"Move to Jax" billboards featuring Lenny Curry

[CityLife]

"Pick your 'hood!" We are soooo cool

True story. If you click "pick your N'Hood" it takes you to a site called "Find Your Jax".
https://findyourjax.com/find-your-source/neighborhoods/

There is a search query that attempts to match you based on your preferences. I played with it a bit to see what it would do and one of the queries said locations that would be a best fit are Amelia/Fernindina, Neptune/Atlantic Beach, Palm Coast, and St. Augustine. Not one mention of a COJ neighborhood. So Curry is paying COJ tax dollars to try to attract people to other counties....

[jaxoNOLE]

I mean, if you enter answers to intentionally guide yourself away from Jacksonville, it shouldn't be surprising that your results are...outside of Jacksonville. People in neighboring locales may not pay property tax, but they also don't use JSO, JFRD, or Duval school resources. If they do, they're in county for dining, shopping, work, etc. which generates tax revenue of its own. Not to mention it grows the talent base of workers for employers who may locate in Jax even if their employees are over the county line. So it's not completely worthless.

[Ken_FSU]

^Much ado about absolutely nothing. We're talking $45k (a rounding error for the city) out of the mayor's discretionary fund. Of course, people who already have an axe to grind with Curry are going to bury him for it. Not even a Curry supporter, but for a city so fond of calling itself "bold," I totally dig the in your face approach versus a generic billboard about the beaches or river.

[CityLife]

I mean, if you enter answers to intentionally guide yourself away from Jacksonville, it shouldn't be surprising that your results are...outside of Jacksonville. People in neighboring locales may not pay property tax, but they also don't use JSO, JFRD, or Duval school resources. If they do, they're in county for dining, shopping, work, etc. which generates tax revenue of its own. Not to mention it grows the talent base of workers for employers who may locate in Jax even if their employees are over the county line. So it's not completely worthless.

I don't think you quite understood the point. I was testing the search query to see if it would send me away from Jax/Duval. Turns out it is a JAXUSA Partnership site (regional focused ED agency that covers Duval, Nassau, Clay, Baker, Putnam, Flagler, and Clay). While, yes Jacksonville/Duval does derive some of its revenue from people that live outside of the county, particularly those in truly bedroom communities; the Mayor of Jacksonville should be pushing people to live in Duval (Jax makes a net profit from the independent beach communities, fyi). It wouldn't have been that difficult to just take the neighborhood profiles from the JaxUSA site for Duval communities/neighborhoods and only highlight those on the mayors site...

I did a different query that gave 5 options all outside of Duval, including Bunnell in Flagler. Bunnell and Palm Coast are only 5 minutes further from Downtown Orlando than Jax. Do you really think people in Flagler are spending much time in Duval? Heck, most people from St. Augustine and Fernindina rarely come to Jax either. Showcasing those communities is better than nothing, but still not a wise strategy. Especially when the regional focused JaxUSA site might be biased against Duval. It didn't even give me Intercoastal West when I said I liked the beach, for instance.

Jax desperately needs to grow it's middle class tax base.  To get back to the average home price argument, how is Jax/Duval supposed to be able to provide quality services to residents and how is the school board able to fund good schools, when a large amount of the region's middle class lives outside of the County?

Zillow's average home price per county:

Nassau County $342k
St. Johns County $385k
Flagler $277k
Clay County $260k
Duval $237k (skewed up $7k by beach communities)

As to Ken's post...meh. I'm a political moderate with no axe to grind. I call spades spades. Presumably this is going to be an ongoing campaign. I shared my thoughts on the pick your hood issue in hopes that someone can encourage the Mayor's office to fix it.

[vicupstate]

If it were me, I would have given the $45k to the CVB and ask them how they would recommend spending it. JAX has a LOT of work to do in terms of raising its profile and creating a 'brand' and image.  $45k is a drop in the bucket towards doing that, but maybe it could at least be a partial kickoff to a marketing plan to do so.   

[JPalmer]

If it were me, I would have given the $45k to the CVB and ask them how they would recommend spending it. JAX has a LOT of work to do in terms of raising its profile and creating a 'brand' and image.  $45k is a drop in the bucket towards doing that, but maybe it could at least be a partial kickoff to a marketing plan to do so.

