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Covering Jacksonville, Florida since 2007
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#21
Downtown / Re: Jacksonville is Losing its...
Last post by OspreyGrad - Yesterday at 06:06:24 PM@jaxlongtimer Agreed! It reminds me of a bad looking plaid suit jacket from the 1970's. It might be vintage, but it still looks bad.
I just finished an aerial view of the MOSH museum with the Stadium of the Future and the Shipyards Four Seasons hotel.
I just finished an aerial view of the MOSH museum with the Stadium of the Future and the Shipyards Four Seasons hotel.
#22
Politics / Re: November 2026 Elections
Last post by jaxlongtimer - Yesterday at 04:40:16 PMThe real crux of Amendment 3 is the "Cat in the Hat" scenario where you move the pink (tax) blob and it just shows up somewhere else.
Government is going to get its needed revenue come hell or high water. Exempt or reduce property taxes and you will get increased millage rates, user fees, etc. out the yazoo. You are NOT going to save taxes/fees overall, just pay it through other ways and more bureaucracy. Further, the burden will shift more to the very ones Amendment 3 is supposed to help, lower or fixed income persons. People in more expensive homes, who are capped on the upside with Save Our Homes, will benefit the most from larger homesteads, but fees, etc. will be paid equally by rich and poor alike. Houses, as I posted, will increase in value due to buyers using tax savings to pay more for a house, pushing many further away from first time ownership.
If the revenue is recovered by increased millage rates, this will hit landlords and businesses that already pay the most property taxes and employ large numbers of us the most. It will, thus, impact rents and paychecks along with negating part of the exemption savings on homeowners.
Government is going to get its needed revenue come hell or high water. Exempt or reduce property taxes and you will get increased millage rates, user fees, etc. out the yazoo. You are NOT going to save taxes/fees overall, just pay it through other ways and more bureaucracy. Further, the burden will shift more to the very ones Amendment 3 is supposed to help, lower or fixed income persons. People in more expensive homes, who are capped on the upside with Save Our Homes, will benefit the most from larger homesteads, but fees, etc. will be paid equally by rich and poor alike. Houses, as I posted, will increase in value due to buyers using tax savings to pay more for a house, pushing many further away from first time ownership.
If the revenue is recovered by increased millage rates, this will hit landlords and businesses that already pay the most property taxes and employ large numbers of us the most. It will, thus, impact rents and paychecks along with negating part of the exemption savings on homeowners.
#23
Downtown / Re: Jacksonville is Losing its...
Last post by jaxlongtimer - Yesterday at 04:24:34 PMQuote from: OspreyGrad on Yesterday at 08:05:19 AM@jaxlongtimer, the Rivers Edge renderings are Preston Hollow Capital's just as @marcuscnelson mentioned. It would be nice to see some of these projects become reality someday.
Quote from: marcuscnelson on Yesterday at 12:53:53 AM^ Those are the actual Preston Hollow renderings.
Thanks! Not impressed. It looks cold and ugly in the renderings and, again, a mish-mash of styles. Nothing distinctive. Typical cheap Jax designs. Maybe it looks better in other renderings, but these turn me off.
I wish we had higher design and architecture standards in Jax for our most prominent properties. This should be tied to the non-existent Downtown plan.
Just as we are "giving away" our prized waterfront, we are "giving away" our Downtown environmental soul.
#24
Politics / Re: November 2026 Elections
Last post by vicupstate - Yesterday at 02:30:32 PMQuoteI support, theoretically, a path to zero-property-tax for long-term property owners. The issue of people never owning their homes outright is a valid criticism.
I am so sick of this silly canard.
I guess since I don't own my home if I have to pay property taxes, then I don't own my home when it has a mortgage either. If the mortgage company owns part (or very often a majority) of my home, shouldn't THEY pay their share of the property taxes?
I guess since I have to pay Federal (and in my case, state) income taxes then I don't own my paycheck either. I am not gainfully employed by that logic, at least not full-time.
If I don't pay my property taxes I could lose my home but I would not lose the ability to earn money and buy a new one.
If I don't pay income taxes I can go to prison where I will 100% lose the ability to ever pay the taxes or improve my financial condition until I am released.
See how silly this argument is?
How long someone has lived in their home is irrelevant to property taxes. Property taxes pay for a policeman or fireman to come to your home if needed. It also pays for your garbage to be picked up and the lifeguard to work at the pool you swim laps at. It pays for animal control, the jail, the health department and all the other services that you receive. How does length of living in one location affect that in ANY way? It does not.
I personally have never heard of ANYONE losing their home [their RESIDENCE, not an investment property] for not paying taxes on it. Having the process start, yes, but taken all the way to loss of property, no. Maybe if happens more than I know of, but I suspect it is extremely rare. What few case there may be likely involve a property that isn't worth much more than the taxes owed.
#25
Politics / Re: November 2026 Elections
Last post by CityLife - Yesterday at 02:06:50 PMRegarding Amendment 3, Jacksonville's independent agencies like JTA, JEA, and JHA are likely swaying some uninformed Northeast Florida voters into voting yes. At least the Amendment 3 supporters are pushing this hard online. Interestingly, none of those agencies are actually funded through property taxes, but that doesn't stop misinformation from impacting voters. All they see is well paid government employees behaving poorly.
