Jacksonville Bold for 3.19.25: Clay days

Jacksonville, Florida, USA downtown city skyline at dusk.

It’s been a good week for Sen. Clay Yarborough as several of his bills are progressing.

That includes a big one to kill DEI on the local level.

Municipal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are one step closer to elimination after the Senate Community Affairs Committee advanced legislation (SB 420) along party lines.

The Jacksonville Republican’s bill would prevent local governments from passing DEI initiatives and make ones already in law illegal. It will also create a cause of action for citizens to file civil suits against local governments if they feel discriminated against by DEI laws. The bill also holds that legislators who vote for DEI legislation are guilty of misfeasance or malfeasance.

An amendment removed the bill’s retroactivity provision, and Yarborough clarified that the potential local lawmaker violations enumerated in the bill were in official and not personal capacities.

The bill generated intense public interest, with 30 public commenters mostly opposing it. Each had just 30 seconds to speak.

The bill has two committee stops ahead. Rep. Dean Black sponsors the House companion, but his bid to destroy DEI has yet to be heard in its first of three committee stops.

That wasn’t the only Yarborough bill to move this week.

The Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously approved SB 1260, which allows county clerks and elections supervisors a path to appeal budget disputes with the state Administrative Commission.

Finally, the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services is the latest panel to advance SB 734, which Yarborough calls a “clean repeal” of state statute 768.21(8), which prohibits adult children and their parents from collecting negligence and non-economic “pain and suffering” damages for medical malpractice.

Yarborough says the current state of play “singled out a narrow group of survivors who cannot recover non-economic damages in the case of a wrongful death due to medical negligence, even though the same damages can be recovered by survivors for a wrongful death that is caused by all other forms of negligence.”

Florida is the only state in the nation with such restrictions. Lawmakers passed them in 1990 when the state was trying to rein in increasing medical malpractice costs and attract more doctors.

Hotel help

It’s hard to finance hotels these days.

That’s according to Rep. Aaron Bean, who would like to see an increase in Small Business Loans, which are currently capped at just $5 million.

“There is currently a cap of $5 million,” Bean said during keynote remarks at the AAHOA’s Spring National Advocacy Conference. “Does that even get you a hotel anymore? It does not. We need to increase that limit so you can actually finance your projects.”

Bean advised hoteliers to lobby their legislators.

“I encourage you to invite your state representatives — you know hospitality better than anyone. You’re flexing your muscle here and at home, and that’s how you tell your story. If you don’t make noise, we won’t know the full impact,” he said, as reported by Hotel Business.

Judge change

A legislative proposal is moving in the Senate to modernize language about hearings as part of a larger state court legislative package.

Sen. Jennifer Bradley’s legislation (SB 538), which would allow circuit court duty Judges in each Florida circuit to meet remotely, advanced in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice.

The new verbiage allowing meetings outside Judges’ chambers would replace outdated statutory language that didn’t contemplate such a thing.

The bill would also remove the $1,500 daily limit on arbitration fees and let a judge authenticate documents of sworn written statements without using a seal.

An amendment adopted Tuesday also allows the Justice Administrative Commission to be responsible for “discretionary appropriations” if the bill is passed.

Garbage time

Jacksonville’s Inspector General trashed the overtime record keeping of the city’s Solid Waste division last year, but this year, he says they’ve cleaned up after themselves.

In 2024, “most of the Solid Waste Truck Driver Reports reviewed by the OIG were incomplete or illegible and rarely signed by a supervisor. Therefore, verifying the regular and overtime hours many Solid Waste employees worked was impossible.”

Metrics have improved.

Missed collections are down roughly 2,000 over last year, now hovering at just over 36,000.

Overtime hours were near 60,000 last year but are under 30,000 now, saving more than $1.2 million in taxpayer funds.

Unemployment uptick

Florida’s monthly jobless figure increased for the first time in about a half year to the start of 2025.

FloridaCommerce released the January general jobless figures and the unemployment rate reached 3.5%. That’s the first increase in the unemployment rate for about half a year, which held steady at 3.4% for the back half of 2024, and even before that, the rate remained at 3.3% for most of the first six months of last year.

In January, 390,000 people were out of work in Florida, out of a total labor force of 11,188,000. That labor force figure is the highest Florida has ever seen.

The Jacksonville metro area posted a jobless rate higher than January’s general figure. Jacksonville had a 3.8% unemployment figure for that month. That’s a notable increase over December’s figure of 3%, but holiday hiring kept the number low. The latest unemployment figure was notably higher than January 2024’s 3.4%.

Job opportunity

While jobless rates may be inching up, the city of Jacksonville Beach has an opportunity for at least one person who could serve as a clerk.

“This pivotal role ensures the integrity and transparency of our municipal operations, acting as the official custodian of city records and facilitating the legislative process,” reads the posting.

They’re looking for someone who has spent seven years in progressively challenging positions in local government and has a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration or a related field.

The salary range starts at $80,000 and could be as high as low six figures for the right candidate.

Manufacturing malaise

After some expansion to start the year, First Coast manufacturers appeared to be stagnant in production and other factors in February, according to a University of North Florida (UNF) survey.

