• A leading provider of economic data and research analysis, Moody’s Economy.com, ranked Jacksonville No. 11 out of 379 metro areas in its “Business Vitality Index”.   Current economic conditions, prospective economic conditions and low economic risk were the primary indicators used to determine the index.
• Mayo Clinic Jacksonville recently invested in the one of the world’s most advanced neurosurgical diagnostic imaging system known as the IMRIS Neuro system, a mobile MRI system that uses real time imaging to enable doctors to more accurately identify the location, size and shape of a brain tumor.  There are currently fewer than a dozen institutions around the country utilizing this technology.  Click here to read more
• Learn more about the current state of economic development in the region at the Northeast Florida Regional Roundtable on Economic Development, July 20th at The World Golf Village.  Presented by the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership, the event brings together business, nonprofit and governmental leaders to address capital investment, job creation and strategic challenges in the Jacksonville area. Rick Mullaney, Jacksonville’s General Council, will serve on a discussion panel focusing on attracting corporate entities to Northeast Florida counties and the impact of the recent property tax reform.  Click here to learn more about this event
• A $30 million, 221-room Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites is set to begin construction on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville this summer as part of the Kings Avenue Station project.  The concept of duel-branded hotels is a cost efficient way to accommodate extended-stay and short term travelers.  The proposed project will also include 200,000 square feet of commercial, retail and restaurant space.  Visit http://www.chaseproperties.com/projects.html for more information
• Check out the available commercial real estate properties in Jacksonville at http://www.northeastfloridacommercialrealestate.com/defaultHome.asp.  This comprehensive database includes office, retail and industrial space.  For more information, contact Stephanie Ashley at (904) 630-1340 or sashley@coj.net.
• Would you like the opportunity to come to Downtown Jacksonville to view an eclectic array of fantastic films and special guest speakers?  Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville’s Summer Cinema series.  Click here to learn more about this exciting Downtown event
• To keep up with demand, Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital has invested $3 million in a new cardiac lab that hosts resources to dramatically reduce X-ray exposure to patients and provide physicians with clearer images of the heart.
• A workshop focusing on Jacksonville's Enterprise, Brownfield, and Empowerment Zones will be held on July 31st.  Discussion will include tax credits available to companies located in these targeted areas and other benefits.  JEDC representatives, along with several other local leaders, will speak to attendees sharing their insight and expertise on these areas and the positive economic impact these programs have for businesses, as well as, the Jacksonville community.  For more information, contact Joe Whitaker at (904) 630-1624 or josephw@coj.net.
• Rocket recently finished filming in Jacksonville, starring Sharon Stone, Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu and Tom Arnold, and produced by Ring Productions, LLC a Jacksonville-based production company.  This production brought approximately $1.3 million economic impact to Jacksonville and hired over 40 local industry professionals.  According to Florida’s Governors Office of Film & Entertainment, the average Florida industry professional earns $53,000 annually.  (Florida IATSE wage industry base rate is $25.80 for 8 hours and after 8 hours, time and a half at $38.70 per hour.)  For more information, contact Todd Roobin at (904) 630-2522 or troobin@coj.net.
• The JEDC will be participating in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, an event that raises money to support research, community service and public and professional education programs.  Our goal is to raise $5,000.  A donation of $500, $250, $100 or $25 will help fight the Nations No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death — heart disease and stroke.  Thank you for your support of the JEDC and the Heart Walk…click here to make a difference and donate to the JEDC team!
• JCCI Forward members learned first hand about the amazing transformation occuring in Downtown Jacksonville during their "Urban Safari".  The "safari" included a walking tour of the urban core by Downtown Vision, Inc, a river boat ride with the St. Johns River Keeper, a presentation and tour of the Florida Theater, and a presentation and tour of Main Branch LLC's 122 Ocean project.  The safari concluded with a presentation on the vision of Downtown by the JEDC . 
• Local hopitals including Baptist Health, Mayo Clinic, Shands Jacksonville and St. Vincent's Heath System have been instrumental in the establishment of the University of North Florida's (UNF) Center for Global Heath and Medical Diplomacy.  The center, housed in the Brooks College of Health at UNF, is designed to foster collaboration between heathcare and medical leaders to address complex heathcare issues on the First Coast.

On June 28^th the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission approved two projects that will serve as the catalyst for the redevelopment of Brooklyn, the future gateway to Downtown Jacksonville.  Hallmark Partners and Miles Development Partners have proposed projects that will infuse an estimated $290 million of private capital investment into the area over the next five to eight years.  The area is currently defined by vacant lots; slum and blighted conditions of existing structures, antiquated infrastructure and an outdated grid system with no neighborhood connections to the St. Johns River

The JEDC is committed to the revitalization of this area by updating the inadequate infrastructure needed for any new development.  For every dollar of public investment, there is an estimated return in excess of $13.00 of private capital investment.  In addition, this development will generate over $32 million in ad valorem taxes over the next 20 years. With the infrastructure improvements in place, the area will attract additional developers who will further increase the private capital investment currently projected for the area.

200 Riverside, the first phase of the mixed-use project proposed by Hallmark Partners, consists of 148,545 square feet of office, retail and support parking.  The new corporate headquarters for the law firm Marks Gray P.A. and Elkins Constructors will occupy 131,650 square feet of office space.  Additionally, this phase will include first floor retail space and a 450-space parking garage.  Phase II of 200 Riverside is planned to include a hotel and approximately 250 residential units, as well as, ancillary improvements. 