JEA's rates continue rising while many residents struggle to afford increases; obviously we all know of JTA's issues; and now JHA's CEO had the audacity to try to collect a 12% developer fee on projects the JHA completes. That is 12% in addition to the $300k she is already paid. She also wanted an additional 13% for other JHA "execs". Thankfully the JHA board shot it down, but the optics of it are absolutely terrible.
https://jaxtoday.org/2026/10/20/housing-board-scraps-bonuses/
I doubt these local controversies will determine the statewide outcome of Amendment 3, but they certainly don't help. When voters see one government agency after another making headlines for questionable spending and management decisions, it's easy to see why public confidence in local government in Northeast Florida continues to erode.
JEA's rates continue rising while many residents struggle to afford increases; obviously we all know of JTA's issues; and now JHA's CEO had the audacity to try to collect a 12% developer fee on projects the JHA completes. That is 12% in addition to the $300k she is already paid. She also wanted an additional 13% for other JHA "execs". Thankfully the JHA board shot it down, but the optics of it are absolutely terrible.
https://jaxtoday.org/2026/10/20/housing-board-scraps-bonuses/
I doubt these local controversies will determine the statewide outcome of Amendment 3, but they certainly don't help. When voters see one government agency after another making headlines for questionable spending and management decisions, it's easy to see why public confidence in local government in Northeast Florida continues to erode.
#26
Politics / Re: November 2026 Elections
Last post by jaxoNOLE - Yesterday at 01:04:40 PMI support, theoretically, a path to zero-property-tax for long-term property owners. The issue of people never owning their homes outright is a valid criticism. But Amendment 3 is rushed, lazy work akin to Congress trying to rein in the national debt by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. By extension, any candidate who embraces Amendment 3 is not someone I would trust to craft responsible tax relief.
Donalds has almost no specific and concrete policy suggestions to judge, which is an issue unto itself. By contrast, Jolly's idea of a state-sponsored cat risk pool is noble-intentioned but poorly conceived. Floridians despise their experiences with Citizens, and NFIP and California's FAIR plans hardly offer experience supportive of a Florida equivalent cat fund.
My inclination is to see a divided state government, with Jolly as governor and a Republican majority in the legislature to insulate against the worst ideas from each.
Donalds has almost no specific and concrete policy suggestions to judge, which is an issue unto itself. By contrast, Jolly's idea of a state-sponsored cat risk pool is noble-intentioned but poorly conceived. Floridians despise their experiences with Citizens, and NFIP and California's FAIR plans hardly offer experience supportive of a Florida equivalent cat fund.
My inclination is to see a divided state government, with Jolly as governor and a Republican majority in the legislature to insulate against the worst ideas from each.
#27
Politics / Re: November 2026 Elections
Last post by tufsu1 - Yesterday at 12:09:06 PMBike Walk Jax put out some good and concise information on potential impacts of Amendment 3 to local bike and pedestrian issues
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dewku8FlvXO/?img_index=1
About Bike Walk Jax
https://bikewalkjax.org/about
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dewku8FlvXO/?img_index=1
About Bike Walk Jax
https://bikewalkjax.org/about
#28
Science and Technology / Re: Wordle?
Last post by Charles Hunter - Yesterday at 09:35:52 AMHey, whatever works!
Wordle 1,950 3/6
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 98
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 2
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Beat the Bot x7
Sea of Greens x115
Connections
Puzzle #1228
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
leftovers
Strands #962
"On a higher level"
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵
PIPS
Pips #430 Easy 🟢
0:28
Pips #430 Medium 🟡
7:36
Wordle 1,950 3/6
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 98
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 2
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Beat the Bot x7
Sea of Greens x115
Connections
Puzzle #1228
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
leftovers
Strands #962
"On a higher level"
🔵🟡🔵🔵
🔵🔵
PIPS
Pips #430 Easy 🟢
0:28
Pips #430 Medium 🟡
7:36
#29
Downtown / Re: Jacksonville is Losing its...
Last post by OspreyGrad - Yesterday at 08:05:19 AM@jaxlongtimer, the Rivers Edge renderings are Preston Hollow Capital's just as @marcuscnelson mentioned. It would be nice to see some of these projects become reality someday.
#30
Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: Is U2C serious? Help me ma...
Last post by marianne10 - Yesterday at 06:59:27 AMI'd like to see the software costs broken out separately from the building and charging infrastructure. What actually requires custom development, what could use existing tools, and how much ongoing support is included?
If AI is part of the proposed scope, I'd also ask what measurable problem it solves and whether a simpler approach was evaluated. WTT Solutions has a guide to ai development solutions covering vendors and partner-selection criteria. It isn't a transit cost study, but it could serve as a starting point for questions about the AI development partner—not as justification for the overall project budget.
If AI is part of the proposed scope, I'd also ask what measurable problem it solves and whether a simpler approach was evaluated. WTT Solutions has a guide to ai development solutions covering vendors and partner-selection criteria. It isn't a transit cost study, but it could serve as a starting point for questions about the AI development partner—not as justification for the overall project budget.