April 18-24, 2019
PAGE 3
jaxdailyrecord.com
JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer A milestone day for JU, supporters
NORTHEAST FLORIDA HOUSING MARKET JACKSONVILLE
WHERE ARE THE Record & Observer SIGNS POINTING? Despite slowdown in construction jobs, homebuilders say demand is strong. JACKSONVILLE
Frisch Family Welcome Center to open with help from the city’s longtime business leaders.
Record & Observer Homes under construction in DR Horton’s Alta Lakes community off Alta Drive in North Jacksonville.
JACKSONVILLE
BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
A business history of Jacksonville is expected to be on hand today as a few of the city’s most formative leaders help to dedicate and open the $4 million Frisch Family Welcome Center at Jacksonville University in Arlington. Beaver Street Fisheries Inc. Chairman Harry Frisch, 95, and his family are the naming rights sponsors for the center at the 2800 University Blvd. Frisch campus. JU Chancellor Emerita Frances Bartlett Kinne, 101, a longtime civic and business leader, is sponsoring the Kinne Welcome Gallery lobby area. The Haskell Co. founder Preston Haskell, 80, and his wife, Joan, sponsored Haskell Commons, an outdoor student lounge area behind the building that faces the Swisher Science Green. The center was developed between the J. Arthur Howard Administration and J. Henry Gooding buildings and will house the admissions office and serve as the entry point for campus tours. The event is at 2 p.m. today. Frisch and Kinne, who are older than 85-year-old JU, are scheduled to speak.
Record & Observer Building permits rise for 7 consecutive years
17,753
9,918
8,870
7,906
6,725
6,076
5,971
4,257
3,151
3,271
3,256
6,830
5,111
Building permits per year in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties from 2005 to 2018
11,127
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Florida’s Small Business Person of the Year hasn’t celebrated yet
’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 Source: Northeast Florida Builders Association Photo by Monty Zickuhr
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
s the housing market slowly recovered from the financial crisis a decade ago, construction became a major engine for job growth in Northeast
Florida. When Jacksonville’s job growth peaked at 3.7% in March 2018, construction led the way, growing at 15% and accounting for nearly a quarter of the 25,000 jobs
added in the previous year. However, job growth has cooled in early 2019 and construction employment has taken a sudden downturn. The most recent data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, for February, showed construction jobs dropped by 1.3% in the previous 12 months, the first decline in the industry since 2012. Could this be a bellwether of another housing slump, possibly leading to another recession?
Probably not. Data from the Northeast Florida Builders Association shows the number of building permits issued in Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties was slightly higher in the first quarter this year than the first quarter of 2018. That continues a trend of increasing permits that began in 2012. “Everybody is fairly optimistic,” said Sean Junker, president of NEFBA and also president of Providence Homes in SEE HOMES, PAGE 10
Kinne
Haskell
THE BASCH REPORT
CSX earnings beat Wall Street estimates Plus: Advanced Disposal sale. PAGE 6 VOLUME 1, NO. 46 • ONE SECTION