Jacksonville Bold for 3.5.25: Infra-swag

The Donna Deegan administration is branding around infrastructure and giving locals a unique opportunity to celebrate how the capital budget is spent in Jacksonville.

Director of Strategic Initiatives Melissa Ross says a “merch store” is in the works, but there’s a long way to go before a launch.

The administration plans to consult with the Office of General Counsel before taking the next steps, which will likely involve an online model.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in merch since launching the City of Jacksonville’s new ‘I Dig Jax’ campaign. 🏗️🏗️🏗️ The idea is to promote all the forward motion we’re now seeing under Mayor Donna Deegan on a range of construction and infrastructure projects and also celebrate our city 🏗️🏗️🏗️,” Ross posted to LinkedIn this week.

As locals know, Deegan and Ross come from local news media (along with Assistant Chief of Staff Joe Inderhees and comms pro Heather Schatz and, some years earlier, Chief of Staff Karen Bowling). And they understand that branding is key to getting a message out.

Deegan is well-positioned at this writing for a second term.

We hear donors are tapped out after backing Daniel Davis in 2023 and don’t really want to throw millions of dollars into the buzzsaw for a sequel against a well-known and generally liked incumbent.

Republican officeholders are rehearsing their arguments to see what sticks, and as Alvin Brown learned in 2015, there is always a path to defeating even a popular Mayor.

But without the donor class united behind one challenger, Deegan may be a two-term Democrat by default – quite an accomplishment in a city with a supermajority Republican City Council.

Work it out

Rep. Aaron Bean says that if you want government help with health care, you should get a job.

He and Rep. Scott Franklin are reintroducing a bill that would impose work requirements on non-disabled and childless Medicaid recipients.

“Work is an honorable enterprise, and it promotes a dignified pathway out of poverty. Yet today, there are more than 1.5 million able-bodied adults on Medicaid who are not working. We can’t keep asking hardworking Americans to pay for services for their neighbors who do not work,” said Bean.

The bill would require people to spend 80 hours a month working, studying at school, volunteering or combining these activities.

“Imposing work requirements on able-bodied adults without a dependent is not only common sense, but it would allow working Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money,” Bean said.

Fighting for justice

Speaker Pro tempore Wyman Duggan is introducing two pieces of legislation to protect vulnerable Floridians from victimization.

One bill (HB 1161) would compel the removal of altered sexual depictions posted to the internet without consent. It’s called “Brooke’s Law,” and it recognizes how such a crime was committed against a teenager in his hometown of Jacksonville.

The bill would obligate internet platforms to develop and prominently promote a policy for removing deepfake images and videos by the end of the year after a person victimized by such a state attests to being the target of such. It expands on legislation championed by Sen. Lauren Book, which imposed criminal and civil penalties by creating a law to force sites to remove objectionable images.

“It gives them a mechanism to make a demand on the website to take it down, and if they don’t take it down, the website will be liable under the Florida Unfair Trade and Deceptive Practices Act, which provides for attorney fees and damages. It’s trying to close the loop on protecting people, typically young women and girls who are in that scenario where a picture of them appears on some website and it’s their face on a body that’s not theirs and it’s nude and it circulates,” Duggan said.

The other (HB 1171) increases the statute of limitations on offenses against children by starting the clock when a law enforcement agency learns of the allegations.

Duggan says State Attorney Melissa Nelson of the 4th Judicial Circuit backs that bill. The bill is intended to protect people against offenses at rogue church youth groups when those institutions fail to report an accusation of which leadership is aware. By timing the statute of limitations for reporting, law enforcement will have time to investigate the claims of impropriety.

RIP, DEI?

New legislation from Jacksonville Republicans looks to deep-six local diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

SB 420 and HB 1571 aim to block local governments from passing DEI initiatives and to make ones already in law illegal. The bills also allow citizens to bring civil suits against local government if they feel discriminated against by DEI laws.

If one of these bills becomes law, the Governor could remove city or county officials who voted for them.

“As a former local elected official, I know local governments should focus all efforts and budget priorities on core, essential services for constituents. These services include law enforcement and public safety, public works and parks, economic development and the like; not ideological agendas that government should not be imposing upon its people,” said Senate sponsor Clay Yarborough, who was unanimously elected as President of the Jacksonville City Council back in 2014.

House sponsor Dean Black, a former chair of the Duval County Republican Party, says the bill will “once and for all Destroy Ideological Extremism in local government … and ensure that Florida is where D. E. I. goes to D. I. E!”

