Jacksonville Bold for 2.5.25: Communication Breakdown
Jacksonville City Council members are fretting that they don’t have a direct line to the executive branch.
A noticed meeting on Monday with Chief of Staff Mike Weinstein didn’t help.
According to the minutes from Council member Nick Howland’s office, to be “more responsive and efficient and avoid having 38 Council members and ECAs making calls to departmental personnel where they could get lost, Council staff are requested to call the MyJax issue line at 630-CITY, where a Council member-specific reporting line will be established.”
Mike Weinstein details communication plan; Council unconvinced.
“The administration recognizes that communication between the administration and Council (is) not ideal at the moment, and they are working on making improvements,” the minutes continue.
The document also raises questions about who handles citizen complaints and their skill level.
Monica Cichowlas, customer service manager with the MyJax system, said the Council-specific contact address is [email protected]. Reports/requests to that address will be handled by experienced call center employees who know where to refer “issues for action,” suggesting that everyday residents don’t get such “experienced” help.
Council members chafed.
Republican Joe Carlucci said the policy was “poorly communicated,” Democrat Rahman Johnson claimed “disrespect” from Weinstein, and Weinstein confirmed that departmental heads “complained” of the Council reaching out to them directly, leading to the change.
Weinstein said the policy could be rescinded if the City Council “will create a special committee to find ways to make improvements in the communication process.”
Suppose a Council member reaches out on an issue. In that case, executive branch employees are urged to “send a summary of the contact (who/when/what/where) by email to [email protected] … immediately and at the latest, within 24 hours of the contact.”
“Between threatening Council member district projects, vetoing Council bills, weaponizing the General Counsel’s Office, and now building walls between Council members and city departments, this Mayor spends far more time looking for a fight than leading our City,” Howland says.
Regardless of the disposition of this matter, it’s the latest indication that City Hall’s communications aren’t working. The Council is considering a “no-confidence” resolution for General Counsel Michael Fackler.
We are hearing the goal is to get him to resign.
City Council President Ron Salem and fellow Republican Rory Diamond expect to have 13 votes.
While the Council has some loyalists to Mayor Donna Deegan, issues with Fackler among the GOP supermajority include the lawyer’s novel opinion from more than a year ago on removing Confederate monuments.
An equally unusual interpretation of the separation of powers followed, in which the Office of General Counsel invalidated an approved rate raise for Meridian Waste.
Council members expect an expensive “slam dunk” lawsuit and blame Fackler, an Avondale lawyer brought in from the outside.
Yes, the Jacksonville Bar Association backs Fackler, but how much that matters is in doubt.
Council has often had issues with GCs being too loyal to Mayors; in that sense, this is a familiar scene. However, with a divided government in the city and what will be a pricy settlement, the no-confidence resolution is one to watch. Republicans want Fackler to resign, and they see this as the way to make that happen.
ABC: Aaron’s book club
A Congressman reading children’s books?
That’s what Clay County youths experienced last month, as Rep. Aaron Bean stopped by R.M. Paterson and Orange Park Elementary Schools to read two volumes celebrating School Choice Week.
Inquiring minds want to know what books he chose.
Aaron Bean gets in some reading time.
At one stop, “Who Am I?” was the selection.
One reviewer describes the Philip Bunting book as ” a journey through the elements of what makes a person a person: our name, our place, our stuff, our gender and so forth.”
“We ultimately discover that it is the combination of these things make us who we are and that people are all essentially the same,” writes Megan Daley.
Who are we to argue?
The second book isn’t for vegans, whoever they might be.
“Everybody loves bacon,” it turns out, is about the foodstuff (not the Nebraska Congressman).
This volume from author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Eric Wight shows a sizzling conflict, as outlined by publisher MacMillan Books.
“Egg loves Bacon. Lettuce loves Bacon. Waffle loves Bacon. Bacon is sizzling with popularity. And pretty much everyone thinks he is the best. That is until Bacon’s fame goes to his head. He’s so busy soaking up the attention that he soon forgets the important things in life, like friendship and family. How will it all pan out for our dashing, delicious hero?”
The critics rave.
“DiPucchio and Wight … tell a comically cautionary story … worthy of Behind the Music. DiPucchio’s short, direct text provides just the right setup for Wight’s boisterous, spoofy drawings and egomaniacal star. His bright-eyed anthropomorphism and visual nudges should remind many readers of Veggie Tales at its most supremely silly,” recounts Publishers Weekly.
