• JEDC offices have MOVED...
    The JEDC offices have moved to a new location in Downtown Jacksonville! 
    Our new address is: 
    1 West Adams Street, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32202
    *All phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
• The JEDC has closed on the sale of the former Haydon Burns Library with Main Branch, LLC.  Main Branch plans to redevelop the site as a mixed-use project and plans to have confirmed stores open in a year.  One of the project’s partners, Tony Allegretti, believes that, “Redeveloping this building will be a unique opportunity to preserve for future generations a classic example of the 1960’s modern art and architecture that will never be duplicated, while making it a productive asset in downtown’s revitalization”.  
• Currently pending City Council approval, the JEDC passed the creation of the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB), a one-stop shop for the approval of downtown development projects.  The DDRB will replace the existing Design Review Committee and will act as the Planning Commission for the Downtown area.  It will streamline the permitting of projects by consolidating the site design review and approval, other transportation concurrency and the granting of development rights processes. 
• A record breaking 12,280 attended the first ever Florida Gators vs Florida State Seminoles baseball game at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.  More fans saw this game than any other game in the history of the Sunshine State.  Plans are to make this an annual event in Jacksonville!
• 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!
• CSX Transportation, headquartered in Jacksonville, is the first railroad in the country to join the Climate Leaders program.  This program is an initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and pledges to annually inventory and publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions and establish a voluntary goal for reducing them.
• Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) has been approved to offer its first bachelor’s degree by the Southern Association of Colleges – fire science management.  FCCJ began accepting students in January 2007.  Click here to read more about the exciting developments at FCCJ.
• In early 2007, Forbes magazine named Jacksonville the No. 3 "Best City in the U.S. for Jobs".
• The groundbreaking of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines terminal took place on March 27, 2007.  The $200-million terminal will provide direct Asian containership service and double container throughput at JAXPORT. 
• Florida is one of the most pro-business states in the nation, ranking among the Top 3 in Pollina Corporate Real Estate’s Top 10 Pro Business States study.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is teaming up with Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, a major university in Barcelona, Spain, to deliver a master’s degree in aeronautical management.  The new partnership aims to address the expanding aerospace and aviation industry in the European Union.
• Jacksonville is the fastest growing U.S.-foreign trade gateway, earning it the title of #1 Gem in the Expanding U.S. Export Market from leading research group, Global Insight, Inc.
• AT&T is expanding its Jacksonville presence and will add an additional 300 new high-wage jobs to its downtown and southside locations.
• JAA has announced six new non-stop flights to and from Jacksonville to cities including Austin, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Raleigh and New Orleans.  The newest addition comes from Frontier Airlines.  They will establish new non-stop service between Jacksonville and Denver beginning on June 15th.  In celebration, Frontier will offer special introductory one-way fares as low as $99.  Click here to view JIA flight schedules…
• According to a recent study of new college graduates, Jacksonville is one of the top 25 Metro Areas in the country for Young adults.
• If you have been through Downtown Jacksonville lately, you would have noticed – among other large construction projects - the enormous 28-story residential tower being constructed on the Southbank, known as The Strand.  American Land Ventures, the Miami-based company in charge of this development, has recently shifted its plan to sell the units as condos and will be leasing the 234 units as apartments.  This will provide new Downtown Jacksonville residents with more diversified options for urban living.
• Florida is one of the top five regions in the world for targeting biotechnology companies according to a recent study by FierceBiotech.
• Peak Ten, Inc., one of the countries fastest growing companies, is expanding its Jacksonville data center by approximately 9,000 square feet by the end of 2007.  Allen Skipper, vice president and general manager of Peak 10 Jacksonville says,   “The expansion project underway confirms our long-term commitment to the Jacksonville business community and ensures our ability to provide customers with proven solutions for maintaining around the clock availability, security and integrity of their critical data and business applications”.  They are the leading independent data center operator and managed services provider in the country.
• Between April 30th and June 4th, Express Jet will offer two daily non-stop flights between Jacksonville and Austin, TX, Raleigh, N.C., Kansas City, MO. and New Orleans.  Click here to fly today! 
• For the third time in the past five years, The Center for Digital Education and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has named FCCJ the No. 1 community college in the country in using technology to streamline operations and better serve students, faculty and staff.  Click here to read more…
• One of the up and coming targeted industries in Jacksonville is biotechnology.  Workforce Florida has awarded a $500,000 grant to five community colleges in Northeast Florida, including FCCJ.  They will take part in a training program at the Employ Florida Banner Center for Biotechnology.  This program is designed to train novice, as well as seasoned employees, in the field of biotechnology, which will broaden the workforce pool and entice biotechnology companies to set up shop in Northeast Florida. 
• According to the 2007 Florida Retail Report produced by the ICSC, Jacksonville saw the largest increase in investment in the Southeast in 2006.
  