If passed into law, these bills would take effect in July. They don’t contemplate a grandfathering period for existing DEI laws nor address whether people who previously voted for the legislation would be subject to removal. However, the retroactive provision of the current bill language leaves that possibility.

 U.S. Army Corps retreat?

A large government agency with a reach throughout much of Florida might have to move its offices from downtown Jacksonville.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is being told to leave the facilities in the Prudential Building on the South Bank in the city’s urban business district.

Action News Jax reports that the federal agency, which has 800 employees in that building, is under the ax of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is overseen by President Donald Trump’s adviser, Elon Musk.

Action News reporter Jake Stofan says he obtained an internal email circulated in the Jacksonville offices of the U.S. Army Corps explaining that the agency has until Aug. 31 to find a new location.

Florida Politics has requested comments from Army Corps officials in Jacksonville, who have yet to respond.

Deegan’s office issued a carefully worded response.

“The administration is reaching out to see if there is an opportunity to fill vacant office space downtown should this lease termination go through,” said Deegan representative Phillip Perry Tuesday. “We will closely monitor the situation given that some of the federal announcements have been pulled back after a negative impact is determined or the courts intervene. The City of Jacksonville will do everything we can to keep our existing office tenants in downtown while attracting more.”

Special election switch

A Democratic bill could impose requirements on Gov. Ron DeSantis to call Special Elections timelier.

Sen. Tracie Davis, a Jacksonville Democrat, filed legislation (SB 1556) giving the Governor five days after an elected office becomes vacant to call a Special Election. The bill would also require any vacancies prompted by officials resigning to run for a Special Election to be filled in concurrent elections.

That follows years of criticism over DeSantis’ apparent reluctance to call Special Elections, including recent dustups about Republican- and Democrat-held seats.

“We have watched seats just remain open, and if we are statutorily wanting to move ahead, we cannot let these seats just sit vacant,” Davis said.

Davis began working on the legislation, she said, after DeSantis dragged his feet on calling a Special Election to fill state Sen. Randy Fine’s Senate seat when the Palm Bay Republican filed a resignation to run for Congress. Only after the ACLU sued, DeSantis called for Special Elections there and in House District 3, which also opened because of a resignation to run in a congressional Special Election.

DeSantis did immediately call a Special Election when state Rep. Debbie Mayfield resigned her House District 32 seat to run for Fine’s Senate seat — though his administration tried unsuccessfully to bar the Melbourne Republican from running.

Davis said the entire episode showed the Governor’s excessive discretion in handling Special Election schedules and the need to set clear guidelines in state law.

New job

Speaking of Davis, she’s not just working for constituents.

She’s also working for the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council as the vice president of Major Gifts.

Davis will not be selling cookies in this role. Instead, the Edward Waters University alum will work to garner significant support from Northeast Florida’s philanthropic community.

The Senator told Florida Politics how the opportunity manifested.

“I met with the CEO some time ago, learned later she was building her fund development team,” Davis said. “Being an educator with relationships throughout the state, I became excited to think how I could be helpful to the brand of Girl Scouts and the young girls supported by empowering activities and programs. After multiple interviews, the offer was made, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity and elated to be part of the Girls Scouts of Gateway Council team.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Tracie Davis to the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council team,” said Wendy Dordel, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gateway Council. “Her deep commitment to education and community service, along with her proven leadership in building impactful partnerships, will be invaluable as we work to expand opportunities for girls across our council. We look forward to the incredible impact she will make in advancing our mission.”

Boycott block

An Ormond Beach Republican wants to expand a state ban against companies discriminating against Israel to colleges and universities.

Sen. Tom Leek’s SB 1678 suggests anti-Israeli actions by schools and non-governmental agencies amount to an “academic boycott,” meriting the cessation of state contracts and grants with those entities on the wrong side of the ideological conflict.

Under this proposal, these entities would have 90 days to correct their non-compliance and be removed from the Scrutinized Companies or Other Entities that Boycott Israel List. Otherwise, the state would divest itself of contracts with them.

The current list of companies, managed by the State Board of Administration, was first proposed in 2016 and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. It currently includes several companies, including various subsidiaries of Unilever.

The SBA compiles the list quarterly, using publicly available data and contacting the companies as part of its fact-finding.

The 2016 bill passed unanimously in the Senate and two no votes in the House.

Children’s story

Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon is filing a bill (HB 1623) to establish the Early Education Workforce Support Pilot Program. The program would provide free early education services to the children of early education workers.

