Jacksonville Bold for 2.5.25: Communication Breakdown

default

Jacksonville City Council members are fretting that they don’t have a direct line to the executive branch.

A noticed meeting on Monday with Chief of Staff Mike Weinstein didn’t help.

According to the minutes from Council member Nick Howland’s office, to be “more responsive and efficient and avoid having 38 Council members and ECAs making calls to departmental personnel where they could get lost, Council staff are requested to call the MyJax issue line at 630-CITY, where a Council member-specific reporting line will be established.”

“The administration recognizes that communication between the administration and Council (is) not ideal at the moment, and they are working on making improvements,” the minutes continue.

The document also raises questions about who handles citizen complaints and their skill level.

Monica Cichowlas, customer service manager with the MyJax system, said the Council-specific contact address is [email protected]. Reports/requests to that address will be handled by experienced call center employees who know where to refer “issues for action,” suggesting that everyday residents don’t get such “experienced” help.

Council members chafed.

Republican Joe Carlucci said the policy was “poorly communicated,” Democrat Rahman Johnson claimed “disrespect” from Weinstein, and Weinstein confirmed that departmental heads “complained” of the Council reaching out to them directly, leading to the change.

Weinstein said the policy could be rescinded if the City Council “will create a special committee to find ways to make improvements in the communication process.”

Suppose a Council member reaches out on an issue. In that case, executive branch employees are urged to “send a summary of the contact (who/when/what/where) by email to [email protected] … immediately and at the latest, within 24 hours of the contact.”

“Between threatening Council member district projects, vetoing Council bills, weaponizing the General Counsel’s Office, and now building walls between Council members and city departments, this Mayor spends far more time looking for a fight than leading our City,” Howland says.

Regardless of the disposition of this matter, it’s the latest indication that City Hall’s communications aren’t working. The Council is considering a “no-confidence” resolution for General Counsel Michael Fackler.

We are hearing the goal is to get him to resign.

City Council President Ron Salem and fellow Republican Rory Diamond expect to have 13 votes.

While the Council has some loyalists to Mayor Donna Deegan, issues with Fackler among the GOP supermajority include the lawyer’s novel opinion from more than a year ago on removing Confederate monuments.

An equally unusual interpretation of the separation of powers followed, in which the Office of General Counsel invalidated an approved rate raise for Meridian Waste.

Council members expect an expensive “slam dunk” lawsuit and blame Fackler, an Avondale lawyer brought in from the outside.

Yes, the Jacksonville Bar Association backs Fackler, but how much that matters is in doubt.

Council has often had issues with GCs being too loyal to Mayors; in that sense, this is a familiar scene. However, with a divided government in the city and what will be a pricy settlement, the no-confidence resolution is one to watch. Republicans want Fackler to resign, and they see this as the way to make that happen.

ABC: Aaron’s book club

A Congressman reading children’s books?

That’s what Clay County youths experienced last month, as Rep. Aaron Bean stopped by R.M. Paterson and Orange Park Elementary Schools to read two volumes celebrating School Choice Week.

Inquiring minds want to know what books he chose.

At one stop, “Who Am I?” was the selection.

One reviewer describes the Philip Bunting book as ” a journey through the elements of what makes a person a person: our name, our place, our stuff, our gender and so forth.”

“We ultimately discover that it is the combination of these things make us who we are and that people are all essentially the same,” writes Megan Daley.

Who are we to argue?

The second book isn’t for vegans, whoever they might be.

“Everybody loves bacon,” it turns out, is about the foodstuff (not the Nebraska Congressman).

This volume from author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Eric Wight shows a sizzling conflict, as outlined by publisher MacMillan Books.

“Egg loves Bacon. Lettuce loves Bacon. Waffle loves Bacon. Bacon is sizzling with popularity. And pretty much everyone thinks he is the best. That is until Bacon’s fame goes to his head. He’s so busy soaking up the attention that he soon forgets the important things in life, like friendship and family. How will it all pan out for our dashing, delicious hero?”

The critics rave.

