What was the "real" purpose behind the Mayor's Economic Summit Meeting??

[AshleyLauren]

   We were all thrilled with Mayor Brown's decision about the furniture for the Court House last week, and just in case anyone wasn’t thoroughly impressed, he invited the 42nd President of the United States to town and he actually showed up; and on top of showing, he spoke to 500 of Jacksonville's finest about the “right track” our beloved city is on.
   While waiting for the Summit to begin, we found ourselves in a room that reminded us of a high school auditorium, complete with: poor planning, bad lighting, uncomfortable chairs, technical problems and that signature stage everyone had an awkward moment on in high school at some point or another. After realizing the oddity of the setting, the 500 invite-only guests began to arrive and take their seats which only made the situation that much more odd. The wide array of wardrobe choices made for an interesting debate between me and my cohort. While most of the men were dressed the part (slacks, dress shoes, jacket, tie, perfectly parted hair, etc.), the women, perhaps, were not aware that there was a former United States President in attendance. There were low cut shirts, bare legs, spaghetti strap-dresses, very high-heels, jeans and I believe I saw a pair of flip-flops. Not exactly articles of clothing one would expect to find at a meeting with a former President, but who am I to judge?
   Even more interesting than the fashion choices of Jacksonville's female citizens was the way in which the speakers were presented. Each speaker would offer kind words at the end of their speech, counting off the next speaker’s accomplishments and attributes. Ironically, this list sounded the same each time, “He is humble, self-sufficient, budget-conscious, determined…” (You get the point). Preceding Mr. Bill Clinton, we heard from the president of the City Council, Stephen Joost, and then from Mayor Brown. Both men took a moment to revel in recent successes they have made for the city; both declaring, we are making positive changes. Stephen Joost stated, “That’s what I call getting it done. That’s bringing it to the next level.” Followed by Mayor Brown stating, “We are stronger together, and I am humbled and honored to be a mayor of a city where so many businesses, organizations, and individuals are willing to put forth resources and personal time to ensure that we continue to move the needle forward on key priorities.” With that he announced the business leaders whom recently made commitments to join Mayor Brown’s efforts:

Jacksonville Jaguars â€" Owner Shahid Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a $1 million financial commitment along with leadership support to aid our military veterans in assimilating back into the community when they return from service.   
Florida Blue â€" Florida Blue has committed to invest $2 million in 2012 to improve the quality of life in Jacksonville through nonprofit programs, and commit to invest at least $1 million annually for the next three years. In addition, Florida Blue will make an investment of $125,000 to the mayor’s education initiatives that work in collaboration with other organizations that care about education.
Wells Fargo â€" Wells Fargo is committing to $1 million of support for neighborhood stabilization efforts, to include incentives to motivate homebuyers to purchase homes in Jacksonville neighborhoods. A strong restart of home sales would be a powerful boost to our local economy.
CSX â€" Michael Ward, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and CSX are committed to actively supporting programs tied to downtown development, job creation, education and veterans/military affairs today, and is committed to working with the mayor.
Terrell Hogan â€" Wayne Hogan, president of the Terrell Hogan law firm, has committed to support the mayor’s priority on education and on parks and recreation with a $200,000 financial commitment to advance specific programs directed toward our community youth and young adults.
Farrah & Farrah â€" Attorneys Eddie Farah and Charlie Farah of Farah & Farah of Jacksonville have committed to support the mayor's priorities with a $200,000 financial commitment to Downtown.

With that almost all talk of money dissipated, Mayor Brown then concluded his speech with a, seemingly, heartfelt introduction; and Mr. Bill Clinton finally took the stage.

We are still wondering how exactly this particular meeting was named the "Economic Summit Meeting". Perhaps, we missed something.

[simms3]

Well I can totally understand the nomenclature.

What I seem to be missing are all the heavy hitting items.  I want to see tangible things (not "money for stuff related to this or that"), and for some of these people/companies these are very large commitments, but overall these dollar figures are pretty damn small.

Gary Chartrand just came through with a $15M fund for education (as yet to be determined what that means exactly or where the money will be allocated and where the commitments will come from).  Step in the right direction and a sizable figure.

