Jacksonville Bold for 1.3.24: Now what?

2023 was an epic year for Jacksonville, which included the installation of the city’s first female Mayor after May’s election and the removal of the city’s last confederate monument after Christmas.

A historic year? Absolutely.

And now it’s history.

2024 brings us everything from the national presidential election to the Senate re-election bid for Rick Scott, affecting statewide readers. Still, here in Jacksonville — and Bold — we are watching out for local ramifications of issues that may not make Fox News or MSNBC but still matter.

Here’s a big one: what happens with the congressional redistricting map?

As you may recall, the drama of 2022 was the new schematic that changed the former East-West Congressional District 5, once held by Democrats, to a safe-ish Republican seat. A lower court demanded that the map be redrawn; an appeals court sided with the original product.

While the Governor believes the Supreme Court he stacked will side with his product, it’s worth noting there is federal action on this front.

Stay tuned.

Another issue worth staying tuned to is another one that could be described as unfinished business: what blowback, if any, comes from Jacksonville’s removal of the Women of the Southland structure from the former Confederate Park?

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wouldn’t have removed the monument had he been Mayor Donna Deegan. New legislation filed for the 2024 Session looks to protect monuments to all wars — even though the Civil War is the one people really care about. Could Tallahassee produce something that could compel Deegan to put the monument back or force a court showdown regarding the Dean Black bill? Deegan’s general counsel says it is “unconstitutional.”

Stay tuned again.

Speaking of Deegan, it’s hard to imagine her administration getting much in the way of appropriations from Tallahassee this year. Former Mayor Lenny Curry’s team often didn’t jibe with the Governor’s staff. Still, it brought home the bacon (such as $75 million for the future University of Florida campus downtown). We’re not confident DeSantis will sign off on $75 million of Jacksonville appropriations even if he’s in office through 2026.

Local appropriations are also likely in the form of a stadium deal. We don’t know where they stand six months into the administration, even on the offer presented to the previous Mayor. This will be a big taffy pull and it’s surprising, given the capital outlay that some enterprising Jacksonville City Council member isn’t pushing for a referendum to see what voters have to say about the spend.

Turning to elections, it still looks like the most interesting locally will be in August, when HD 13 Democrat Angie Nixon faces a Primary challenge from political veteran Brenda Priestly Jackson.

Most of our Primaries will lack drama and this one will, too, in the end. But suppose Jacksonville’s power structure wants a potentially more productive legislator in the safe Democratic seat than Nixon has been. In that case, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where Republican money enters this western and northern Duval County race.

Another interesting scenario to watch: who will be the next Jacksonville City Council Vice President?

Barring something cataclysmic, the next President will be current VP Randy White. And the next VP will likely be in line for the presidency during the pivotal third year of the Deegan administration. Our bet is on Finance Chair Nick Howland, but we want to hear why other options may prevail.

Are we missing things here? Undoubtedly.

2024 will be another news-filled year. And trust Jacksonville Bold to guide you through it.

Congressional kudos

The two Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Jacksonville area celebrated a year of accomplishments as 2023 ended.

John Rutherford cites “preventing the executive branch from legislating by fiat through the REINS Act,” creating a select committee to “stop Joe Biden’s weaponization of government,” a military pay raise, and eliminating the military vaccine mandate among his accomplishments.

He also notes more than 19,000 constituent responses, 306 meetings and nearly 2,300 constituents helped via casework.

“I’m proud of all we have achieved this year and will continue partnering with my colleagues to rein in reckless spending, hold our government accountable, unleash domestic energy production, defend constitutional rights, uphold law and order and secure our open border,” Rutherford writes.

Aaron Bean, finishing his first year representing Nassau, Clay, and northern and western Duval counties, says, “2023 has been nothing short of historic, and it has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your U.S. Congressman in our nation’s capital.”

Among his accomplishments: $1,089,972 returned to taxpayers; 60,000 responses to constituent letters; 432 constituent meetings and town halls; Telephone Town Halls with 40,000+ constituents.

New judge

Before the end of the year, DeSantis selected L.E. Hutton, formerly of the 4th Circuit State Attorney’s Office, to the 4th Circuit bench.

At the very least, the former chief assistant attorney should know who the prosecuting attorneys are.

“L.E. Hutton has proven himself as a talented prosecutor with exceptional intellect and work ethic,” said State Attorney Melissa Nelson. “He will be a valuable asset to our judiciary, and I commend Gov. Ron DeSantis on this outstanding judicial appointment.”

“I am appreciative of the trust the Governor has placed in me to continue my dutiful service to this community, and I am grateful for this tremendous opportunity,” said Hutton.

Hutton started his new role Jan. 2.

Campaign cash

A St. Johns County Republican wants to repeal the Florida Election Campaign Financing Act.