The UNF Coggin College of Business researchers found that North Florida manufacturers did not expand much last month compared to January. The UNF Jacksonville Economic Monitoring Survey found several key manufacturing factors showed some contraction, including new orders falling from the index figure of 56 to 49, backlogs of work falling from 48 to 46, and employment falling from an index of 51 in January to 48 in February.

Some manufacturing elements, such as output, new export orders and prices, expanded slightly.

Albert Loh, interim dean of the UNF business college, oversees the monthly manufacturing survey and concluded February was generally flat at First Coast companies.

“Jacksonville’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of 50 in February indicates a holding pattern, with no significant expansion or contraction in overall manufacturing activity,” Loh said.

Several national developments, such as President Donald Trump’s promises to enact trade tariffs, caused the Jacksonville area to reflect the bigger picture across America in February.

“The Jacksonville economy mirrors the national trend of stable output but weakened demand. The slight increase in supplier delivery times and input prices, along with continued uncertainty over tariffs, has led businesses to take a cautious approach to inventory management and hiring, contributing to a subdued outlook,” Loh said.

Transportation talk

Jacksonville’s transportation industry is ingrained in the city’s identity. It’s at a crucial crossroads between Interstates 95 and 10, home to a vast port system, the headquarters of a major railroad company and multiple airports.

Robert Peek, the Chief Commercial Officer for the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), will participate in a panel discussion at the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville on how transportation will shape Jacksonville’s future.

“Public and private investments in port terminals ensure Jacksonville can continue to meet the demands of the global maritime trade industry. Major growth projects, including a deeper harbor, modernized terminals, and upgraded berths with rail capabilities, keep cargo moving while creating jobs and generating business growth, benefiting our region and state,” said a JAXPORT post on the social media platform X.

The World Affairs Council event, “Revitalizing Downtown: Current Developments and Unfolding Global Trends,” will be held on March 26 at 6 p.m. at 40 East Adams St. Organizers ask attendees to reserve beforehand.

Peek will be joined in the discussion by Arthur Adams, senior vice president of sales and marketing at CSX, Nat Ford, CEO of Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Aundra Wallace, president of JAXUSA Partnership and Dennis Whittle, president and CEO of the Jacksonville Civic Council.

Vets help

Last week, THE PLAYERS PGA tournament was the setting for a sizable donation to Five STAR Veterans Center.

Comcast Business donated to “Charity of the Day” during one day of the week during the golfing competition. The company contributed $25,000 to Five STAR Veterans Center.

Michael Hightower, Chair of Five Star Veterans Center, said the organization was grateful for its contribution.

“Comcast, you have been there for us all the time. On behalf of the board, I want to say thank you,” Hightower said. “We get to enjoy our lives because of the brave men and women that step up to serve and keep us protected, but a number of them return home with challenges. It’s the generosity, love and humanity from moments like this that show these veterans how grateful we are for their service. Your respect and admiration for what they do … that will help them come back and reintegrate into society.”

The Center provides shelter to at-risk U.S. military veterans in the Jacksonville area. Comcast’s donation will give veterans access to technological skills to pursue educational opportunities and employment applications.

Draft philosophy

After the first wave of free agency, we are learning more about how the Jaguars’ leadership will operate. New general manager James Gladstone, head coach Liam Coen, and executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli added nine players, none of whom are big names.

But does that mean they will approach the draft in the same way? Not necessarily.

Appearing on Jaguars Happy Hour, the team’s digital and radio show, Gladstone said although the team signed more free agents than any other franchise this year, they plan to keep the focus on the draft to create the foundation in the roster.

“We will be a franchise that intends on building through the draft. A higher volume of draft capital is what we are going to be looking to acquire,” Gladstone said.

After the wide receiver Christian Kirk trade, the Jaguars have 21 picks over the subsequent two drafts.

That could mean the Jaguars would welcome calls for the #5 pick, which they hold in next month’s draft. If the top players who would fit the Jaguars’ needs are off the board, Jacksonville could trade back in the first round and acquire even more draft picks to allow for an aggressive trade-up later.

The top players who could help the Jaguars most include Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. If those three are selected in the top four picks, the Jaguars could go for another wide receiver, Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona, or move back to pick up another targeted player while adding more selections.

The Jaguars currently have four of the top 88 picks in the draft and six of the top 126.

Gladstone also said that because of the short window to prepare for free agency after being hired on Feb. 21, the plan leaned on signing players with whom Gladstone or the coaches were already familiar.

“That familiarity plays a major role,” Gladstone said. “And it was part of why we titled in favor of some players over another. While those players on their own have familiarity, it also allows another voice, another player in the room in the position group, to bring to life some nuances outside of a position coach, a coordinator, or the head coach making mention of different elements that come along with this system.”

When Gladstone, Coen, and Boselli spoke to the new players this week, they underlined the kind of player and person they value.

“We walked through the vision that we have for them, the pro-free agent class as a whole. The term that I kept saying to them was, ‘Your film was speaking to us.’ It was calling us. These players weren’t in the conversation solely for their film. They were also vetted through sourced information that spoke to who they were as people. We’re hunting up intangibly rich players and people.”

To watch Jaguars Happy Hour, please click the image below: