Jacksonville Bold for 7.3.24: Please Mr. Postman

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It takes a village to get the mail.

That’s one potential takeaway from four GOP legislators from Florida teaming up to solve a delivery disaster affecting locals who want to get their mail in a timely fashion.

Reps. Aaron Bean, Kat Cammack, John Rutherford and Michael Waltz teamed up with Georgia colleague Buddy Carter to improve service for Jacksonville postal customers.

“We write to you today regarding the unsatisfactory results produced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) located in Jacksonville, Florida. This center services portions of both Southern Georgia and Northern Florida. Since the beginning of the new year, our offices have been inundated with complaints regarding delivery delays and lost mail. These complaints originate from members of the local newspaper industry to everyday citizens looking to mail a letter or package,” reads the letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

“Our constituents rely on the USPS for timely delivery of newspapers, lifesaving medications, and all other types of parcels. Some of our constituents have lost confidence in the postal system that was established before the founding of the United States. It is unacceptable for your tenure atop this department to stain a more than two-century-old reputation.”

The letter includes an invite to DeJoy to see what’s going on for himself.

Helping friends

Sen. Tracie Davis technically has a Primary challenge in Senate District 5, but her political committee isn’t spending money on that — it’s spending money to help other Democrats.

In the week ending June 21, Davis’ “Together We Stand” political committee spent nearly $130,000, and none of it was on her re-election.

The biggest contribution was the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which got $50,000.

Senate Candidates Kristen Arrington (who faces three other Democrats, including former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson), Daryl Parks, and Geraldine Thompson each got $1,000. “Friends of Arrington” and two other political committees controlled by Mark Herron also got $25,000 each.

However, Primary opponent Francky Jeanty had less than $1,000 on hand at the last check, so this wave of generosity won’t hurt the candidate.

Spread love

Though Rep. Wyman Duggan does have a November race in HD 12 against Democratic challenger Ben Sandlin, he’s nonetheless helping out other Republicans with some of the cash from his political committee.

While $11,000 may be a rounding error when an account has nearly half a million dollars on hand like Duggan’s Citizens for Building Florida’s Future (not to mention roughly $70,000 in his campaign account), the donations seem strategic — especially if Duggan does, as many speculate, want to run for Jacksonville Mayor in 2027.

The committee donated $5,000 to the Duval County Republicans and another $1,000 to Chair Dean Black. It also gave $2,500 to Florida Voters Against Extremism, a committee largely funded by the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. Furthermore, it gave $1,000 to judicial candidate Nancy Cleaveland and School Board candidates Reggie Blount and Rebecca Nathanson.

Viva la resistance

Rep. Angie Nixon closed out June with a grand opening for her bookstore in Northwest Jacksonville.

According to First Coast News, Cafe Resistance’s launch event on Soutel Drive attracted dozens of people.

Per the legislator, the opening responds to Ron DeSantis and his policy moves.

“We can learn our true history in the roots and, you know, push back against the overbearing legislature and an overbearing Governor, who just really wants to keep people uneducated,” Nixon told FCN.

That “true history” includes banned books, particularly Black history texts and others purged from Florida schools amid conservative interests in regulating content.

AIF wants HD 13 change

Speaking of Nixon, she’s the only legislator from this region to see her opponent endorsed by Associated Industries of Florida.

The pro-business political group is backing Brenda Priestly Jackson, former Jacksonville City Council member and Duval County School Board member, in August’s Democratic Primary.

AIF is backing Democrats in other races, which is unsurprising given that Duval’s Democratic seats aren’t drawn enough for Republicans to compete.

With Primaries in August like Nixon, Sen. Tracie Davis and Rep. Kim Daniels got AIF’s nod.

And every Republican running for re-election this year also got AIF’s blessing.

Can Priestly Jackson parlay this and other business groups’ backing into a Primary win?

Public polling hasn’t surfaced in HD 13 and probably won’t (though there are rumors of one poll showing the incumbent at over 60%).

But fundraising thus far has gone Nixon’s way. At last check, Priestly Jackson had roughly $7,000 in her campaign account and $5 in her Priestly Jackson for Neighbors ECO. Nixon has roughly $75,000 between her campaign account and the Helping Florida Families Flourish political committee.

Safety first

A Jacksonville Democrat is getting some help from police and fire unions in what is now a three-person Primary in HD 14.

Daniels raised more than $7,500 in the two weeks ending June 28, with the FRF Fire PAC, the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, and the FOP State Lodge each donating $1,000.

Also donating the maximum $1,000 contribution: John Kirtley of charter giant Step Up for Students.

An additional $500 came from the Venture PAC political committee.

Daniels has more than $21,000 on hand, which isn’t much, but it gives her a definite cash advantage over opponent Therese Wakefield-Gamble, who raised more than $4,800 over the two weeks ending June 28 but had under $4,000 on hand at the end of that period.

A caveat, though. Just four of the 145 contributions she’s gotten this cycle come from Jacksonville itself, with money coming from all over the country for the candidate.

A third Primary candidate, Lloyd Caulker, has yet to record any fundraising.

Beach brawl

Though Rep. Kiyan Michael has been an outspoken supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the leadership in the Florida House, this hasn’t translated to fundraising momentum in her race for a second term yet.

As of June 14, she had a little more than $17,000 in her campaign account after raising just $250 in the previous two weeks.

As of June 21, her Friends of Kiyan Michael political committee had slightly more than $13,000 on hand.

Both these dates were the last ones reported to the state as of this writing.