“DiPucchio and Wight … tell a comically cautionary story … worthy of Behind the Music. DiPucchio’s short, direct text provides just the right setup for Wight’s boisterous, spoofy drawings and egomaniacal star. His bright-eyed anthropomorphism and visual nudges should remind many readers of Veggie Tales at its most supremely silly,” recounts Publishers Weekly.

Museum movement

Sen. Tom Leek seeks to remove all doubt as to the new location of the Florida Museum of Black History.

The Ormand Beach Republican’s SB 466 would formalize the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force’s recommendation to build that structure in St. Johns County.

Furthermore, the Leek bill establishes a nine-person board of directors, with three gubernatorial appointees (one of whom serves as Chair), three appointees each of the Senate President and House Speaker, and two House members and two Senators picked by their chamber’s respective leaders.

Appointees would need to be selected by July 31, and the bill would go into effect at the beginning of the month.

The museum looks at Black military history, along with the histories of slavery and segregation, prominent African American Floridians, historically Black colleges and universities and the “inherent worth and dignity of human life, with a focus on the prevention of genocide.”

The St. Johns County Commission is responsible for providing administrative support.

The task force picked St. Johns County from a list of 12 potential locations for the museum: Daytona Beach, Havana, Jackson County, Nassau County/Amelia Island, Opa-locka, Orange County, Panama City Beach, Quincy, Sarasota, Seminole County and St. Petersburg were all considered.

Regina Gayle Phillips, Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in St. Augustine, said she wants exhibits dedicated to Black explorers like Juan Garrido, a free African conquistador who was with Ponce de Leon when he made landfall in Florida.

“As we recognize February as Black History Month, I am proud to file Senate Bill 466 as we move forward as the preferred location for the Florida Museum of Black History,” Leek said. “The museum will be built on the former site of Florida Memorial University, which has historical significance here in St. Johns County. I look forward to working with our community and our state in furtherance of this significant designation.”

Campus progress

A Jacksonville City Council Committee heard that classes at the University of Florida campus in the Urban Core could start sooner rather than later at 801 West Bay Street.

“We intend to introduce initial academic programming in an existing building on the campus site as soon as this August. That’s an aggressive timeline, but that’s the timeline we’re working toward. So, it would be an initial degree program this August,” said Kurt Dudas, the vice president for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Florida, to the Finance Committee.

A business program could start in January, with a “main launch in August of 2026 with additional degree programs” that “include business programs, engineering programs, and artificial intelligence and health sciences program, as well as programming and research related to the Florida Semiconductor Institute,” Dudas said.

Downtown Investment Authority head Lori Boyer said this was the city’s first commitment stage.

There will be 22 buildable acres at this site near the Prime Osborn available to UF for the campus.

When finally constructed, the campus will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute, further sweetening the deal, seeded by $300 million in public and private funds.

The state approved $75 million in each of the last two budgets, in addition to $50 million in commitments by the Jacksonville City Council and $50 million from private donors. An additional $50 million awaits allocation amid Council concerns that the city faces dire fiscal straits.

Budget cuts or millage raises are likely the way forward if this progresses.

Clay is for the kids

Sen. Clay Yarborough is visiting the younger generation at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital to discuss the importance of advancing pediatric cancer care in Florida.

The Nassau County Republican met with Dane Bennett, Dr. Anderson Collier, Allegra Jaros and Dr. Mark Toney.

Yarborough’s press agent notes the significance of the visit.

“Wolfson Children’s Hospital was recognized as one of the 50 best children’s hospitals in the nation for pediatric cancer, as part of U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. As Florida’s only four specialty children’s hospitals, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Hospital and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are united in the mission to advance Florida’s position as a leader in pediatric cancer treatment, research and innovation.”

Hospitals honored

Health care huzzahs are in the air for several First Coast facilities

Several Northeast Florida hospitals are on an elite list of top medical facilities, according to a new ranking published by Healthgrades. Four hospitals in Jacksonville and two others nearby were recognized for their top work.

