Comment

Comment by Charles D White on June 6, 2011 at 12:42pm

I have a pdf of the agenda if anyone wants to provide me their email addresses my work one is chuckwhite@commjax.com. Or you can email Michelle Stephens msteph@coj.net or call her at 630-1979

Comment by J.R. on June 6, 2011 at 12:39pm

More JEDC, Mayor Peyton, and Everbank links:

From what I've read, this appears to be a rush-through push on the Everbank deal by lame-duck Mayor John Peyton, in conjunction with that already proposed to the City Council by lame-duck Council President, Jack Webb.
With a newly-elected, majority conservative City Council and one new member, Greg Anderson who is a Vice President of Everbank and would have to recuse himself from voting on the Everbank proposal, the Everbank deal would have a harder time getting passed by the incoming Council. Ethics appear to have been thrown by the wayside. Any carry-over Council member who votes for this turkey, especially under rushed, lame-duck circumstances for both Mayor Peyton and Council President, Jack Webb, should be recalled.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Jacksonville+Economic+Development+...

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2011/05/24/city-propos...

http://www.coj.net/Departments/Jacksonville-Economic-Development-Co...

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on June 6, 2011 at 12:32pm

I looked at the daily record a little while ago, and wow!   Real news presented truthfully without any bias or taking sides..............just the truth and all the details!  

 

check it out:  http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=533741

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=533741

Comment by J.R. on June 6, 2011 at 12:09pm

Search results page for more information re Everbank deal and Mayoy Peyton's pushing it:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-05-24/story/john-peyton-pit...

Article explaining Mayor Peyton's facilitating the Everbank Move: (many questions remain unanswered, in my opinion, and the 200 speculative jobs to be added, could be replacements for retiring employees or anybody else. Jacksonville taxpayers can't afford this. Everbank could, for far less money, renew their current leases and lease addition space for any increase in its work force.)

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Jacksonville+Economic+Development+...

Comment by J.R. on June 6, 2011 at 11:57am

Chuck, the Daily Record states that: "A JEDC agenda and project summaries distributed Friday include detailed project summaries for most of the Downtown-related projects."

Do you have a copy of the JEDC's agenda and project summaries? Or, do you know where I can find it?

Comment by Jim Ryan on June 6, 2011 at 11:50am

From what I have read on this blog post concerning the issues it would appear that bring suit against

those involved would be a means of bringing that "sunshine."   A lawsuit would allow the types of disclosure needed and at the same time make the testimony of those involved official which of course would or could open the door to further prosecutions should they "not be telling the truth" and lie under oath.   By have depositions and a hearing perhaps the situation and those involved would allow for such clarity.  It seems the decision to have speakers address the issues is a start but having the last speaker throw down a lawsuit and have an injunction would stop the council from giving the "I hear ya and see ya, and I don't give a damm, resoulution passes" edict. 

Comment by J.R. on June 6, 2011 at 11:26am

The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC) also has to follow The Constitution of the United States, Florida Constitution, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Administrative Law Code. Let's see documented proof of their legal authority to approve forced taxpayer subsidizing of private businesses---either within the county or coming from outside the County.

Comment by J.R. on June 6, 2011 at 11:11am

Actually, I believe that as many people as want to speak should do so, just as they did at the City Council meeting for the final vote on the budget. Speakers continued until after 3:00AM exercising their voice in government. Someone might bring up a point that no one else brought up. Repetition is a teaching and learning tool that reinforces learning. The budget was passed immediately afterward, as if it were a pre-planned vote. The Council's earlier votes at that meeting were passed rapidly, as if pre-voted. If you can't do that on a condo Board of Directors, how can the City Council do so? Where's the sunshine?

Before there is any vote on the Everbank issue, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC) and the City Council must be required to provide taxpayers proof of their constitutional and/or statutory authority for their approving, and requiring of taxpayers, the subsidizing of any private business to operate in Duval County, including the Jaguars already operating in the county.

It was the out-going Mayor, Jack Webb, who proposed this corporate welfare for Everbank and he is apparently attempting to control the process and get it passed before leaving office. Mr. Webb was just soundly defeated at the polls and is a lame-duck Mayor. And Greg Anderson, VP of Everbank who was just voted onto the City Council has a conflict of interest and would have to recuse himself from voting on this issue, if it happens to run over into the incoming Council. Plus, there is a conservative majority on the incoming Council. That is why there is a big push to vote now, before the new Council is sworn in.

Mayor Webb has proposed a total package to benefit Everbank... in the amount of 9.25 million dollars and it appears to be open-ended with regard to leasing payments. Duval County/City of Jacksonville would not own either the building or the parking garage that would be provided to accommodate Everbank. Neither would it benefit from the astronomical tenant improvements in the amount of $26.5 million dollars. But exactly who pays the continuing yearly lease payments after the initial payment by Duval County/City of Jacksonville taxpayers?