For the uninitiated, that’s Section 7 of Article VI of the state constitution, a provision ceding matching funds for candidates that agree to spending limits.

Sen. Travis Hutson’s SB 1114 would, if passed, let voters this year decide on whether they want to end the provision that has been in effect since the Legislature passed it way back in 1986 — an era in which Florida and its campaign finance looked very different from the way they do today. The FECFA was the culmination of efforts that dated back to the post-Watergate reform movement of the 1970s.

Matching funds currently are contingent on caps from personal wealth or that of political parties. Those accepting money must spend less than $25,000 of their own money, with a $250,000 aggregate cap on contributions from a political party’s national, state and county executive committees.

Vet bet

A Clay County Republican is eyeing reforms for animal doctors during this year’s Legislative Session.

Sen. Jennifer Bradley has a couple of bills to that end, including SB 1040, called the “Providing Equity in Telehealth Services” (PETS) Act. The bill would allow any currently licensed vet to do a telehealth examination “within the context of a veterinarian/client/patient relationship.” Many drugs can be prescribed under this framework, but controlled substances are excluded.

Bradley also carries SB 1038, the “Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act.”

That legislation contemplates allowing someone with a master’s degree from an approved program or “who meets standards approved by the board and is authorized to perform veterinary medical services delegated by a supervising veterinarian” greater autonomy to perform many acts expected from animal doctors, with the exceptions of sterilization, dental surgery or prescribe drugs.

Bipartisan bill

Teamwork makes the dream work for the chair of the Duval County Republican Party and a Jacksonville Democrat who has worked across party lines for years.

Reps. Black and Kim Daniels are teaming up on HB 949, which expands the eligibility pool for priority enrollment for Medicaid-based home and community services.

If the bill becomes law, an “individual who has resided in a licensed assisted living facility in this state for at least six months, or for 30 days following referral by the Department of Children and Families, and who requires assistance with two or more activities of daily living” would be added to the “list of those who are afforded priority enrollment for Medicaid home & community-based services through long-term care managed care program & do not have to complete screening or waitlist process.”

Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami-Dade Republican, is carrying the identical Senate bill, which has already been referred to committees.

If this bill becomes law, it will take effect in July.

12 is enough.

Rep. Cyndi Stevenson is looking to cap terms of service for people in the Municipal Service District of Ponte Vedra Beach.

Her HB 1025 contemplates changing a law dating back to 1990.

“The term of office of the District Trustees elected at each succeeding election shall be four years, except that a person may not appear on the ballot for re-election to the office of Trustee if, by the end of his or her current term of office, the person will have served, or but for resignation would have served, in that office for a total of 12 years, provided that any Trustee currently in office and serving an unexpired term in office will be permitted to complete that term in office.”

The new language would supersede and strike the current ban on serving more than two consecutive 4-year terms, replacing it instead with a cumulative cap.

Cashing out

A Jacksonville Beach City Council member is leaving office in light of a new state law compelling disclosure of all sources of income exceeding $1,000.

As first reported by First Coast News, Cory Nichols claims the new requirements that “force local elected officials to change financial disclosures from Form 1 to Form 6 (constitute) a major overreach and a direct attack on ‘Home Rule’ for local communities.”

Nichols, who was in the same Leadership Jacksonville cohort as our own A.G. Gancarski, objects to the law as “unnecessarily invasive and will keep highly qualified candidates from participating in local government to the detriment of our beloved communities.”

Interestingly, a former member of the state ethics commission who serves on Jacksonville’s City Council frames the law differently.

“We saw two things, lots of conflicts of interest that came up, and they were identified because of Form 6. And the second thing it did was it, we saw a lot of people who did not fill out the form correctly,” Matt Carlucci told WJXT.

“Let’s say that I’m investing in such and such development company and that development company has a development come before the body that I’m sitting on, and I vote in favor of it because it’s a developer that will help that company make a lot of money, which in turn will make my investment make more money; that would be a conflict. And those conflicts happen at times. These disclosures, when filled out correctly, mitigate those kinds of problems.”

Shore Thing

A Houston company will get $32M+ to repair “critically eroded beach within the municipalities of Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach, extending from the St. Johns River to the Duval-St. Johns Co. line.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., LLC will handle the Shore Protection Project starting this year.

“The project will be 100% federally funded through Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies money,” the USACE notes.

“The beach re-nourishment includes (the) construction of both a dune and beach berm with sand sourced from a federally administered offshore borrow area. Beach restoration work will include beach tilling, vibration control and monitoring, environmental species monitoring and turbidity monitoring.”

For the children

On Thursday, Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital leaders will preview a new inpatient pediatric behavioral health unit, which should help children who need help get it.

“This new 20-bed unit will reduce wait times by 50%, expanding the capacity to care for children and teens requiring hospitalization for serious mental health conditions,” the hospital notes. “Opening to patients in March 2024, this unit will be a welcoming, comforting and innovative space that will help save more lives and meet a crucial and critical need in the North Florida community.”