Then why don't you foot the $45K consulting fee.

You really think spending $45K for a company to give you their opinion is actually money better spent?

You must work in the consulting industry.  How is spending $45K to "possibly" find out how we could better spend another $45K your recommended choice....You are literally suggesting spending twice as much and with no guarantee of better results.  You should really keep these types of opinions between the ears.

[Snaketoz]

If it were me, I would have given the $45k to the CVB and ask them how they would recommend spending it. JAX has a LOT of work to do in terms of raising its profile and creating a 'brand' and image.  $45k is a drop in the bucket towards doing that, but maybe it could at least be a partial kickoff to a marketing plan to do so.

You should really keep these types of opinions between the ears.

Aren't opinions the reason for forums?  Only your opinion is valid?

[JPalmer]

Opinions are only one part of a discussion board, and so is offering up facts.   Also offering your opinion of a discussion board means you should probably expect others to possibly disagree. 

If you have a problem with someone disagreeing with you on a message board, you should really keep it between your ears.

[jaxoNOLE]

I mean, if you enter answers to intentionally guide yourself away from Jacksonville, it shouldn't be surprising that your results are...outside of Jacksonville. People in neighboring locales may not pay property tax, but they also don't use JSO, JFRD, or Duval school resources. If they do, they're in county for dining, shopping, work, etc. which generates tax revenue of its own. Not to mention it grows the talent base of workers for employers who may locate in Jax even if their employees are over the county line. So it's not completely worthless.

I don't think you quite understood the point. I was testing the search query to see if it would send me away from Jax/Duval. Turns out it is a JAXUSA Partnership site (regional focused ED agency that covers Duval, Nassau, Clay, Baker, Putnam, Flagler, and Clay). While, yes Jacksonville/Duval does derive some of its revenue from people that live outside of the county, particularly those in truly bedroom communities; the Mayor of Jacksonville should be pushing people to live in Duval (Jax makes a net profit from the independent beach communities, fyi). It wouldn't have been that difficult to just take the neighborhood profiles from the JaxUSA site for Duval communities/neighborhoods and only highlight those on the mayors site...

I did a different query that gave 5 options all outside of Duval, including Bunnell in Flagler. Bunnell and Palm Coast are only 5 minutes further from Downtown Orlando than Jax. Do you really think people in Flagler are spending much time in Duval? Heck, most people from St. Augustine and Fernindina rarely come to Jax either. Showcasing those communities is better than nothing, but still not a wise strategy. Especially when the regional focused JaxUSA site might be biased against Duval. It didn't even give me Intercoastal West when I said I liked the beach, for instance.

Jax desperately needs to grow it's middle class tax base.  To get back to the average home price argument, how is Jax/Duval supposed to be able to provide quality services to residents and how is the school board able to fund good schools, when a large amount of the region's middle class lives outside of the County?

Zillow's average home price per county:

Nassau County $342k
St. Johns County $385k
Flagler $277k
Clay County $260k
Duval $237k (skewed up $7k by beach communities)

As to Ken's post...meh. I'm a political moderate with no axe to grind. I call spades spades. Presumably this is going to be an ongoing campaign. I shared my thoughts on the pick your hood issue in hopes that someone can encourage the Mayor's office to fix it.

I understand the point, and if this were a multi-million dollar relocation campaign, I'd be upset about that money driving people to Bunnell. But in a world where the administration always has to make choices about resource allocation, this $45k looks more like a vanity/pet project for Curry. Presumably, they leveraged an existing tool with minimal-to-no modifications. Some things are just good enough for what they are -- and that's really my point. Your observations are all fair, but the fact that there's room for improvement doesn't make the current campaign a failure.

While people on the fringes of the recommendation area geography may not contribute much to Jax directly, healthy regional growth is still helpful in a rising-tides-lift-all-boats manner. If those areas boom, you have a tax base growing to help fund regional transit projects long-term. Not that Jax should aim to be the mouthpiece (or piggybank) of a "Move to Bunnell" campaign, but for someone who prefers
a rural, quiet setting with ample outdoor activities but wants to be close to the ocean...I guess I'm personally fine with giving them the recommendation of Nassau or Flagler county, because they'd likely be unhappy in Jax Beach. Transplanting wealth from California and New York into Florida is good. Getting it into Duval is better, but if we don't have the spot they want, getting them to NE FL is better for us than seeing them go to Naples, Miami, Tampa, etc.