Museum movement
Sen. Tom Leek seeks to remove all doubt as to the new location of the Florida Museum of Black History.
The Ormand Beach Republican’s SB 466 would formalize the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force’s recommendation to build that structure in St. Johns County.
Tom Leek focuses on location for Florida Black History Museum.
Furthermore, the Leek bill establishes a nine-person board of directors, with three gubernatorial appointees (one of whom serves as Chair), three appointees each of the Senate President and House Speaker, and two House members and two Senators picked by their chamber’s respective leaders.
Appointees would need to be selected by July 31, and the bill would go into effect at the beginning of the month.
The museum looks at Black military history, along with the histories of slavery and segregation, prominent African American Floridians, historically Black colleges and universities and the “inherent worth and dignity of human life, with a focus on the prevention of genocide.”
The St. Johns County Commission is responsible for providing administrative support.
The task force picked St. Johns County from a list of 12 potential locations for the museum: Daytona Beach, Havana, Jackson County, Nassau County/Amelia Island, Opa-locka, Orange County, Panama City Beach, Quincy, Sarasota, Seminole County and St. Petersburg were all considered.
Regina Gayle Phillips, Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in St. Augustine, said she wants exhibits dedicated to Black explorers like Juan Garrido, a free African conquistador who was with Ponce de Leon when he made landfall in Florida.
“As we recognize February as Black History Month, I am proud to file Senate Bill 466 as we move forward as the preferred location for the Florida Museum of Black History,” Leek said. “The museum will be built on the former site of Florida Memorial University, which has historical significance here in St. Johns County. I look forward to working with our community and our state in furtherance of this significant designation.”
Campus progress
A Jacksonville City Council Committee heard that classes at the University of Florida campus in the Urban Core could start sooner rather than later at 801 West Bay Street.
“We intend to introduce initial academic programming in an existing building on the campus site as soon as this August. That’s an aggressive timeline, but that’s the timeline we’re working toward. So, it would be an initial degree program this August,” said Kurt Dudas, the vice president for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Florida, to the Finance Committee.
Jacksonville will soon have its own Swamp.
A business program could start in January, with a “main launch in August of 2026 with additional degree programs” that “include business programs, engineering programs, and artificial intelligence and health sciences program, as well as programming and research related to the Florida Semiconductor Institute,” Dudas said.
Downtown Investment Authority head Lori Boyer said this was the city’s first commitment stage.
There will be 22 buildable acres at this site near the Prime Osborn available to UF for the campus.
When finally constructed, the campus will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute, further sweetening the deal, seeded by $300 million in public and private funds.
The state approved $75 million in each of the last two budgets, in addition to $50 million in commitments by the Jacksonville City Council and $50 million from private donors. An additional $50 million awaits allocation amid Council concerns that the city faces dire fiscal straits.
Budget cuts or millage raises are likely the way forward if this progresses.
Clay is for the kids
Sen. Clay Yarborough is visiting the younger generation at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital to discuss the importance of advancing pediatric cancer care in Florida.
The Nassau County Republican met with Dane Bennett, Dr. Anderson Collier, Allegra Jaros and Dr. Mark Toney.
Clay Yarborough hangs out with a younger crowd at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Yarborough’s press agent notes the significance of the visit.
“Wolfson Children’s Hospital was recognized as one of the 50 best children’s hospitals in the nation for pediatric cancer, as part of U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. As Florida’s only four specialty children’s hospitals, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Hospital and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are united in the mission to advance Florida’s position as a leader in pediatric cancer treatment, research and innovation.”
Hospitals honored
Health care huzzahs are in the air for several First Coast facilities
Several Northeast Florida hospitals are on an elite list of top medical facilities, according to a new ranking published by Healthgrades. Four hospitals in Jacksonville and two others nearby were recognized for their top work.
The online medical resource company has named Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital, UF Health Jacksonville, HCA Florida Memorial Hospital, and Mayo Clinic in Intracoastal West as top medical facilities in Jacksonville.
Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital is among North Florida’s best.
HCA Florida Memorial and UF Health were among the top 250 hospitals in America, while Mayo Clinic was in the top 50. Mayo Clinic was also recognized for Outstanding Patient Experience.
St. Vincent’s Southside was recognized for Patient Safety Excellence. That award also went to HCA…
This article was originally published by a floridapolitics.com . Read the Original article here. .