Jacksonville Bold for 5.8.24: Jax sports tourism

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To increase sports tourism in the city, a coalition of political and political-adjacent leaders is launching the Jacksonville Sports Foundation.

The foundation’s Board will consist of Visit JAX CEO Michael Corrigan, former Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Hyde, Debbie Buckland of Pinnacle Financial Partners, Bank of America’s Jacksonville President Mark Bennett, former PwC partner and City Council candidate Mike Muldoon, and Visit JAX SFO Sarina Weichens.

“We are dedicated to elevating Jacksonville as Florida’s premier sports destination that leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come through passion, collaboration and innovation,” Corrigan said.

The group began investigating the need last Summer, along with current City Council President Ron Salem, who worked with Corrigan in January to find funding from the Tourism Development Council.

The group plans to bid first for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Jacksonville hosted the first and second-round games in the men’s tournament in 2006, 2010 and 2015.

The NCAA has already announced host sites for the 2025 and 2026 basketball tournaments. The group is also beginning to target other events.

“Absolutely. The current 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 NCAA bid cycle is just one set of bids the Jacksonville Sports Foundation will help attract to our area,” Corrigan said. “We are already working on AAU Track & Field championships, college conference championships, elite soccer matches and MLB RBI Regionals, to name a few.”

The Jacksonville Sports Foundation is filing for 501(c)(3) status to operate as a nonprofit organization.

The history of similar organizations in Jacksonville is varied. The Sports and Entertainment office operated as part of the city government but encountered obstacles due to Florida’s Sunshine Laws.

Gator Bowl Sports took over event recruitment when Alan Verlander left the city government and joined the Gator Bowl. Eventually, Verlander left the Gator Bowl and launched his own company, and the Jaguars took over some of the administrative duties from the Gator Bowl.

That left a need for a nongovernmental organization to spearhead sports tourism in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Sports Foundation’s organizers studied several similar-sized cities to determine the best operating methods. Charlotte, North Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, and Columbus, Ohio, were among the cities the Jacksonville group studied.

“Most importantly, to be truly successful, the key is to include the entire community in this effort,” Corrigan said. “Sports has the ability to bring people together. When the corporate community partners with the political leadership and the citizens they represent, communities are positively changed for decades to come.

“Jacksonville has a long history of proving this to be true; the evolution of the Greater Jacksonville Open to The Players, our city being awarded an NFL franchise, and Jacksonville hosting the Super Bowl are great examples of what we can accomplish when our community comes together through sports.”

The group held its first board meeting in April to approve bylaws and is still developing policies and procedures.

Liberty bell

With four of seven Duval County School Board races up for grabs in 2024, the Moms for Liberty endorsement looks likely to be coveted by some candidates — and rejected by others, assuming they were in the mix to get it, such as the one candidate who sent us their questionnaire and called it the most “stupid” one he’s seen yet.

“Out of all of the questionnaires our campaign received, this was just plain embarrassing. The Moms for Liberty questionnaire was stupid and further shows the lack of substance and actual care about education these fiends have,” said Travis Akers, who was up against M4L-adjacent Melody Bolduc for an open seat, before withdrawing from the race.

Since we have the questionnaire, we may as well review some of the questions asked of candidates.

If you think things like “who the new Superintendent should be” or “which schools should be closed” are among them, you don’t know M4L.

The main thrust is ideological.

“Please indicate if you support or oppose the following: Teaching minors that they can change their gender … Comphrehensive (sic) Sexual Education and sexually explicit content in school libraries … Critical Race Theory and the idea that America is systemically racist … Marxism, socialism, and/or communism … Woke Social Emotional Learning.”

Additionally, M4L wants to know how candidates fund their campaigns and who they roll with.

“What other endorsements have you received or are you seeking? Please include teachers unions, PACs, political parties, notable community members, and more.”

The questionnaire leads to what M4L calls a “short Zoom interview” for prospective endorsees.

For those in the district caught flat-footed by the Board exploring closing schools just a couple of years after getting a tax passed to beef up infrastructure, it might be helpful to know that one of the most prominent endorsements available doesn’t even touch on questions like that. Instead, it prefers to probe ideology over the nuts and bolts of managing a district that’s losing students and appears likely to lose staff in the upcoming academic year.

Nixon joins protests

A Democrat running for re-election in the August Primary in HD 13 is standing with people protesting Israel at the University of North Florida.

As the Florida Phoenix reports, Rep. Angie Nixon recently attended a pro-Palestine protest on campus.

“I wanted them to know that there are some elected officials that support them and also wanted them to know that they are on the right side of history,” Nixon said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to advocate against the killing of innocent people, and I wanted to encourage them and uplift them. You know, let them know that they’re doing the right thing. Even though they may not feel that way, and even though those in leadership who they should look toward may not say that.”

Nixon, who famously carried a failed House resolution last year urging cease-fire in the wake of Hamas attacks driving Israeli retaliation that continues to this writing, is running against former Jacksonville City Council member Brenda Priestly Jackson in the August Primary.

Electric youth

Democrat Benjamin Sandlin is answering the party’s call to run in House District 12, which crosses the St. Johns River in southern Duval County.

The tale of the tape appears lopsided between the 20-year-old University of North Florida student and his November opponent, aged 55: Rep. Wyman Duggan, a close ally of incoming Speaker Danny Perez.

Duggan has more than half a million dollars to spend as of the Q1 fundraising report.

Sandlin?

Less than a grand.

Despite that disparity, the UNF student is confident that his message can break through to people sick of politics as usual — and says that even though he’s young, the Legislature gives him no reason to wait.

“The Legislature isn’t gonna wait for me to get older. They haven’t waited for me to get older to (pass) ‘Don’t Say Gay’ in schools, to demonize students, demonize public schoolteachers. They haven’t waited until I’m older to gut the public school system in favor of private school vouchers. They haven’t waited until older to crack down on voting rights,” Sandlin said.