Expect a bipartisan group of lawmakers to be on hand, including Reps. Wyman Duggan and Sam Garrison and Sens. Jennifer Bradley, Tracie Davis and Clay Yarborough.

Save the date

Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and the St. Johns County Chamber are planning a lunch for next week and are accepting advance registrations now.

The event is next Thursday at noon at the Casa Marina in Jacksonville Beach.

Erin Waller, the current Administrator of Marketing and Communications at UF Health St. Johns, will discuss what the event invite calls a “flawless launch of their rebranding, which included everything from news releases, marketing and advertising, public appearances, and multiple social media campaigns across multiple platforms.”

Tickets are $30 if bought before noon next Wednesday, with $35 tickets at the door if available. Vegetarian meal options are available for advance sign-ups.

Tepper tantrum

The Jaguars’ home schedule is over, but there is still a question about an incident at the final home game against the luckless Carolina Panthers on New Year’s Eve, even after the National Football League fined him $300,000 this week.

In the wake of Panthers owner David Tepper throwing a drink from a taxpayer-funded suite at a fan in the stands after his team’s loss, silence has prevailed from the Jaguars and city officials, including Mayor Deegan, who was at the game.

NBC’s Mike Florio suggests that Tepper, worth more than $20 billion, might be holding his tongue in anticipation of a lawsuit.

“His lawyers might be telling him to say nothing since anything he says can and will be used against him if/when he’s sued for assault and/or battery. But nothing he says will change what he did unless he has a semi-plausible defense. There’s no harm in apologizing for something like this. There’s plenty of harm in remaining silent. And there’s apparently no one on the payroll who can persuade him of the importance of truly being sorry — and of saying so.”

Yet that doesn’t explain the silence of local policymakers or the franchise that wants more than a billion dollars of taxpayer money for a stadium renovation this decade.

Locals likely won’t get a chance to weigh in, referendum style, on whether they want to spend the money. And that’s ultimately a policy decision of the Mayor’s Office and the City Council. These parties don’t necessarily want to hear what people have to say about borrowing money to benefit (Shad) Khan, who is worth roughly $12 billion himself.

The fact that these same parties are conspicuously silent on Tepper’s temper tantrum is yet another sign, should it have been needed, that the rules that apply to the paycheck-to-paycheck set don’t apply to the moneyed plutocracy.

Best matchup for the Jaguars?

The Jaguars can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South title Sunday with a win in Nashville over the Tennessee Titans. They can also clinch a wild-card spot with a loss if the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos both lose.

There are a handful of potential matchups for the Jaguars in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Assuming the Jaguars are healthier once the playoffs arrive (looking at you, Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk and Zay Jones), who is the best matchup for Jacksonville in the first round?

If the Jaguars win the division, they will earn the #4 seed in the AFC playoffs, earning them a matchup with the fifth seed, the wild-card team with the best record. If they make a wild-card spot, the Jaguars would be the #7 seed and would face the #2 seed, the division winner with the best record behind the Baltimore Ravens, who have already clinched the top seed.

Here are the possibilities:

Cleveland Browns — This is the most likely scenario. The Browns have 11 wins and face the Bengals in the regular season finale. Cincinnati has an outside shot at the playoffs, but the Browns have clinched a wild-card spot and can’t win the division because of the Ravens’ dominance. The Jaguars faced the Browns Dec. 10 and Joe Flacco torched the Jaguars for 311 yards and three touchdowns. That game was in Cleveland. The playoff game would be in Jacksonville, but Flacco has continued his hot play since returning to the league and taking over as the Browns starter. Not a great matchup for the Jaguars.

Miami Dolphins — Should the Jaguars lose the finale and make it in as a wild card, they could face the Miami Dolphins in the first round. The game would be played in Miami. It’s an intriguing matchup. The Jaguars would have felt very good about the meeting a month ago. Miami runs the ball exceptionally well, but the Jaguars were stopping the run as well as anyone in the league before December hit. They struggled against the run in a four-game losing streak. This game would have some interesting storylines, including the Jaguars facing Jalen Ramsey, now with the Dolphins and a postseason rematch from Jacksonville’s most glorious moment, a 62-7 whipping of Miami in the playoffs following the 1999 season.

Buffalo Bills — The Bills and Dolphins meet in Week 18. If Buffalo wins, they will win the AFC East and assume the #2 seed in the playoffs. It might be the best option for the Jaguars. The game would be played in Buffalo, which wouldn’t help Jacksonville’s situation. But the Bills have so much recent playoff PTSD that the pressure would be on Bills quarterback Josh Allen and company to deliver.

Then again, after the way December has played out for the Jaguars, making it to the playoffs might be reward enough.