Jacksonville Bold for 10.23.24: No drama

Election prediction markets are all the rage right now, as illustrated by the recent hue and cry about money moving into Polymarket on behalf of Republican Donald Trump.

But good luck finding anyone willing to bet on state legislative races in Jacksonville, given the marginal opposition incumbents face.

Perhaps no challenger illustrates this more than Ben Sandlin, running against Rep. Wyman Duggan in southern Duval County’s HD 12.

Sandlin, a Democrat, has $75 on hand (at this writing). In contrast, Duggan has about $83,000 in hard money and $535,000 in his Citizens for Building Florida’s Future political committee.

In HD 13 and HD 14, incumbent Democrats Angie Nixon and Kim Daniels face write-ins whose main job was to close the Primaries this Summer.

For whatever reason, Terence Jordan and Briana Hughes are still active candidates. But they are the same kind of “ghosts” Democrats decried in previous election cycles, put on a ballot to manipulate an electoral outcome in the August election but doing nothing since.

Still, other candidates, like Democrat Gary McManus in HD 15, Rachel Grage in HD 16, and Bryson Morgan in HD 17, ran more substantial campaigns, but they were also doomed from the start in battles against Reps. Dean Black, Kiyan Michael, and Jessica Baker in districts with heavy Republican registration advantages.

Sen. Tracie Davis is also on this year’s ballot, but write-in Vernon Lee Parker won’t present a challenge. Just like Nixon and Daniels, Davis will win in a meaningless landslide.

Uncompetitive General Elections are a bug, not a feature, of current district lines that decide elections in low-turnout Primaries every eight years. A successful challenge to an incumbent is rare.

There are many downstream effects on the process, including making the legislature more reliably Republican at the expense of consensus solutions to policy problems, leading to phenomena like constitutional amendments on abortion and weed that are effectively no-confidence votes in legislative attempts to craft policies on these issues that wouldn’t hurt Ron DeSantis’ aborted presidential primary campaign, which is now a memory.

Vote early. Vote often. Whatever.

It doesn’t matter in the races with the most (theoretically) direct impact on who represents you.

Gator grumble

Florida’s Governor is weighing in on the Florida-Georgia football game in a couple of weeks, and even his taxpayer-funded campaign against Amendment 4, which would remove state abortion restrictions, isn’t shielded from football observations.

Speaking at a Catholic church in Jacksonville along with Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4, a group involved in “political advertisements” by the Indiana-based AAPLOG Action, “the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of the largest organization of pro-life medical professionals nationwide,” DeSantis suggested the Gators don’t have a shot against the Bulldogs during the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

“I’m not sure I’d put my money on the Gators on this one, but you never know, right,” DeSantis said, continuing his tradition of casting aspersions on the on-field performance of public university teams in the state and effectively reprising comments he made ahead of last year’s neutral site game in Jacksonville between the two teams.

“I will say, as somebody who was born and raised in Florida, the Florida-Georgia game was a little easier lift for us back in the day than it is now. And you Georgians know what I mean,” said DeSantis during an August 2023 campaign stop in the Peach State.

“We’ve done better on almost everything policy-wise. I can point out many things. College football has not necessarily been one of them. So, we’re trying to turn the corner,” DeSantis added.

DeSantis dismissed Billy Napier’s squad during September 2023 comments to the California Republican Party. He said he needed “their football team to start doing a little bit better.”

Meanwhile, the Florida GOP and their Georgia counterparts are slating a “victory huddle” for Nov. 1 on the eve of the game, reports Florida’s Voice. Expect more political action around one of the most high-profile neutral site games this season, and it will be interesting to see if and how Dems counter the GOP offense.

Save the date

Murders down. Why?

A Jacksonville group concerned with social equity is celebrating a lower murder rate and praising Sheriff T.K. Waters.

“After decades of being known as one of the most violent cities in Florida, Jacksonville is finally turning a corner. The number of murders in Jacksonville has been cut in half from last year. Because of the drastic reduction in murders, 50 more people are alive today. 2024 is set to be a historic year for our city,” ICARE asserts.