[Peter Griffin]

But in a world where the administration always has to make choices about resource allocation, this $45k looks more like a vanity/pet project for Curry.

It's the mayor's discretionary fund, it's his to do with as he sees fit. If he wants to spend it on a vanity project, so be it. If you don't like it, seek budget reform within the office of the mayor.

[JBTripper]

How interesting that Curry's mug is the focal point of all the billboards.  Why no mention that we have an electric utility for sale and we like to demolish stuff.  Or, want to open a parking lot? Come to JAX.

You kid, but a friend of mine moved back to Atlanta from the Bay Area not long ago, and was probably more excited about being able to park her car than anything else. It can be a selling point!

[CityLife]

But in a world where the administration always has to make choices about resource allocation, this $45k looks more like a vanity/pet project for Curry.

It's the mayor's discretionary fund, it's his to do with as he sees fit. If he wants to spend it on a vanity project, so be it. If you don't like it, seek budget reform within the office of the mayor.

It's discretionary in the sense that he doesn't have to get Council approval to spend it, but that doesn't mean he can spend the money with impunity. If he were to say, spend it on a private trip, he would get hit with ethics violations. Similarly, if he spends it on what some people consider a poor allocation of public dollars (particularly on a high profile project), he certainly is not exempt from public opinion.

I like the attempt in concept, just think it's poorly executed.

[jaxlongtimer]

But in a world where the administration always has to make choices about resource allocation, this $45k looks more like a vanity/pet project for Curry.

It's the mayor's discretionary fund, it's his to do with as he sees fit. If he wants to spend it on a vanity project, so be it. If you don't like it, seek budget reform within the office of the mayor.

It's discretionary in the sense that he doesn't have to get Council approval to spend it, but that doesn't mean he can spend the money with impunity. If he were to say, spend it on a private trip, he would get hit with ethics violations. Similarly, if he spends it on what some people consider a poor allocation of public dollars (particularly on a high profile project), he certainly is not exempt from public opinion.

I like the attempt in concept, just think it's poorly executed.

Yeah, he could have chartered Khan's yacht for a $100,000/week or more to entertain his special interest "friends" under the guise of getting advice on how to run the City.   

I wonder what these dollars have been spent on in other years and with the balance this year.

[jaxoNOLE]

But in a world where the administration always has to make choices about resource allocation, this $45k looks more like a vanity/pet project for Curry.

It's the mayor's discretionary fund, it's his to do with as he sees fit. If he wants to spend it on a vanity project, so be it. If you don't like it, seek budget reform within the office of the mayor.

Whoa, easy there, I'm not picking on Lenny. Every executive has pet projects. In case the tone of my post wasn't clear, I was defending the program as appropriate and productive given the limited scope of resources it received. To pick out the one quoted sentence really obfuscates the point.

[vicupstate]

If it were me, I would have given the $45k to the CVB and ask them how they would recommend spending it. JAX has a LOT of work to do in terms of raising its profile and creating a 'brand' and image.  $45k is a drop in the bucket towards doing that, but maybe it could at least be a partial kickoff to a marketing plan to do so.

Then why don't you foot the $45K consulting fee.

You really think spending $45K for a company to give you their opinion is actually money better spent?

You must work in the consulting industry.  How is spending $45K to "possibly" find out how we could better spend another $45K your recommended choice....You are literally suggesting spending twice as much and with no guarantee of better results.  You should really keep these types of opinions between the ears.

Your reading comprehension sucks my friend. I said to use the money for a legitimate marketing campaign, one that will establish a brand and have a long life-span. I never said to spend it on a consultant to tell us how to spend it. Why the F would I spend my money? Is it MY job to fix JAX's issues? 

I never said $45k was sufficient to do a decent branding/marketing campaign, and actually said as much. But at least it is a start. Jacksonville certainly needs one. Outside of FL, Jax has no image to speak of, and what little it does is all based on the Jags. If the CVB and Chamber (with perhaps a few coins from the Mayor) would make the investment, it could payoff handsomely. There really isn't a law that says people have to just drive thru JAX on the way to someplace further south.