Redeveloping downtown is one of those ideas that has been  kicked around in Jacksonville — in one form or another — for decades.

What's new this time, as Mayor Alvin Brown embarks on setting up a Downtown  Investment Authority that stands separate from broader economic development  concerns?

The guy at the top, Brown said.

"The leadership is different," he told the Times-Union editorial board  Wednesday. "There's that commitment to do this."

His plans, which are now being considered by the City Council, are bolstered  by across-the-city support for revitalizing downtown, Brown said, pointing to  EverBank's plan to move 1,500 employees downtown as an example.

Other supporters, he said, include the Jacksonville Civic Council, the  Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders.

Several local companies have talked about expanding into the downtown area,  said Civic Council executive director Don Shea, a downtown development expert  who has been working with the administration.