“They don’t have much concern for my generation and they don’t seem to be hesitant in their actions. So, I don’t see why I should have to be hesitant in mine. I see what I’m seeing and think it’s wrong, and I want to take a stand now.”

Read more here.

Anchors away

Looking to get involved in the Jacksonville Shipyards West design process?

Well, get to the public library anytime between now and 7 p.m., as city representatives want your input.

And that includes your Mayor.

“The Shipyards West Park Design Project is a vital part of our commitment to enhancing Jacksonville’s public spaces and waterfront,” said Mayor Donna Deegan. “We are eager to gather community feedback to ensure the park meets the needs and expectations of our citizens.”

Head to the Main Branch Lounge, where you can talk to the design team or Parks Department staff (or both), participate in interactive sessions, and offer feedback.

“The team’s goal is to understand the planning efforts that have come before it, how its shipbuilding past will inform what is possible in the park’s design, and what the neighborhoods that surround this space envision for its future. It’s your opportunity to help shape the future of the Jacksonville riverfront and its connections to your community!”

Big ticket

To understand the future, you must understand the past.

The recent past offers yet another illustration that city electeds, appointeds, and hangers-on really enjoy the perk of free admission to Jacksonville Jaguars games and the once-a-year Florida-Georgia tilt.

Of the $18,436.05 in gifts from the City of Jacksonville to the Mayor’s Office for Jaguars games, six $140 tickets for an Aug. 26 preseason game, three parking passes at $35 each, and $1,165.10 in food at that contest were included. If the accounting is accurate, this would cost nearly $200 per attendee.

The biggest tranche of Jaguars-related gifts was 96 season tickets for games on Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 15, Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Dec. 4, Dec. 17 and Dec. 31. At $140 each, that comes out to $13,440.

An additional $840 went on 24 $35 parking passes for each of those seven home dates, suggesting parking was a very reasonable $5 per game per person or that the Form 9 number needed to be multiplied by seven. It needs to be clarified why the Mayor’s Office chose the amount of parking passes it did for distribution.

According to Form 9 filings, food was procured for the first two September games. The home opener cost $1,147.03, while the game on Sept. 24 cost $898.92. A city spokesperson didn’t know why there was no itemization for the rest of the schedule but suggested the other games saw similar costs.

The most recent Form 9, filed March 28, solely addressed the $19.068.96 spent on the Florida-Georgia game: 24 suite tickets at $709.17 each (for a total of $17,020.08), $1,808 in food ($75.37 a person), and three parking passes at $80 each.

Spokesperson Phil Perry said there was no connection between the tickets and other perks and the stadium process, noting correctly that the Deegan administration didn’t begin the practice, which is funded historically by the Sports and Entertainment budget.

“The city’s negotiators are working with the Jaguars to reach agreement on a fair stadium renovation deal. Access to game tickets that the city pays for is completely separate and has nothing to do with the negotiation process. These tickets have been part of the current stadium lease agreement for (at least 30) years across administrations and well before the stadium renovation was even under consideration,” Perry said.

Read the full story here.

Friendly skies

Flying out of Jacksonville?

You aren’t likely to meet friendlier airport workers anywhere you’re going.

That’s the take from Upgraded Points, which says only Portland and Indianapolis have more amicable staff.

“Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) ranks third with a friendliness score of 39, further highlighting the importance of exceptional service in the airport industry. At JAX, passengers consistently receive cheerful assistance, ensuring each trip is as pleasant as possible.”

Nearly 10% of reviews mention friendly staff, and roughly 3% mention friendly TSA agents.

That’s a big deal for Northeast Florida.

“Whether you’re a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, the friendliness of airport staff significantly influences your travel experience. Here’s to the airports and staff members who go above and beyond, making every departure, layover, and arrival not just a process but a part of our journey to remember,” the website says.

India ink

Could South Asian expats have a greater presence in this area’s housing market, as they do in Canada and other places? And could Jaxsons have more of a chance of relocating to the subcontinent?

The Florida Times-Union reports two possible results from a memorandum of understanding between the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and India.

“The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors announced a memorandum of understanding with India in March. Currently, India has restrictions, so only people born in the country can buy land or property in India, but NAR India is working to lift those restrictions. With the amount of population growth Northeast Florida has been experiencing over the last few years and the increased numbers of home sales and Realtors, this could be the beginning of a trend for NEFAR’s relationships with other Realtors on a global scale,” writes Alexandria Mansfield.

Per Mansfield, there was a “strong desire” from NAR India for the MOU “because they recognized that many Indian families lived in Northeast Florida already and that the region has available land and a more affordable economy for homebuyers and commercial properties.”

Amelia ascendant

Yet more national recognition is coming to one of Northeast Florida’s most treasured spots, courtesy of Global Traveler USA.

Amelia Island was named the “Best Island in the United States.”

The island in Nassau County had stiff competition for the 12th Leisure Lifestyle Awards, finishing ahead of St. Simons & Little St. Simons, Hilton Head Island, Marco Island, and Maui.

The publication surveyed its readers from July 15, 2023, through March 8, 2024, with “open-ended questions for the best in many categories of leisure, luxury and lifestyle travel.”

The poll excluded people connected to the magazine or the travel industry.

Breaking the law

The Jacksonville Jaguars may not be one of the best franchises in the NFL.

However, according to a recent study, the team has the “least behaved” players, leading all but three others.

“The 45 arrests mean that Jaguars players were arrested 35.21% more than players of the average franchise,” claims the online site Flash Picks.

That puts the Jags below the Cincinnati Bengals regarding arrests but directly ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The message to be gleaned? There is little correlation between criminality and winning football.