The group adds that “Group Violence Intervention (GVI)” is a reason why, though it took a while to be implemented to its satisfaction and “the number of murders remained high for several years.”

“ICARE pressed Sheriff TK Waters to improve Jacksonville’s GVI program to reduce murders. We are glad to report that Sheriff Waters and his team have done great work on improving the results of JSO’s GVI program and dramatically reducing the number of murders in our city. ICARE leaders met with Sheriff Waters on Oct. 8 and congratulated his successful efforts to make Jacksonville safer.”

Waterworks

JEA recently won a WaterSense® Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for “support and promotion of the EPA’s water conservation program.”

“Our customers are increasingly looking for ways to conserve resources and save money, and JEA is committed to providing those solutions,” Chief Customer Experience Officer Sheila Pressley said.

In 2023, JEA worked hard on this initiative, including participating in 20 community events spotlighting the program, collaborating with big box hardware stores for rebates for WaterSense toilets and irrigation rigs, and installing WaterSense shower heads and aerators in low- and moderate-income households.

“Our WaterSense Award winners for 2024 made it easy for Americans to make water-efficient choices and find WaterSense-labeled products and homes that save water, energy, and money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Veronica Blette, acting associate director of the water infrastructure division in the EPA Office of Wastewater Management.

In da agrihood

Farming in a residential area? Probably not yet, at least in St. Johns County.

The Jacksonville Daily Record reports SJC’s Planning and Zoning Committee voted “no” on a proposed “agrihood.”

“Among many concerns, PZA members took issue with having only two days to review (developer) Freehold’s 224-page proposal, which they found to be incomplete,” JDR notes.

“This whole item is being rushed. There are too many open comments, the materials provided are incomplete, and we had inadequate time to review them. That’s such an important item both for me as a PZA member and for the citizens who are interested in this proposal,” Board Member Richard Hilsenback said. “It’s way premature, and its time has not come, in my opinion, so I can’t support it.”

However, the entire County Commission will review the proposal on Nov. 5, so hope isn’t completely lost.

Starter home

Are you looking to enter the housing market but only have $6.75M to spend?

We’ve all been there.

For those who have to mind a budget getting on the property ladder, consider a home back on the market from two public servants.

Retired Judge Tyrie Boyer and Downtown Investment Authority head Lori Boyer are attempting to offload their San Marco property for the second time in two years, per Jacksonville Today.

“This iconic 1929 estate home in San Marco, originally owned by Carl Swisher of the Swisher Cigar Company, offers a rare opportunity to own a piece of Jacksonville’s history. Set on just under 3 acres of prime riverfront property, with an impressive 178 feet along the St. Johns River, the estate boasts breathtaking views and unmatched privacy. The property includes a buildable lot, perfect for adding a second home, tennis courts, or leaving as open space,” asserts Realtor Anita Vining.

Need more inducements?

The manse has recently been re-roofed.

Big UNF business building

The University of North Florida business school is progressing toward getting bigger.

UNF broke ground on Tuesday for the Coggin College of Business expansion building on Jacksonville’s Southside. The project will add about 21,000 square feet of classroom, office and research space for the college.

“UNF graduates are executives and other vital employees in almost every major company in this region,” said UNF President Moez Limayem Tuesday. “These updated facilities will help us provide more resources to our students so they can find their own direction and later become leaders and innovators in Jacksonville and beyond.”

Florida Public Education Capital Outlay funding is paying for much of the expansion. The Florida Legislature approved about $26.3 million for the project.

“This groundbreaking is highly anticipated and wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated faculty, staff and students as well as generous supporters,” said Albert Loh, Coggin College of Business interim dean. “This space will help our students and faculty to produce world-class research that will have impacts far beyond the UNF campus.”

Brown is back

WJXT is bringing back a familiar face to run its news operation.