The online medical resource company has named Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital, UF Health Jacksonville, HCA Florida Memorial Hospital, and Mayo Clinic in Intracoastal West as top medical facilities in Jacksonville.

HCA Florida Memorial and UF Health were among the top 250 hospitals in America, while Mayo Clinic was in the top 50. Mayo Clinic was also recognized for Outstanding Patient Experience.

St. Vincent’s Southside was recognized for Patient Safety Excellence. That award also went to HCA Florida Orange Park and Baptist Medical Center Nassau.

ROC n’ roll

Deegan says Jacksonville is “leading the country” by embracing a new way to recover disaster costs.

Florida Division of Emergency Management head Kevin Guthrie was in town last week to train locals on using the Florida Recovery Obligation Calculation (F-ROC) to help recoup money spent during hurricanes and other declared emergencies.

“Our partnership with FDEM continues to grow. This strong collaboration between our state and local agencies has been incredible, and it will lead to more positive outcomes for our city,” said Division of Emergency Preparedness Chief Andre Ayoub. “By strengthening our resilience and commitment to rapid disaster recovery, we are building a more secure future for residents and businesses.”

Locals should be fully trained by June.

Pension suspension

A Jacksonville police and fire pension plan closed to new entrants nearly a decade ago is still well under halfway funded despite a good year of investment returns.

Deputy director Steve Lundy told the City Council Finance Committee Tuesday that the funding ratio of 44.1% at the end of 2024 is “slightly down” from the 44.7% mark a year before. The plan is expected to be fully funded by 2026, roughly four decades after it was closed to new entrants in 2017.

That said, Lundy said the funding policy works “very effectively.”

“Our investment returns were outstanding at 20.4%, far outpacing our assumed rate of 6.5%, and our pension health remains stable, although the funded ratio did slightly decrease,” he told legislators.

A half-cent sales tax, an extension of the current Better Jacksonville Plan tax, will start funding the pension liability in 2031.

The Lenny Curry administration previously sought to repurpose that surtax to the pension liability. Still, given the commitment to Jaguars’ stadium renovations, current officials agreed to move the sales tax back to physical infrastructure to defray stadium build costs of $775 million.

Surtax proceeds are down from 9.3% the previous year to 2.4% this year. However, the overall number is smoothed to 6% to dampen volatility in the metric.

However, Lundy said that investment returns make up for the surtax shortfall.

“This year was a fantastic year for the pension plan’s assets,” Lundy said. “We realized a 20.4% return, which is well above our 6.5% assumed rate. Now, this rate is also smoothed. Last year, we made 13.7%, which is smoothed as well … Over the last five years, our pension funds’ average rate of return was 8.7%, and the ten-year average return was 7.4%, which are both above the assumed rate of return of 6.5, and this is very good news.”

Builder grade

The Northeast Florida Builders Association has appointed Seth Kelley of MasterCraft Builder Group as its president for the upcoming year.

“Every president must devote a tremendous amount of time and energy to the duties of the position, and it seems that with each passing year, these responsibilities grow,” said NEFBA Executive Officer Jessie Spradley. “Our outgoing president, Meagan Perkins, had an amazing year, growing our Association’s membership to over 1,300 members and expanding our education footprint. I am confident that Kelley will continue to provide great leadership, and I am excited to work together to ensure the housing needs of Northeast Florida are met.”

“NEFBA’s legacy is the culmination of over 80 years of our past leaders’ and members’ commitment to our industry, each other, and the communities we serve in Northeast Florida,” said Kelley. “It is my honor and privilege to be entrusted with this opportunity. I look forward to working with all those who impact our industry to further our mission and lead our Association into the future.”

Don’t speak

Elections have consequences, and a Black History event from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of them.

“USACE, Jacksonville District was directed by the DOD and USACE Headquarters to postpone all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related observance events and trainings until further guidance is received, in accordance with President (Donald) Trump’s Executive Order (EO) issued Jan. 20, 2025, ‘Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,’” read a statement.

And Democratic Jacksonville City Council member Rahman Johnson says he’s “floored” by the cancellation, which scuttled a speaking opportunity he was anticipating.

