Jacksonville Bold for 7.30.25: Wiles wins

Jacksonville, Florida, USA downtown city skyline at dusk.

This weekend, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will honor the person President Donald Trump likes to call the “most powerful woman in the world.”

And to Jacksonville Bold readers, she’s a very familiar face.

Susie Wiles, the current White House Chief of Staff, will accept the party’s coveted “Statesman of the Year” award at the Red Florida Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.

“Susie Wiles has shaped not just Florida politics, but the future of our country,” said RPOF Chair Evan Power. “From Jacksonville to Tallahassee and now the White House, her leadership, integrity, and unmatched political instincts have defined a generation. Honoring her as our 2025 Statesman of the Year is a tribute to her extraordinary career and enduring impact.”

It is difficult to imagine Florida’s Republican domination without Wiles, a skilled political and policy operative who has made her home in the Jacksonville area for decades.

She was instrumental in early statewide election victories for former Governor and current Sen. Rick Scott, as well as current Gov. Ron DeSantis. Despite an acrimonious falling out with DeSantis after his 2018 victory, Wiles continued to thrive and played a key role in helping Trump sweep swing states as co-campaign manager.

Kunde to EOG

DeSantis is bringing on Chad Kunde to serve as the Deputy Legislative Affairs Director in the Executive Office of the Governor.

Kunde replaces Mary Clare Hubbard, who was elevated to Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs after the departure in late May of Peter Cuderman, who left the position to pursue a postgraduate education at Harvard.

In his new role, Kunde will serve as a key point of contact for legislative staff and members, as well as agency liaisons.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, Kunde served as Director of Business Climate and Governance Policy at the Florida Chamber of Commerce, where he advocated pro-business issues. His work focused on improving Florida’s civil justice climate and insurance markets, enhancing the state’s tax and regulatory environments, and protecting Florida’s Constitution from out-of-state and special interests.

He’s also done significant work for legislators from this region.

Kunde also previously worked as the Public Policy Coordinator for the Florida Association of Realtors and as a legislative aide to Rep. Wyman Duggan. He also served as Campaign Manager for Duggan’s 2020 campaign.

Before that, Kunde served as a travel aide to Rep. Paul Renner, providing strategic support for various coordinated House campaigns and maintaining records for more than $2 million in funds for candidates and political committees.

St. Johns steep budget

One of the fastest-growing counties in Florida is facing a proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, designed to fund enhanced services that support its growth.

St. Johns County Commissioners now have a $1.27-billion spending plan for the next year to consider before the fiscal year goes into effect on Oct. 1. Hundreds of millions of dollars in that spending proposal will go to pay for services that are increasing as a result of that rapid growth in the Northeast Florida county that is home to tourist-rich areas such as St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach.

About 13% of the county’s total proposed spending plan for next year is, for the moment, earmarked for capital improvement projects. That accounts for $169 million, which would pay for the construction of new parks, fire stations, roads, and 64 new employees to provide services to taxpayers, as well as expansion of operations. Another $25 million is set to cover costs for emergency response reserves, according to a St. Johns County news release.

St. Johns County staff members preparing the spending plan are calling for a slight decrease in the property tax rate, with the resulting revenues allocated to the general fund. At the same time, the same slight increase in property taxes would fund the fire district, covering the additional services and facilities required for those functions.

St. Johns County has experienced explosive population growth for more than a decade. According to a county economic development report published last year, St. Johns had a population of 278,722 people as of 2022. The report stated that the St. Johns population increased by 47% between 2010 and 2022.

Lawyer up

National law firm Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has come to Jacksonville.

The new storefront on Atlantic Boulevard is the group’s 86th location and office managing partner Heather Gwinn is helming the expansion.

“Opening the Jacksonville office marks an important step in our continued growth,” said Gwinn. “We’re proud to establish a presence in this vibrant legal and business community, and we look forward to building strong local relationships while delivering the high level of service our clients expect.”

Specialties include commercial litigation, construction, employment, health care, insurance, entertainment and recreation, as well as product liability and professional liability defense matters.

Doctor’s orders

A Jacksonville physician is the new leader of the Florida Medical Association.

Ashley Booth Norse, a part-time professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, was chosen over the weekend at the FMA’s gathering in Orlando.

“Congratulations to our incoming 2025-2026 President of the Florida Medical Association, Dr. Ashley Norse,” said FMA CEO Chris Clark. “Dr. Norse has served in numerous local, state and national leadership positions for more than 15 years, and her dedicated service and invaluable expertise will allow our organization to continue its impactful presence as the state’s premier voice of medicine.”

Norse replaces another Jacksonville doctor, pediatrician Lisa Cosgrove, as president.

Erixton excels

Another JEA leader is getting some larger recognition, as Chief Electric Systems Officer Ricky Erixton was elected to be secretary-treasurer of the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) board of directors.

“It is a great honor to serve this organization that does so much to support public power communities across the state,” Erixton said. “I’m proud to serve alongside an exceptional group of leaders who will help continue to steer Florida’s public power utilities toward further innovation, sustainability and reliability.”

“This appointment is a testament to Ricky’s professionalism, expertise and dedication to public power. His service will help further strengthen JEA and our public power communities throughout Florida,” JEA Managing Director and CEO Vickie Cavey said.

Erixton has been with JEA since 1989.

Longshoremen share scholarships

The International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1408 in Jacksonville is offering up a record $80,000 in scholarships to Jacksonville high school seniors.

The union’s Scholarship Fund is earmarked for 34 seniors and college students in the Jacksonville area. The scholarships will be presented at an awards ceremony on Monday at Edward Waters University.

The Longshoremen’s Association Local 1408 has been providing a scholarship fund for 30 years, and this is the most significant amount of funding the organization has ever awarded.