Who else does this package deal benefit? Well, along with Everbanik, it benefits two other private corporate interests, but it doesn't benefit Duval County taxpayers who would be required to foot the bill for all of it. Those addition corporate interests that would be subsidized by this forced corporate welfare, courtesy of Duval County taxpayers, are Parador, LLC and El-Ad.

Both of these properties are prime real estate in downtown Jacksonville that will appreciate considerably upon completion of this move, renovations, and construction of the garage. This appreciation amount, and any future appreciation amount, will not be to the benefit of Duval County taxpayers, but it will definitely benefit the owners of those Duval County taxpayer subsidized properties. It's a great deal for those three private businesses, but a rotten deal for taxpayers.

Personal monies paid by taxpayers, namely their personally owned "effects," can only be conscripted to pay for legitimate operational functions and services provided by government---and only those allowed by the State Constitution and Florida Statutes. Nothing else. Subsidizing corporations, ie. corporate welfare, is not a legitimate function or service of county government and it is not in the best interests of the taxpayers who are required to pay for the entire operation of county government and the legitimate services provided to them.

What is Mayor Jack Webb's interest in pushing his proposed Everbank deal through in the last few weeks he's in office? We can't be sure. But, if this backroom deal looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk, then it's highly probable it is a skunk.

It's bad enough that the Weavers/Jaguars, with whom Everbank has a connection, are already recipients of forced corporate welfare subsidized by the Duval County taxpayers. That needs to be brought to a swift halt, too, and the subsidizing of Everbank needs to be blocked from being saddled onto the backs of taxpayers.

I have found nothing in the Florida Constitution, Florida Statutes, or The Constitution of the United States that provides for forced subsidizing of private businesses by taxpayers in Florida or any state. In fact, I believe the U. S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment prohibits it. It is the conscription/seizure of personal effects of citizens for a non-government interest.

Such a conscription/seizure is not done as a tax, a fine, a fee, or a penalty by Duval County/City Council. It appears to be somehow lumped in with property taxes. Property taxes are paid on real property, such as vacant land, commercial properties (on land), homes (on land), and condos (in buildings on land).

Net income, after federal and state (if applicable) income taxes have been paid, is personal money, ie. personal effects. And, the conscription of personal money from Duval County taxpayers to facilitate back-scratching back room deals that do not constitute a legitimate government interest must be prohibited. In fact, it is my personal opinion that a class action lawsuit by taxpayers could be a possible option for retrieval of monies paid to the county for anything that was or is not statutorialy authorized to be collected from taxpayers.

Out-going Jack Webb's proposed Everbank project must be stopped in its tracks, now. And, any other subsidized businesses receiving corporate welfare paid by Duval County taxpayers, such as the Jaguars, also need to be prohibited from doing so. All of these businesses can well afford to support themselves. And if they can't, they should be allowed to fail. And, illegitimately collected taxes already paid to subsidize any private businesses should be refunded taxpayers.

Comment by Charles D White on June 6, 2011 at 8:34am

Rod, I would like to be one of those speakers Thursday- I am an expert on the business deal and evrything that is wrong with it! For starters it states that Everbank will spend $26.5 million dollars on tenant improvements for a lease of 225,000 sf that is over $117.00 per square foot and that is an unheard of amount and JEDC and all Councilmen know that I know that. The Daily Record is running an article this morning and they are all over this story and they know that this is unheard of and the JEDC in it's original creation stated that they would not recruit from within City limits with incentives!

Comment by Rod Morrill on June 6, 2011 at 8:19am

Roma and Tom and Patricia you are exactly on track.

The number of people that would actually speak would depend on what information we have and the number of points we want to make.  There is only three minutes per speaker and in that you only get about two minutes of content with you identifying yourself and thanking for the opportunity and then wrapping up and getting done on time.  There would be two to address the scale of the objection,  There could be two to five taking one point each and the detail of the offence and what law or ethic it violates,  One speaker identify each group and what they stand for and what violates that purpose. One last speaker to cover anthing that gets missed and call for the persons supporting to stand.  That is accomplished by turning in the Speaker Card for that speaker after the speaking has started.  This takes some preparing and the Speaker Card for the opening comment needs to be submitted before the meeting starts and any order of speaking is fine for any of the points being made.  We would want anywhere from ten to fifty people to stand. This would be extremely effective on June 14.  What would be needed the following City Council  depends on what happens in the committee meetings.

 

This is the detail of what has been used before and could be shared between the groups as what is desired.

 

Rod

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 33
• 34
• 35
• 36
• 37
• …
• 41
• Next ›
• Page