I want to see that $15M replicated a dozen times for various local projects/resources:

1) Emerald Necklace
2) MOSH
3) Riverwalk
4) Streetscapes
5) Business incubators
6) the Cummer
7) Education
Education
9) Education
10) A new museum/cultural attraction like the ship downtown and maritime museum
11) Friendship Fountain
12) Health foundations associated with Shands, Mayo and/or other local hospital operators
13) A foundation to bring a program from UF, FSU, or some other school to Jax
14) A larger endowment for UNF
15) An endowment to generate support for better transit in Jacksonville

The list could go on and on and on...enough with the small stuff that doesn't go anywhere.  An F500 company putting up $1M here and there may be big for Jax, but let's be real.  The numbers coming from the largest public/private firms in Jax could probably be higher (by a lot) and the wealthiest individuals in Jax need their name attached to more things.

And when is Peter Rummell going to put his money where his mouth is and take a BIG risk in a local new urban/green project in a desolate area like Brooklyn or LaVilla?  That's one of the biggest differences between other peer cities and Jacksonville are the pet development interests of local wealth.  Jacksonville does not have any big developers or those who go into LP/guarantee anything sizable.  Cameron Kuhn was as close as we got (and he was from Orlando and went in the red in less than a skip of a beat).

[Ocklawaha]

STREETCAR!
STREETCAR!
STREETCAR!

Proposed in Jacksonville for more then 30 years, ROI: $3 to $1 (Cincinnati Streetcar Project data)

When the study examined the differences between the lines in Charlotte, Denver and Minneapolis it showed that the urban portions were most successful at attracting economic investment. Charlotte’s Blue Line (9.6 miles) saw approximately 1,021,000 square feet of development per mile, while Denver’s Southeast Corridor (19.1 miles) and Minneapolis’ Hiawatha Line (12.3 miles) saw 408,000 and 545,000 square feet of development per mile respectively.

The results from this study are clear for transit-oriented development. An urban setting with opportunities for development, close proximity to job centers and transit connectivity are critical for economic success. Suburban areas show diminishing returns in the form of economic activity and real estate investment along transit line.

But what the hey, why confuse them with facts?



OCKLAWAHA

[JeffreyS]

Well they weren't going to name it the Pat ourselves on the back summit.

Some companies wanted to the chance to crow about some donations and everyone wanted to rub shoulders with an ex-prez. No harm done that it had a name that wasn't so accurate and the community got some bucks thrown our way. Good fun.

[mtraininjax]

the women, perhaps, were not aware that there was a former United States President in attendance. There were low cut shirts, bare legs, spaghetti strap-dresses, very high-heels, jeans and I believe I saw a pair of flip-flops.

Hey, the women in Jax ain't no idiots, they knew slick willie was in town and they dressed down for a reason.

[t sizzle]

   The wide array of wardrobe choices made for an interesting debate between me and my cohort. While most of the men were dressed the part (slacks, dress shoes, jacket, tie, perfectly parted hair, etc.), the women, perhaps, were not aware that there was a former United States President in attendance. There were low cut shirts, bare legs, spaghetti strap-dresses, very high-heels, jeans and I believe I saw a pair of flip-flops. Not exactly articles of clothing one would expect to find at a meeting with a former President, but who am I to judge?

LOL @ very high-heels comment! seriously? who the heck cares. this is the 21st century... just say no to loafers!!

[tufsu1]

And when is Peter Rummell going to put his money where his mouth is and take a BIG risk in a local new urban/green project in a desolate area like Brooklyn or LaVilla? 

I would submit that Mr. Rummell has been funding things that change the community organicly....like CoWork Jax

[simms3]

And when is Peter Rummell going to put his money where his mouth is and take a BIG risk in a local new urban/green project in a desolate area like Brooklyn or LaVilla? 

I would submit that Mr. Rummell has been funding things that change the community organicly....like CoWork Jax

Good to hear.

[simms3]

And when is Peter Rummell going to put his money where his mouth is and take a BIG risk in a local new urban/green project in a desolate area like Brooklyn or LaVilla? 

I would submit that Mr. Rummell has been funding things that change the community organicly....like CoWork Jax

How is that a BIG risk?

Or even a big project?

It's a very risky undertaking, and depending on the scope it could be a large project.  I live in the land of developers guaranteeing $300M loans or $20M mezz facilities in addition to putting $5, $10 or even $15M+ of their own personal equity in for all sorts of projects.  The latest one to go bust was Streets of Buckhead, which was largely bankrolled by Ben Carter Sr himself, and that wasn't in a desolate area (land was cost around $400/land foot...$17M+/acre).