“Reaching the milestone of 30 years is an accomplishment few organizations achieve,” said Charles Spencer with the Longshoremen’s Association. “To mark the occasion, we set an ambitious fundraising goal to award more scholarships than ever before, and I am proud of all that this organization continues to accomplish for our area’s young people.”

This year’s ceremony will feature the fund’s top award of $10,000, which will go to Andrew Jackson High School graduate Jamaree Jenkins. He’s attending Florida State University this Fall and plans to major in Information Technology.

Since the Longshoremen’s Association was founded in Jacksonville in 1995 by Spencer, it has given more than 1,000 scholarships totaling more than $1 million.

Blanding Boulevard buildup

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials are holding a gathering to inform First Coast residents about major road projects slated for Blanding Boulevard.

The construction open house is set for Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Orange Park Library, Meeting Room A, 2054 Plainfield Ave. in Orange Park.

The road work will run on Blanding Boulevard, which is State Road 21, through Clay and Duval counties this summer. The project is estimated to cost $8 million.

The project mainly centers on the Blanding and Wells Road intersection. The upgrades will provide greater ease for motorists getting to Interstate 295 and residential areas off Wells Road.

Residents are urged to attend the event in person. But the meeting is also being hosted virtually online, where residents can register to join and use the webinar identification No. 203-235-667.

Residents will be allowed to ask questions of DOT officials and gather information on the project from state team officials involved in the work.

CSX Hazmat

CSX and Florida State College at Jacksonville will break ground on Monday on a cutting-edge facility dedicated to training first responders to handle rail-related hazardous materials emergencies.

The ceremony for the new CSX Hazardous Materials Training Institute is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the FSCJ Fire Academy of the South, 2700 Fire Fighter Memorial Drive in Jacksonville. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9:30 a.m.

The institute aims to become a premier training hub, equipping emergency personnel with tools and expertise to manage hazardous incidents safely. CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs and FSCJ President Dr. John Avendano are scheduled to deliver remarks. The initiative represents a significant investment in community safety and preparedness for the Jacksonville-based railroad and its partners in emergency response.

The ceremony will include media availability and a photo opportunity, followed by light refreshments.

RSVP here by July 31.

Golf generosity

THE PLAYERS Championship is giving big bucks to help the hungry.

“Thanks to the passion and support of our fans, sponsors, volunteers and partners, we’re able to give back in meaningful ways — just last week, we made a $1 million gift to Feeding Northeast Florida. It was surreal to see the tangible impact of that support firsthand, and yes, it’s always cool to hand out a giant check. We look forward to seeing how this gift helps create lasting change and supports those who need it most across Northeast Florida,” said executive director Lee Smith.

THE PLAYERS has donated to Feeding Northeast Florida before, including a pandemic-driven in-kind contribution.

“This particular donation is special to us because it reminds us of the power of partnership. When the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID, we faced a huge challenge — a mountain of prepared food with nowhere to go. But instead of letting it go to waste, we turned that setback into an opportunity, working closely with Feeding Northeast Florida to redirect that food and launch a lasting program that donates surplus food after every tournament.”

Jaguars’ evolving Travis Hunter plan

Through the first week of training camp, the Jaguars appear to have adapted their approach with first-round pick Travis Hunter.

The cornerback/wide receiver began the offseason playing more on offense than defense during minicamp and organized team activities. But as training camp has opened, Hunter has been getting more reps at cornerback.

According to ESPN’s Mike Dirocco, through Tuesday’s training camp session, Hunter has taken 101 snaps in 11-on-11 and an additional 18 in 7-on-7 passing drills. Of the 119 snaps, 72 have come on defense and 47 on offense.

Why the change?

In the offseason period, the Jaguars wanted to ramp up Hunter’s learning curve on offense. According to the coaching staff, there was more learning for Hunter on that side of the ball. Now, it appears that the need to have Hunter available as a starter at cornerback on opening day has taken priority.

The Jaguars will hold a scrimmage in the stadium on Friday. Head coach Liam Coen said on Monday that Hunter will only play on offense during the scrimmage.

“He’s on offense. He’ll go back to defense before our mock game scrimmage and be able to kind of use that mock as an evaluation to see, all right, what do we need to do now? What did it look like in the scrimmage? Do we need to maybe get him more on defense? Or hey, these other guys are producing and developing, and we can keep with the schedule as is,” Coen said. “That’ll be kind of a, not a defining moment, but an evaluation time for us.”

There were concerns that the double workload might wear Hunter down. So far, that does not appear to be the case.

“He is in incredible shape,” said Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. “He really is a really well-conditioned athlete. I can admire that because I’m struggling out here every day. It is super impressive, though. Man, he can go all day.”

Hunter said last week that the team was taking a detailed approach to his training camp to maximize the impact of each snap.

“It’s super organized,” Hunter said. “Me and Coach go over it pretty much every week, and they send me a picture, and I get a piece of paper to keep in my locker, so I know exactly where I have to be and when I need to be there.”

This week, another factor emerged in Hunter’s impact. Injuries. Not his, but within one of his position groups.

Cornerback Montaric Brown injured his left leg and is not expected back until after training camp is over. While Coen said the injury will not change the plan with Hunter, it does mean that the Jaguars’ secondary has fewer options.

Tyson Campbell will start at one cornerback position. Brown was a candidate to start at the other with second-year man Jarrian Jones and free agent addition Jourdan Lewis also an option. Lewis is more likely to play nickelback, so Hunter could be required to play at corner more than anticipated.

“I think it just gives us an opportunity to get guys reps,” Coen said. “We expect them back for the season, obviously. So gives a great op for Jarrian Jones, Travis, to continue to get quality reps.”