In 2024, Florida Department of Education (DOE) chancellor of Early Learning Cari Miller highlighted the importance of early education services, pointing out that 75% of children unprepared for kindergarten are unlikely to catch up to their school peers.

The “Early Education Workforce Support and Access Act” was drafted by the Legislature after it found that low wages and high demand have led to instability in the child care sector. The bill seeks to address the critical shortage of early education workers by reducing the financial strain on educators, improving job satisfaction and increasing workforce retention.

The pilot program would be established through the DOE, provide free early education to eligible children, and run for over two years. The program would provide funds directly to the participating provider for the full cost of tuition for an eligible child, including full-time or part-time care based on family needs.

The DOE would select two counties to participate in the program. Based on workforce shortages and access to child care services, these counties must have the highest need for early education workers. The DOE would also establish a process to verify the eligibility of participating providers, early education workers and eligible children.

Gun and done

Florida may have liberal gun laws, but the feds draw the line when criminals want to buy firearms and lie about their records.

Ask Jose Fernando Dominguez about that one.

The 51-year-old said he’d never been convicted of domestic violence when buying a gun.

That was his first fib. He was on probation when he made the false attestation on ATF Form 4473.

He doubled down by saying he’d never served a year in jail, omitting a stretch in Miami-Dade for grand theft, cocaine possession, and a related drug distribution charge.

Dominguez pleaded guilty in October; U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger sentenced him to 10 months in prison.

Trustworthy

The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) issued its honor roll for 2025, listing those who have helped the environmental conservation organization.

Former Florida House of Representatives Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican from Palm Coast, is one of the honorees. State Rep. Sam Garrison, a Republican from Clay County in District 11, and state Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Republican from Fleming Island, were also honored for their contributions to the NFLT.

Jack Thornton, who donated 400 acres of property to the NFLT, will be recognized for that contribution. Keith and Suzanne Langenberg will be honored together for the Volunteer of the Year award.

“All of our award winners this year have played a big part in saving and preserving Florida’s natural spaces, and we greatly appreciate all of their efforts,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “We could not do what we do without the support of people like Paul Renner, Jennifer Bradley, Sam Garrison, the dedication to conservation from landowners like Jack Thornton, and the stewardship of the land from those like Keith and Suzanne Langenberg. We appreciate all of their dedication to the mission of protecting natural spaces because it is now or never.”

All the awards will be presented at the NFLT annual meeting and Awards Celebration March 30 in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Game change

New Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules are germane to Northeast Florida sportsmen and women.

One of them turns Deep Creek in St. Johns County into a new wildlife management area. East of Hastings, there are swampy areas where pine trees flourish.

The other two govern shrimp harvests in Duval and Nassau counties for commercial live bait harvesters, allowing them to take 5 gallons at a time, up from one.

Meanwhile, the commission is mulling over opening a portion of Pumpkin Hill Creek (Duval County) to commercial and recreational shrimp harvest from the Nassau River to Tiger Point (30°30.0783’ N latitude) from September through December each year.

The final rule meeting on shrimp issues is in May. To weigh in, contact [email protected].

Curry feeds cops

A former Jacksonville Mayor is showing appreciation for law enforcement.

Lenny Curry treated 200 members of the Fraternal Order of Police to lunch last week amid a reduction in violent crime.

Curry left office in 2023 but was very close to law enforcement during his eight years as chief executive.

Jacksonville had just 59 murders last year. That’s the lowest number in years, and it reflects consistent investment in JSO, which started when Curry was in office and continues under Deegan.

D for Duval

Turns out $5 billion in pension debt has consequences.

The new Truth in Accounting Financial State of the Cities report shows Jacksonville ranked #60 among 75 major cities. It received a D grade because it is $3.6 billion in the hole.

Another big reason is big spending.

“Governmental activity expenses increased by $433.7 million from fiscal year 2022 to 2023, outpacing the $304.5 million rise in associated revenues. Public safety expenses, which account for 53% of total governmental costs, rose by $418.1 million, adding financial strain,” Truth in Accounting noted.

Education cooperation.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Florida State College of Jacksonville will work together to benefit both.

Students studying automotive technologies will be eligible for internships. JTA will collaborate with FSCJ to develop a curriculum on mass transit and autonomous vehicle systems.

JTA Chief Executive Officer Nat Ford is “thrilled” about the collaboration, which will train students for the “jobs of the future.”

FSCJ President Dr. John Avendano says the paid, six-month internships will “set our students up for success in the workforce.”