Peter Rummell had a major foot in Seaside/Edgewater through St. Joe, obviously, but I wish he would be more active in the development front in Jacksonville considering his prominence, connections and experience.  He's one of the few big whigs the city has that could pull off what most cannot, albeit at his own risk.

Why do you think the projects in Brooklyn haven't gotten off the ground yet?  Why do you think one of the proposed is bare minimum stick cosntruction that is basically garden style and would fit comfortably in the burbs in other cities?  Multifamily is the hot product right now and even on the southside there aren't many new starts as compared to '04-'07.  Charleston has 3x the amount of new starts as metro Jax right now (thanks to Boeing, port, etc).  Raleigh is about to match their all time record thanks to job growth.  The BLS put Atlanta 2nd to last for job growth and then revised a month ago to bring it to 3rd best in country, and that corellates perfectly with the low amount of starts in the Atl metro to now all of a sudden activity drastically picking up.

If our chamber AND the city and the civic council could work out a way to bring more/higher paying jobs to Jax, much of the risk of new development would be taken out, but conversely so many groups got burned in Jax that it's going to take more risk-taking from local developers who know the ins and outs of the market and have the experience and the connections with lenders/equity to get things done that are positives for the community before outside groups return like they did in the early 2000s.  Peter Sleiman is practically the biggest developer Jax has, which is saying very little.  I would hope more refined finance guys like Rummell could get on board.

When all of our job announcements are for call centers and support divisions and the net is still 1,500 jobs for the year, you're not going to see much new development at all, let alone more expensive development in the urban/intown areas.  It will take both an overhaul from the jobs front and a stepping up of local business/real estate leaders like Rummell to right the ship/figuratively turn the aircraft carrier.

[John P]

   We were all thrilled with Mayor Brown's decision about the furniture for the Court House last week, and just in case anyone wasn’t thoroughly impressed, he invited the 42nd President of the United States to town and he actually showed up; and on top of showing, he spoke to 500 of Jacksonville's finest about the “right track” our beloved city is on.
   While waiting for the Summit to begin, we found ourselves in a room that reminded us of a high school auditorium, complete with: poor planning, bad lighting, uncomfortable chairs, technical problems and that signature stage everyone had an awkward moment on in high school at some point or another. After realizing the oddity of the setting, the 500 invite-only guests began to arrive and take their seats which only made the situation that much more odd. The wide array of wardrobe choices made for an interesting debate between me and my cohort. While most of the men were dressed the part (slacks, dress shoes, jacket, tie, perfectly parted hair, etc.), the women, perhaps, were not aware that there was a former United States President in attendance. There were low cut shirts, bare legs, spaghetti strap-dresses, very high-heels, jeans and I believe I saw a pair of flip-flops. Not exactly articles of clothing one would expect to find at a meeting with a former President, but who am I to judge?
   Even more interesting than the fashion choices of Jacksonville's female citizens was the way in which the speakers were presented. Each speaker would offer kind words at the end of their speech, counting off the next speaker’s accomplishments and attributes. Ironically, this list sounded the same each time, “He is humble, self-sufficient, budget-conscious, determined…” (You get the point). Preceding Mr. Bill Clinton, we heard from the president of the City Council, Stephen Joost, and then from Mayor Brown. Both men took a moment to revel in recent successes they have made for the city; both declaring, we are making positive changes. Stephen Joost stated, “That’s what I call getting it done. That’s bringing it to the next level.” Followed by Mayor Brown stating, “We are stronger together, and I am humbled and honored to be a mayor of a city where so many businesses, organizations, and individuals are willing to put forth resources and personal time to ensure that we continue to move the needle forward on key priorities.” With that he announced the business leaders whom recently made commitments to join Mayor Brown’s efforts:

Jacksonville Jaguars â€" Owner Shahid Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a $1 million financial commitment along with leadership support to aid our military veterans in assimilating back into the community when they return from service.   
Florida Blue â€" Florida Blue has committed to invest $2 million in 2012 to improve the quality of life in Jacksonville through nonprofit programs, and commit to invest at least $1 million annually for the next three years. In addition, Florida Blue will make an investment of $125,000 to the mayor’s education initiatives that work in collaboration with other organizations that care about education.
Wells Fargo â€" Wells Fargo is committing to $1 million of support for neighborhood stabilization efforts, to include incentives to motivate homebuyers to purchase homes in Jacksonville neighborhoods. A strong restart of home sales would be a powerful boost to our local economy.
CSX â€" Michael Ward, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and CSX are committed to actively supporting programs tied to downtown development, job creation, education and veterans/military affairs today, and is committed to working with the mayor.
Terrell Hogan â€" Wayne Hogan, president of the Terrell Hogan law firm, has committed to support the mayor’s priority on education and on parks and recreation with a $200,000 financial commitment to advance specific programs directed toward our community youth and young adults.
Farrah & Farrah â€" Attorneys Eddie Farah and Charlie Farah of Farah & Farah of Jacksonville have committed to support the mayor's priorities with a $200,000 financial commitment to Downtown.

With that almost all talk of money dissipated, Mayor Brown then concluded his speech with a, seemingly, heartfelt introduction; and Mr. Bill Clinton finally took the stage.

We are still wondering how exactly this particular meeting was named the "Economic Summit Meeting". Perhaps, we missed something.

I went to one of the Mayors summits recently and it was alot of pmp and circumstance and poltical speeches. Not much substance. I think hes checking off the boxes of things he has to do.

[simms3]

Simms are you referring to coworking?

No.  I'm literally referring to the development of raw land.  I didn't know that Rummell had a finger in CoWork Jax until today, but I'm referring to something much bigger than that.

[cityimrov]

Simms are you referring to coworking?

No.  I'm literally referring to the development of raw land.  I didn't know that Rummell had a finger in CoWork Jax until today, but I'm referring to something much bigger than that.

Simms, a lot of what you post seems to make pretty good sense.  Except to those who actually live in Jacksonville.  I have heard cheers and applause that we are bringing in big major companies to Jacksonville.   The latest one being bringing in the prestige of GE Capital.  Of course, what nobody seems to be talking about is that these jobs are the bottom of the barrel jobs that were probably brought here because Jacksonville was cheaper than any other area place besides going off to India.  GE Capital one is even starting to looks like a collections agency arm of GE. 

Let me ask you this question.  In any city you worked with, how many of them have managed to turn bottom of the barrel jobs into top level positions?  Has any of the areas you worked with manage to successfully turn from housing call centers and paper shuffling jobs into major research and development center or major marketing center or major financial center?  If so, how did they do it?  Is it possible for an area to have a major call center presence and a major marketing presence at the same time (Jacksonville wants both)? 

You know, questions that are supposed to be asked during an economic summit. 

[AshleyLauren]

Well I can totally understand the nomenclature.

What I seem to be missing are all the heavy hitting items.  I want to see tangible things (not "money for stuff related to this or that"), and for some of these people/companies these are very large commitments, but overall these dollar figures are pretty damn small.


7) Education
Education
9) Education

I completely agree with you. "I want to see tangible things". While the amounts may seem small for some of these very large companies at least it is a dollar amount, but these amounts mean nothing if we don't see where that money goes, how it is used for the years these companies have committed too, and the tangible evidence that this money did anything for the community. I think if the Mayor brought these men up on stage to show them off, and as another member of this thread said, "pat themselves on the back" then these men and companies need to be held accountable for that money and it's use.

Also, I loved the entire list, but, 7, 8 and 9 were my favorite :-)

[AshleyLauren]

Well they weren't going to name it the Pat ourselves on the back summit.

Some companies wanted to the chance to crow about some donations and everyone wanted to rub shoulders with an ex-prez. No harm done that it had a name that wasn't so accurate and the community got some bucks thrown our way. Good fun.

Haha, JeffreyS. I missed the shoulder rubbing though! Well said and no there is no harm done, but in a time where the next step is so important I think some attention to what the next "economic summit" will be was necessary. A lot of people are putting a lot of thought, time and money into the development and future of our city and that should have, if anything, at least been acknowledged by someone.


You said the community "got come bucks thrown our way". Do you have an amount? And on the other hand how much did the event cost the city?

[AshleyLauren]

Hey, the women in Jax ain't no idiots, they knew slick willie was in town and they dressed down for a reason.
[/quote]

Haha, well some of them put it all out there. Perhaps, this is why no one was allowed near him either.