Daily Record Financial News &
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 159 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Brown to team: ‘We did it’
By David Chapman Staff Writer The City Hall atrium was filled with supporters. The message was overwhelmingly positive, filled with accomplishments of four years of work. It had all the elements of a campaign speech. This was different, though. This was a goodbye from Mayor Alvin Brown. This was a show of gratitude toward employees who helped
Brown along the way — because as he said, “the mayor couldn’t do it alone.” “I’ve seen your hard work, sacrifice and love for the city,” he told the group. “We did it.” Words like “we” and “team” and “teamwork” were abundant. We made economic development a priority, he said. One of six placards in the atrium highlighted 3,901 new jobs and $783 million in announced projects during his four years. “We did it,” he said. “We did
that together.” Downtown, he asked them to say aloud, became a priority when there was a debate whether it should be. The Downtown Investment Authority, Hemming Park, the Shipyards, Brooklyn, the duPont Center all listed as accomplishments. And the director of the military affairs department was elevated to a cabinet-level position, a priority met to help veterans find jobs. Brown continued on Page A-3
Photo by Bobby King
Mayor says thanks, bids farewell
Mayor Alvin Brown’s wife, Santhea, gives him a hug during an employee appreciation event.
Calm before the storm
Florida rolls back state law for DRIs
MOCA drawing plans for major rebranding By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Public
Counties will now regulate work
By Carole Hawkins Staff Writer
Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville Director Marcelle Polednik with a photograph by Melanie Pullen that’s part of the museum’s permanent collection. Pullen’s work is the first exhibit in the “Project Atrium” series that marks its fifth anniversary on July 16. Fusion” program out of the museum and into the park expanded the market for the exhibits and educational opportunities. “ArtFusion in the park translates to more museum visitors,” she said. Taking the longer view, Polednik said the curatorial staff is working with other contemporary art museums in the U.S.
legal notices begin on page
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Photo by Max Marbut
On the surface, it might look like a quiet, business-as-usual summer at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. Visitors strolling through the galleries, experiencing two exhibitions of photography and works from permanent collection, Angela Glajcar’s paper sculpture is hanging in the Haskell Atrium Gallery in the lobby and classrooms full of children are upstairs for art camp. Looks can be deceiving. Museum Director Marcelle Polednik and her staff are putting the finishing touches on several new initiatives, including a comprehensive rebranding of the museum designed to better position the institution in the perception of its evolving audience. Polednik wouldn’t provide details of the rebranding effort, which will be unveiled in September. “There will be a fresh face for MOCA in the fall,” she said. The Downtown museum at 333 N. Laura St. last underwent a rebranding in November 2006 when the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art became the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. While that transition occurred before Polednik became director four years ago, she it was a good decision, based on the museum’s collection and focus. “Contemporary art,” the majority of MOCA’s collection, is defined as beginning at the end of World War II. Along with the impending “fresh face,” changes are in the works in how the museum presents itself to the community. That includes members and regular visitors as well as people who don’t often visit the museum — or never have visited. She said the museum has developed a presence and a voice the past four years and it brings people Downtown every day. But, Polednik said, “It’s time to take our public programming beyond an artist attending the opening of an exhibit. We also need more emphasis on programming for children and families and more involvement for young people.” The improvement of Hemming Park at the museum’s front door was a factor that helped lead to more focus on the younger demographic. Polednik said moving the Sunday “Art-
with the intention to form national alliances and develop exhibits. Also on the agenda for the summer is planning a retrospective of “Project Atrium.” The series of exhibits is supported by MOCA
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The red tape has become a little less tangled when it comes to getting megacommunities like Nocatee or OakLeaf off the ground. Developments of Regional Impact are going away. Created by Florida law in 1972, DRIs regulate projects like huge shopping malls, office parks or major housing developments by requiring review and comment from state agencies and affected cities and counties. The process allowed governments to request mitigation for impacts to traffic, water, wastewater, affordable housing and schools. But, developers often found it was time consuming and expensive. The Community Development Act goes into effect Tuesday. Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, Simpson sponsored the measure. Simpson wrote in a policy paper that DRIs were never supposed to be permanent. They were supposed to be replaced by individual counties’ comprehensive planning process, signed into law a few years after DRI passage. Instead, dense/multiuse developments went through two processes that covered similar issues, he said. Also DRIs pushed builders toward smaller, uncoordinated projects, promoting urban sprawl. Jacksonville developer Curtis Hart said he expects the disappearance of DRIs will probably save builders some headaches. DRI continued on Page A-4
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