Da Vinci Code

UF Health Flagler Hospital has acquired a clinical masterpiece in the form of the da Vinci 5 — the latest and greatest in robotic medical assistants, with 10,000 times the computing power of the previous iteration.

“The addition of this kind of advanced technology is a true testament to where UF Health Flagler Hospital is headed directionally, and it underscores our commitment to providing the highest quality care possible in the community we serve. Patients no longer have to choose between the latest in state-of-the-art technology and getting surgical care in St. Johns County,” said Kerry Watson, interim CEO of UF Health St. Johns.

Gynecology surgeons will use the device. Last week, doctors used it in a urology procedure to remove a blockage from a patient’s urinary tract.

That’s just one example of what the new robot can do.

“Performing minimally invasive surgery can provide the best possible outcomes for patients compared with open surgery, with shorter recovery times, less blood loss, less pain, and a faster return to normal activity. And now we have even more precise movements, an even clearer image, and real-time feedback. This just opens up the world of possibilities for patients and for surgeons,” said Byron Stapleton, D.O., a board-certified general surgeon with UF Health Surgical Specialists.

Get a Vet

If you have military experience and are looking for a job or a professional transition, a job fair on Saturday is just for you.

The Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition, Military Affairs, Veterans Department, and The Players Championship host the 13th Annual Military Job Fair. The event is free and will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Patriots’ Outpost at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Those who attend the job fair will meet employers who’ve already committed to hiring military veterans and family members related to veterans. There will also be a long list of exhibitors with resources and interest in assisting veterans in their job searches.

Those who want to attend the fair can contact Heather Schatz at the Jacksonville Mayor’s office or Miranda Rossum at the PGA Tour.

More than 30 local and national companies and organizations seeking to hire veterans will attend the event.

Power all-pros

Congratulations to JEA pros who brought home the hardware from the Florida Linemen Competition over the weekend.

“The 2025 Overall Journeyman Team Winners Cup was presented to David Hicken, Caleb Macabitas and Jonathan Cody Stokes of JEA. Winning the Overall Apprentice Award was Ryan Kornegay from JEA,” reports the Florida Municipal Electricity Association.

“A big congratulations to all the winners, who have demonstrated exceptional expertise and skills while also showing their unwavering commitment to safety on the job and delivering the highest quality service to their communities,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director.

A total of 18 utilities were in this year’s competition.

A closer look at Jaguars’ top draft prospects

New Jaguars general manager James Gladstone has said time and time again that he is looking for players with great intangibles. What does that mean for Jacksonville’s first-round pick in next month’s draft? Here are six top prospects the Jaguars will consider (if available) with the fifth draft pick.

It isn’t easy to define all of Gladstone’s intangible values, but among the likely traits he values are mental and physical toughness, self-motivation, and the drive to go the extra mile in physical and mental preparation.

Likely, one or both of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter will be off the board by the time the Jaguars pick if they stay at #5. However, Carter showed toughness by playing in the Orange Bowl nine days after injuring his shoulder and developed a reputation as a leader of the Nittany Lions.

Hunter has played both cornerback and wide receiver at a high level, which shows his attention to detail.

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham appears to be a high-floor prospect. Can he be an impact player? Graham totaled nine sacks in three years with the Wolverines. He was a late bloomer in high school but developed quickly at college. He developed a reputation for tough, physical play and relentless effort.

The other rising defensive player is Georgia pass rusher Mykel Williams. His tenacity and drive will likely impress Gladstone. He is also big and physical, weighing 265 pounds. In three seasons with the Bulldogs, he posted 17 sacks.

Two offensive players (in addition to Hunter) who could be in the mix for the Jaguars’ mix are wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona and LSU tackle Will Campbell.

McMillan’s size and productivity are beyond question. At the combine, he measured 6-foot-4 and 2019 pounds. That is a big wide receiver and the all-time leading receiver in Arizona program history. He receives high marks from scouts for his football IQ, on-field instincts, work ethic, competitiveness, toughness, and leadership. He also played some of his best games in high-pressure situations. A remarkable combination of measurables, college production and intangibles. He played on the same high school team as Graham at Servite High School in Southern California.

While the Jaguars do not have an immediate need at tackle, Campbell could push for playing time as a rookie. Scouts like his mean streak on the field and quick diagnosis of defenses, and his character and resilience are often highlighted among his best traits.

The best-case scenario is finding a player who plays at a high level, has all of the intangibles Gladstone values and fills an immediate need for the team. We won’t know who that man will be until the evening of April 24, the draft’s first round.

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