MONDAY June 24, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
HEALTH CARE DEVELOPMENT
Jacksonville jobless rate increases to 3% in May
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Wolfson Children’s ER coming to Baptist South
About 18,000 more people entered the labor force, the usual trend heading into summer.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Special to the Daily Record
An artist’s rendering of the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Emergency Center planned at the Baptist Medical Center South campus. The facility will have its own entrance, parking lot, check-in, triage area and treatment rooms.
The facility is expected to be completed this fall. BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
Construction of the region’s fifth Wolfson Children’s Hospital Emergency Center, which will be part of the Baptist Medical Center South campus, is expected to be complete by fall.
The 8,100-square-foot facility will have its own entrance, parking lot, check-in, triage area and 12 treatment rooms for patients under age 17. “With our new Children’s Emergency Center, we are combining the exceptional care Baptist South already provides to local families with the implementation of specialized pediatric protocols available at Wolfson Children’s Hospital,” said Nicole Thomas, president of Baptist Medical Center South, in a news release.
“Bringing our strengths together will further enhance our services and provide an even better patient and family experience.” Wolfson also has emergency centers at its main campus Downtown, along Town Center Parkway, in North Jacksonville and Fleming Island. KGARWOOD@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
DIA reveals board member scoring for CEO candidates The agency was accused of selecting Lori Boyer with a secret ballot.
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
The Downtown Investment Authority on Wednesday made public the individual scores given by each board member in its selection of City Council member Lori Boyer as the authority’s next CEO. The board then unanimously approved Boyer’s employment contract. She will begin her duties July 1.
The authority released the individual scores after allegations the DIA violated Florida law in how it selected Boyer. Scoring cards filled out during the selection process May 15 were made public immediately, but did not include the names of the board members who filled them out. On June 6, attorneys from the nonprofit First
Boyer
SEE DIA, PAGE 2
Jacksonville’s unemployment rate rose slightly in May despite an increase in jobs, as new college and high school graduates entered the labor force and increased the number of people looking for work. The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area rose from a 13-year low of 2.8% in April to 3% in May, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said. The number of people in the labor force in the metropolitan area, which consists of Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties, rose by about 18,000 last month, a normal annual trend heading into summer. The Department of Economic Opportunity does not adjust the Jacksonville data for seasonal factors but the University of North Florida’s Local Economic Indicators Project said when it is seasonally adjusted, the area’s jobless rate still rose from 2.83% in April to 3.02% in May. Although the rate rose, UNF economist Albert Loh said the trends are positive because employment is growing along with the increase in the labor force. “The data points to a healthy expansion of our local economy in Jacksonville,” he said. “It is exciting whenever we have a growing labor force that can be easily matched with employment.” Duval County’s unemployment rate rose by 0.1 point to 3.1% in May without seasonal adjustSEE JOBS, PAGE 2
Jacksonville Landing demolition bid sent to mayor A $1.074 million bid to demolish The Jacksonville Landing is headed to Mayor Lenny Curry’s desk for final approval. The city’s General Government Awards Committee voted unanimously to recommend awarding the contract to D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Inc. of Plant City. If Curry accepts the committee’s recommendation, site work could begin 10 calendar days after the city sends the contractor a written notice, according to the bid specifications for the demolition.
VOLUME 106, NO. 154 • ONE SECTION