Miles Development Partners intends to develop a 12.5 acre; six block mixed use development in the Brooklyn neighborhood.  This development could include up to 800 residential units with 100,000 square feet of office space, 150,000 square feet of retail space and a 200 unit hotel surrounding a central open space area.  Miles will construct trolley shelters to accommodate a proposed new JTA trolley route connecting the urban core to Brooklyn.  Completion of the phased project is estimated between five to eight years with an estimated capital cost of $180 to $200 million.

The JEDC’s Brooklyn initiative directly aligns with the Brooklyn Neighborhood Strategic Plan that was developed many years ago to present a realizable vision of a vibrant mixed use district that would include housing, retail and commercial.  It is the passion and tireless effort of the JEDC combined with the unrivaled cooperative partnership between Hallmark Partners and Miles Development Partners that has given this project the momentum to evolve, grow and change into the potential for a crowning success.  

The Boeing/Alenia/L3 consortium annouced its plans to build the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft at Cecil Commerce Center.  The winning C-27J team is led by L-3's Integrated Systems Group and includes Alenia North America, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and Global Military Aircraft Systems.  "Today's announcement is the result of a real partnership between American and Italian aerospace companies," said Giuseppe Giordo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alenia North America. "This decision also indicates that the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force both recognize the unique capabilities of our C-27J aircraft, our team and our JCA offering as a whole."

The C-27J is a multi-mission cargo aircraft that will fill the current capability gap in joint aerial delivery based on its ability to transport critical cargo and personnel, self-deploy over strategic distances, land in austere locations, operate autonomously, and provide routine and combat aerial sustainment to the joint force.  The JCA program is a Joint Service program designed to fill a critical gap that exists today in intra-theater airlift support for U.S. troops on the ground. Experience in overseas combat operations has demonstrated that America needs an improved capability for medium airlift inside combat theaters and in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The C-27J will replace the U.S. Army's C-23 Sherpas, C-26 and various C-12 aircraft, and will augment the U.S. Air Force's existing fleet of intra-theater airlifters. The C-27J Spartan is the latest in a successful tradition of military airlifters, including the C-27A Spartan and the G-222, which have been deployed by the United States, NATO, Coalition Forces, the United Nations and Italy in support of military and humanitarian operations around the world. Similarly, C-27A Spartans are currently carrying out vital counter-drug activities for the United States in Central and South America.The aircraft will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment, critical re-supply, MEDEVAC, troop transport, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and missions in support of Homeland Security.

With the contract estimated at $2.04 billion over the life of the program to supply a minimum of 78 C-27J planes (JCA) to the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, the manufacturing facility at Cecil Commerce Center will immediately create 300 direct jobs.  Ben Stone, spokesman for Alenia North America said "Cecil Field presented many very, very good attributes" including "a highly skilled workforce, great infrastructure and motivated state and federal representatives". 

This announcement continues to solidify the avation, aerospace and manufacturing investment in Cecil Commerce Center, home to the only "Megasite" in Florida and one of the premier aviation and industrial sites in the United States.  This project is a great win for the Jacksonville economy and could not have been achieved without the cooperative efforts of JAA, the JEDC and Cornerstone.  For more information on the aviation and industrial investment at Cecil Commerce Center, contact JEDC Business Development Manager, Lindsey Ballas at (904) 630-2940 or lballas@coj.net.

Led by City Councilman Lad Daniels, the City of Jacksonville is taking a proactive approach to preserve the valuable industrial land in Duval County through the creation of the Industrial Technical Advisory Committee and Industrial Preservation Areas.  In May 2007, the Jacksonville City Council passed the Industrial Land Preservation Bill consisting of three main components legislatively mandating the conservation of these valuable industrial areas.

First, the bill called for the development of the Industrial Technical Advisory Committee.  This committee is responsible for reviewing proposed land use changes, rezonings and text changes to the Comp Plan and Zoning Code in the Areas of Situational Compatibility and Industrial Sanctuaries. It will be comprised of seven members appointed by the City Council.  The Committee will make recommendations to the City of Jacksonville Planning and Development Department and the City Council based on its reviews.

The second component of the bill is to establish an Industrial Sanctuary and areas of situational compatibility overlay zones.  The Industrial Sanctuary is land already designated for industrial uses and land located for future expansion and economic development. An example of an Industrial Sanctuary as previously described is Cecil Commerce Center, the former Navy base west of Jacksonville which is ideal for manufacturing, aviation-related, supply chain logistics and industrial end users.   The Area of Situational Compatibility is an area that “may be suitable for industrial uses under certain circumstances”.

The final component of the Industrial Land Preservation Bill requires the establishment of an Industrial Sanctuary and an Area of Situational Compatibility Buffers. The buffers required for Industrial Sanctuaries are larger than the required buffers for Areas of Situational Compatibility.  The type of buffer required has been expanded to include: “passive recreation, underground utilities, off-street parking spaces and parking garages, stormwater retention, landscaping, visual screening, wetlands and other conservation lands. Public rights-of-way are deemed to satisfy the buffer distance requirements.”

The City of Jacksonville and the JEDC truly exemplify the role as visionaries in economic development and understand the future of industrial commerce in Duval County.

For more information on the Industrial Land Preservation Bill or to receive a map of this area, contact Joe Whitaker at (904) 630-1624 or josephw@coj.net.

Click here to download a copy of the Industrial Sancturary Map