The JEDC Economic Development Brief is a monthly electronic publication to keep you informed about the exciting news and developments surrounding the Jacksonville business community.  The monthly Brief is set to include:

• A sneak peak into the latest Jacksonville business development stories
• Individual company spotlights
• Highlighted events, conferences and trade shows affecting the economic development community
• Updates on Downtown and Cecil Commerce Center developments
• And MORE…

Forward this newsletter on to your friends, colleagues and associates so they too can be in the know about the happenings in the Jacksonville business development community!

Be sure to visit our website for even more information about the JEDC and business development in Jacksonville at www.jaxdevelopment.org.  On our website, you can view market data, download public investment policy information, review maps and much more!

The new e-newsletter and updated website is part of the JEDC’s proactive efforts to promote the Jacksonville business environment.

Our business development team would love to know what you think about the Economic Development Brief…click here to email our team!

The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and the city’s International Protocol Officer hosted representatives from Honduras. The group was in Jacksonville to study and learn about Empowerment and Enterprise Zones.  The visit from the Honduran delegation was part of President Bush’s initiative to establish Opportunity Zones in Latin America by promoting knowledge transfer from successful U.S. Empowerment and Enterprise Zone programs.

Jacksonville was selected as one of only three cities in the United States for the delegation to visit and use as a model in developing Opportunity Zones in their home country. Tax credits are available to businesses located in the Empowerment and Enterprise Zones. These areas were designated and created to bring new jobs and wages to the community and help revitalize economically distressed areas.

The Honduran Delegation consisted of five public and private sector officials including; Gilberto Arturo Díaz Ordoñez, Deputy Director and Coordinator of Social Projects, Agua Para el Pueblo (Water for People); Guillermo Martinez Suazo, Mayor of Siguatepeque; Renato Javier Quan, Deputy Mayor of Comayagua; Cesar Arnulfo Salgado Sauceda, Minister, Fondo Hondureño de Inversion Social (Honduran Social Investment Fund); and Karla Ucles Breve, Director of Housing and Urbanism, Secretaría de Obras Públicas, Transporte y Vivienda (Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Housing).

“We were pleased to help educate and share with the Honduran Delegation our Empowerment and Enterprise Zone programs,” said JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton. “We are hopeful that these programs will be successful for them and help to stimulate job growth and business revitalization in their economy.”

During the visit, the delegation toured Swisher International which is located in the Empowerment Zone. Other Empowerment Zone business representatives from Belet’s Millwork, Inc. and Bernard’s Beauty Supply participated in the Empowerment Zone overview and discussion. 

A proclamation signed by Mayor Peyton was given to the Honduran delegation on behalf of the City of Jacksonville proclaiming March 26, 2007 as Honduran Enterprise Day.

 JEDC was a very active participant at this year’s First Coast Real Estate Outlook Conference.  The annual conference consisted of a diverse group of organizations including commercial real estate developers, land developers, economic development organizations, public sector representatives, vendors and more.  It provided businesses with the opportunity to lean more about the business climate, development opportunities and the industrial real estate market in the Jacksonville region.

The JEDC hosted a booth at the conference that included development updates on Downtown Jacksonville and Cecil Commerce Center.  Maps, handouts, photos, an interactive slideshow and giveaways were available to tradeshow attendees, as well as knowledgeable JEDC staff on hand to promote pertinent developments and the presence of the JEDC in Downtown Jacksonville and at Cecil Commerce Center.     

