 million annually in running costs,” Luxury Launches notes.

We can’t wait to see Khan park his new ship on the Northbank Riverwalk during one of his infrequent visits to Duval. If our luck holds out, we will see what exactly “several toys” means in the original write-up.

Thanks to Vito Stellino, sports reporting legend and yacht connoisseur, for the boat tip.

— Ready to negotiate —

The city of Jacksonville has named its tribute to the trial by combat that will be the negotiations over the Jaguars’ stadium overhaul.

The city announced Tuesday that the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP will represent Jacksonville in the negotiations.

“After a comprehensive selection process and in accordance with the mayor’s desire to bring in an experienced, highly reputable outside law firm, we have chosen Sidley Austin LLP to represent the City in upcoming negotiations,” interim CFO Mike Weinstein said in a statement. “We look forward to the partnership with Sidley Austin and to kicking off negotiations with the Jaguars by the end of August.”

Sidley Austin is headquartered in Chicago, and their most recent professional sports negotiation includes representing the State of New York in stadium negotiations with the Buffalo Bills and representing the new owners of the Washington Commanders. Hence, they have experience on both sides of the table.

In Buffalo, Sidley put Irwin Raij at the spear’s tip to handle negotiations. The $1.4 billion stadium plan will be funded by $850 million in public funds, the largest public commitment for an NFL stadium. $600 million will come from the state budget in New York, while another quarter of a billion dollars will come from Erie County.

That record could be surpassed if the Jaguars get their way. The team proposes the $2 billion plan as a 50-50 split.

In Sidley’s role with the Washington Commanders, they represented a consortium of investors, including Mitchell Rales, the consortium’s lead investor, basketball legend Magic Johnson and others as they, along with Joshua Harris, completed the purchase of the football team in a $6.05 billion acquisition of the team, the largest in this history of North American pro sports.

The administration will introduce the law firm to the City Council and the community at next Tuesday’s council meeting.