“It was almost as if the declination or recension of that invitation was a swipe against all of the opportunities of normalcy that we have made not just as African Americans but as Americans.” the District 14 legislator told WJXT.

Tax trouble

A Jacksonville man’s alleged accounting omissions have him in deep legal trouble.

“According to the indictment, Phillip Mak, of Jacksonville, was a self-employed businessman who, from 2008 through 2020, earned approximately $10.3 million in income. During that same period, Mak allegedly did not pay any federal taxes and, except for two years, did not file tax returns. The IRS allegedly assessed approximately $1.9 million in outstanding taxes, penalties and interest against Mak for tax years 2008, 2009, 2012-2015 and 2019-2020,” goes the claim from U.S. Attorneys.

Prosecutors claim he moved roughly a million dollars in cash to his domestic partner’s bank account as part of the scheme. After the investigation began, he allegedly transferred his home into a trust.

“If convicted, Mak faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for tax evasion and a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each charge of failure to file a tax return and failure to pay tax,” the announcement from the Middle District of Florida adds.

Fastidious financials

St. Johns County governmental bookkeeping is so good it’s award-winning.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada cited the St. Johns County Clerk of Court and Comptroller’s Office for “Excellence in Financial Reporting.”

The CFOA acknowledges the mark of excellence after government offices submit their 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report to the organization for review.

“Our office is committed to protecting the public’s trust by ensuring St. Johns County maintains a high level of accessibility and transparency with its finances,” St. Johns County Clerk of Court Brandon Patty said. “This award highlights the dedication of our team as they responsibly manage taxpayer dollars in collaboration with County administration.”

It’s the 32nd year in a row the Comptroller’s Office in St. Johns County has received the recognition. A panel of judges reviews the financial work by the government offices and how it measures up to standard and the level of disclosure.

“The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” said GFOA officials.

Tony time

On Monday, the Jaguars hired Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Boselli as the team’s executive vice president of football operations. The position was last filled with the franchise by Tom Coughlin, who served in the position from 2017-2019.

So, what can we expect from Boselli in the new role?

To boil it down to the most essential component, Boselli must be the man who tells Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan hard truths. Like head coach Liam Coen and the yet-to-be-named general manager, Boselli will report directly to Khan to form a football triumvirate.

That said, Boselli will undoubtedly have the owner’s ear. He is not looking to use the job as a stepping stone to another NFL gig; he is in it to fix the Jaguars.

Boselli brings a lot of positives to the job. His playing career shows high expectations of excellence. However, he does not have NFL coaching or scouting experience, so how he operates with those in the scouting department should be considered.

According to the team release, “Boselli will be responsible for player engagement, football technology, football travel and logistics, equipment, sports performance, team security and football communications. Boselli will also serve as the liaison between football operations and the business side of the Jaguars to ensure a unified and successful organization as a whole.”

That means that Boselli will be leading everything involved with football.

The fourth person who reports directly to Khan is team President Mark Lamping, who handles the organization’s business side. Boselli will be the conduit between the Jaguars’ business and football operations.

There are still some questions about the decision-making process moving forward.

Boselli was involved informally in the decision to hire Coen. How that dynamic develops will happen organically, but I would be shocked if Boselli wasn’t the leading voice in the general manager position going forward.

One of the biggest criticisms of Khan as an NFL owner has been that he has not seemed connected with the Jaguars’ fan base.

Khan does not live in Jacksonville; when he visits, it is typically on his yacht. Boselli should help to bridge the gap. He has lived in Jacksonville (mostly) since he was made the first draft pick by the Jaguars in 1995. He understands the pain the fan base has endured for most of the 21^st century. He gets the frustration of a lack of playoff games and how the fans bristle at the barbs often hurled at the city, the team, and the fan base.

There is little doubt that Khan needed to hire someone in this role. None of the other potential candidates have a connection to the city, the team, and the fans like the legendary player from years gone by.

Boselli wasn’t the perfect candidate, but he was as close as Khan could get.