Ron Barton, JEDC executive director, served as a panelist in all three available breakout sessions that took place throughout the day – Downtown Development, Downtown Retail and the Jacksonville Industrial Market.  His expertise and involvement in all facets of the development climate in Jacksonville was apparent as conference attendees valued Barton’s insight on the future of the real estate climate in Jacksonville.   

The commitment and involvement of the JEDC and staff to the First Coast Real Estate Economic Outlook Conference is another example of proactive efforts undertaken by the JEDC to promote the Jacksonville business climate.

The medical services industry is a thriving cluster within the Jacksonville business community.  With over 50,000 employees, half a dozen major hospitals and a recent private capital investment of more than $600 million, the healthcare industry serves as a driving force for business development and the expansion of world-class medical research facilities in Jacksonville.  These facilities cater to the city’s 850,000 residents, as well as the surrounding Northeast Florida regional population of more that 1.4 million. 

St. Vincent’s Medical Center is ranked among the nation’s best in the heart and heart surgery categories according to U.S. News & World Report.  The University of Florida and Shands, The Mayo Clinic and Baptist Health Systems lead the way in stroke, heart and children’s care and research.  In addition, Shands Jacksonville is establishing the benchmark in emergency technology with their new air ambulance, the EC-145.  This addition to the TraumaOne program is the only one of its kind in the Northeast Florida region.

The nation’s third proton beam therapy center has been established at the Shands Jacksonville medical center.  This groundbreaking form of cancer treatment effectively destroys tumors without damaging the adjacent healthy tissue.  The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC) has assisted Shands with the approval of approximately $60 million in industrial revenue bonds to support the proton beam therapy.  By 2009, the proton beam therapy center is expected to create 118 new jobs and treat more than 2,000 cancer patients a year. 

The Mayo Clinic Jacksonville is in the process of building a 214-bed, six-floor tower, totaling 650,000 square feet adjacent to its existing facility.  The JEDC played a pivotal role in providing $125 million in industrial revenue bonds for the capital improvements to the Mayo Clinic.  The clinic employs a staff of nearly 300 physicians along with a multitude of additional health professionals.  In addition to the structural expansion, the Mayo Clinic plans to invest $22 million over the next nine years to expand its clinical laboratory program. This expansion will enable Mayo Medical Laboratories to expand their specialized care to the local Jacksonville community.

The accolades surrounding Baptist Health are outstanding and will continue to grow due to their $400 million expansion over the next five years.  This growth aims to meet the ever-changing and growing needs of the Jacksonville community.   Three major projects are included in this expansion.  $114 million is being allocated to Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, which will fund a new 150-bed facility that is expected to create approximately 110 new jobs.  Baptist Medical Center South is being allocated $65 million to construct a 80-bed inpatient building off of St. Augustine Road.  Lastly, there will be a $26 million expansion and renovation to the operating rooms at Baptist Medical Center Downtown.  In 2006, Child magazine ranked Wolfson Children’s Hospital in the top three children’s hospitals in Florida.  Imagine the research and individual care possibilities that accompany an expansion of this magnitude! 

Recently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. (BCBSF), which is headquartered in Jacksonville, has collaboratively embarked on an initiative with the University of Florida tackling healthcare issues across the state.  BCBSF has established a $3.5 million endowment at UF to open a research center that will address critical issues such as statewide access to healthcare, the nursing shortages and the quality of patient care.  The total investment in this BCBSF Center for Heath Care Access, Patient Safety and Quality Care at the University of Florida in Gainesville will undoubtedly have an enormous effect on all facets of the healthcare industry throughout the state of Florida and beyond.

The demand for excellence in the healthcare industry is fueled by the combination of the unprecedented growth of the Jacksonville population and the existing exceptional business climate.  The JEDC is highly committed to helping the healthcare service industry thrive and grow by supporting existing investors and attracting new healthcare service providers and researchers to the area to enable the local community to receive the highest quality medical care.

For more information about the medical services industry in Jacksonville, visit the websites of our local providers:

Baptist Health
Memorial Hospital
Shands Jacksonville
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
St. Vincent’s HealthCare