As of June 14, Democrat Rachel Grage had a little more than $12,000 on hand. While the district’s composition almost guarantees a Republican winner, the slow fundraising for someone so closely tied to leadership is interesting to watch play out.

Winner, winner

St. Johns County is the final choice as the site of Florida’s Black History Museum.

As reported by First Coast News, a statewide task force made the decision Friday on a 6-1 vote.

“What a relief, at the end of it,” said St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews, who expects the museum to boost local tourism.

St. Johns County was among eight locations considered for the project, with the stiffest competition from Eatonville in Orange County.

Eatonville is best known as the home of African American author Zora Neale Hurston. Supporters argued that the site was centrally located and easier to access.

Florida Memorial University in South Florida owns the eventual museum site in St. Johns County. The historically Black college has agreed to provide 17 acres on County Road 214, just past Holmes Boulevard, a little less than 3 miles west of downtown St. Augustine.

The land was the school’s former home until segregationists moved the college out of town in the 1960s.

“What role each of the three parties — the university, the county and the state — is going to play will be determined on how the state will like to structure this facility,” Andrews added.

Construction will be paid for with a combination of state, county and private funds.

New warehouses

Per the Jacksonville Daily Record, a pair of new storage facilities are coming to the city.

“Spinner Construction LLC landed permits on June 28 to build two speculative warehouses totaling almost 73,000 square feet of space at Port Jax Trade Center in North Jacksonville. The city issued permits for the 61,230-square-foot shell Building 900 at a project cost of $4.2 million and the 11,706-square-foot Building 1000 shell at $980,000, totaling $5.18 million. The structures are on 4.18 acres at 2690 Port Industrial Drive,” reports Karen Mathis.

As context informs, a speculative warehouse doesn’t have a tenant yet.

The buildings should be completed by year’s end and given that they are just a mile from the Jacksonville Port Authority Blount Island Marine Terminal, we expect they will have signed agreements soon enough.

Not the worst!

Jacksonville isn’t so bad for tourists after all.

That’s the take of Fodor’s, countering a take from Forbes Advisor that argued the city is the worst possible destination for tourists.

“Jacksonville has a lot to offer every kind of traveler. It’s an excellent location for solo trips, couples getaways, family vacations, nature lovers, beach bums, foodies and beer enthusiasts,” claims the travel-centric website.

The writer glosses over concerns about Duval County’s Kafkaesque bus system, which can turn a 15-minute car ride into an all-day trip requiring multiple bus changes, saying it didn’t matter to her because she’s a “Lyft girlie.”

She does a similar act with crime, another concern in the Forbes write-up.

“Overall, I have never felt unsafe in Jacksonville. But the eighth-highest crime rate is a reason for pause. But what kind of crimes are we talking about? There’s still much to be considered. Are people being gunned down? Is it petty theft? Is it mainly white-collar and organized crime?”

Insert your favorite punchline here.

She also diminishes people’s concerns about the lack of high-end dining options.

“While there may not be a plethora of five-star dining establishments, Jacksonville does have a diverse culinary landscape with options for every budget. Others may enjoy under-the-radar dining experiences, so a place with fewer fine dining establishments wouldn’t make a destination a deal breaker.”

Indeed.

Most of you reading this are in town or close to it. But for your friends from elsewhere, Fodor’s write-up may — or may not — reassure them that it’s not a complete loss for tourists. (No matter what the “fake news” at Forbes said).

Four Jags who could break out this season

With the start of training camp looming later this month, most NFL prognosticators consider the Jaguars a fringe wild-card team. What could change their fortunes? A healthy Trevor Lawrence, of course.

However, several players have an opportunity to improve this season. Here are four who could make a major difference for the Jaguars.

Running back Travis Etienne

It may seem odd to include Etienne in this mix. After all, he has topped 1,000 yards rushing each of the past two seasons. But if Etienne can become a Pro Bowl-level running back, the Jaguars’ chances at the postseason will rise dramatically.

How can Etienne improve? Some of the factors are beyond his control. The offensive line must improve. With the addition of center Mitch Morse and hope for better play from others on the line (more in a moment), Etienne could find more and better running lanes to exploit during the upcoming season.

In his first season in the NFL, Etienne averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Last season, the number dipped to 3.8 yards per carry. If the line and Etienne can return to the average of two seasons ago and add some more big plays, things would look much rosier for the Jaguars.

Left guard Ezra Cleveland

Cleveland joined the Jaguars midway through the 2023 season after a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. He started five of the last six games but never showed much on a line that was struggling as a unit during the second half of the season.

If Cleveland can get comfortable playing between Cam Robinson and Morse and the line can remain intact for most, if not all, of the season, life will be much better for Lawrence and the rest of the offense.

Safety Andre Cisco

There were stretches last season when Cisco looked like he was destined to make his first Pro Bowl. In the season’s first six weeks, Cisco picked off three passes and forced a fumble. He was everywhere. Then, the injuries started to take a toll. First a hamstring, then a groin limited Cisco for much of the rest of the season.

If healthy, Cisco could be poised for a big year. He has the ball skills and speed to make game-changing defensive plays. The Jaguars need more of that.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd

Lloyd came a long way in his second season in the league, but a new defensive scheme could unlock his big-play abilities. With new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen implementing a 4-3 defense, Lloyd could be used in more pass-rushing roles this season.

He has a history of getting after the quarterback.

In college at Utah, he totaled 16.5 sacks, including eight in his final season with the Utes.

The Jaguars drafted him in the first round, expecting him to be an all-around linebacker. He has shown flashes but had challenges adjusting to his role in Mike Caldwell’s system. Perhaps a new scheme is just what he needs.