Robert Brown, who joined the station in 2012 before leaving the local market for progressively challenging roles in Orlando, is back in town and at the station starting Monday.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to accept this new role, especially in the community that helped shape who I am today,” Brown says. “To serve the people and the place that raised me is a responsibility I embrace with gratitude and excitement.”

“I cannot wait to collaborate with such a talented group of journalists as we step into this new era. Together, we have the opportunity to innovate, grow, and shape the future of TV news.”

FIS to Fulham?

Consider it the latest example of synergy between Shad Khan’s sports interests and the Jacksonville business community.

“The state-of-the-art Markers, presented by Fidelity Information Services, an innovation space and technology,” will open at Fulham Pier as part of the Jags’ magnate’s Premier League development.

Ellyn Raftery, chief marketing and communications officer at FIS, says that “London’s rich history in financial services, technology, and emerging fintech startups makes it the perfect place for us to set up our newest innovation center and add to our vast footprint in this key financial market.”

“The Markers, presented by FIS suite, will serve as a cutting-edge technology incubator, fostering a culture of innovation that is expected to make Fulham Pier one of the most coveted destinations in West London. This initiative underscores the significant role that fintech sandboxes play in driving technological advancement and community engagement, positioning Fulham Pier as a beacon of forward-thinking development,” adds Alistair Mackintosh, CEO at Fulham.

Lasting solutions?

The Jaguars’ victory Sunday in London released some steam from the pressure cooker that had been developing after a 1-5 start.

Perhaps the most important thing Doug Pederson’s team accomplished in the 32-16 victory over the New England Patriots was overcoming a slow start. Too often this season, the Jaguars failed to overcome minor setbacks that led to five losses in the first six games.

The issues were so bad that Trevor Lawrence repeatedly called the team fragile over the past two weeks.

But Sunday at Wembley Stadium, the Jaguars trailed 10-0 early in the second quarter. Then, unlike most of the remaining season, the Jaguars found something. While many will point to the 58-yard Lawrence-to-Brian–Thomas pass or the 96-yard punt return for a touchdown by Parker Washington as the catalysts, a closer examination shows that the Jaguars’ offensive response came earlier.

Following the Patriots’ field goal to make it 10-0, the Jaguars offense created three consecutive plays of more than 10 or more yards. First, Lawrence connected with Christian Kirk on a deep ball for 24 yards. In the next play, D’Ernest Johnson ran for 10 yards before Tank Bigsby slammed his way for 13 yards. Within 70 seconds, the Jaguars moved the ball from their own 46 to the New England seven-yard line. Lawrence tossed a six-yard touchdown pass three plays later to Thomas, and the Jaguars were back in it.

But it wasn’t just the offense. The defense also resolved some issues, at least for now. With Tyson Campbell back in secondary after missing four games with a hamstring injury, Jacksonville allowed New England to score on its first two drives, then allowed only one score in the final seven Patriots’ drives. That nine-play, 94-yard touchdown drive was troubling, but it did not cost the Jaguars the game.

“We got in a situation where we were down 10, but nobody was, like, ‘Here we go again,’ or defeated or had negative thoughts,” Pederson said. “It was just one play at a time. We’ll work ourselves back in it. The offense went out. We showed the complementary aspect of the game today in all three phases. That’s the spark that hopefully can get this thing going.”

When the season began, Jacksonville was considered by most to be a playoff contender. Some even thought they would win the AFC South. The owner certainly did.

What has been confounding is that the Jaguars roster looks like a nine- or 10-win team. However, through the first seven games of the season, they have performed like a four- or five-win team.

Did they figure something out in London that they can sustain, or did the performance benefit from playing a bad New England team starting a rookie quarterback? That’s the biggest question. They will be tested in the next five games. Instead of facing a team likely in the mix for the draft’s first pick, the following five opponents are all playoff contenders. The combined record of the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans is 24-8.

The bad news? This stretch of the Jaguars’ schedule is daunting.

The good news is that we will know precisely what kind of team Jacksonville has long before they play the Texans on Dec. 1.