Page A-4 • Thursday, April 14, 2016 • Financial News & Daily Record
Commission planning second bear hunt
By Jim Turner The News Service of Florida Armed with updated data showing a “robust” and growing black-bear population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to hold another bear hunt. Commission Chairman Brian Yablonski on Wednesday directed staff and commissioners to prepare to discuss during a June meeting how a hunt could be managed. A commission spokeswoman said later a decision has not been made to hold a hunt.
Mathis
“There is a process of how the hunt is set up, what the quota objectives are,” Yablonski said during a commission meeting at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place in Jupiter. “There’s a ton of options out there.” The Florida Administrative Code already includes an outline for an annual bear hunt to be held in late October, and Yablonski said it’s up to the panel to set quotas. The commission in October 2015 held its first bear hunt in more than two decades as a means to slow the increase of black bears in the state and to reduce dangerous
interactions between bears and humans. But the hunt was highly controversial, with opponents protesting in parts of the state. Jacki Lopez, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Florida director, said Wednesday opponents have “been anticipating” the commission putting the quota issue on an upcoming agenda. Conservation groups headed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have petitioned the federal government to approve an endangered-species protection designation for Florida black bears.
Crenshaw
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Pecan Park Road
A preliminary site plan shows the outline of what is believed to be an Amazon.com fulfillment center proposed for North Jacksonville. Leggett said his group chose to buy the property because it is next to the air cargo section of Jacksonville International Airport, “and you can see the UPS planes.” He believed the logistics tie-in and the site’s proximity to I-295 as well as JaxPort facilities further east would pay off. “We knew that sooner or later, a big project would come along and see the value of that land. And when those types of projects come, they are always in a hurry,” he said. Leggett said the deal came by way of a broker and the location then made the list by a site-selection committee. He said it “hasn’t been long” since the project was under contract. The council legislation says Jacksonville is one of several sites under consideration. Amazon.com hasn’t returned calls or emails for more than a month, when the world’s largest online retailer resurfaced as a potential Jacksonville prospect. The company had been considered a possible prospect in 2013 when Amazon.com chose two Florida sites for 1 million-squarefoot fulfillment centers.
Image from City of Jacksonville application
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Ground-breaking for the estimated $200 million project is anticipated this summer, according to the legislation. The property identified in the legislation is owned by two groups — Broward Signature LLP of Yulee and CRM Florida Properties LLC of Atlanta, which owns almost 23 acres, records show. Steve Leggett, president of Signature Land Inc., said Wednesday the property is under contract and he is bound by a confidentiality agreement. He said his group bought the property in 2007, speculating on the industrial market. The recession and real estate downturn of 2008 changed those plans. “We were sitting on that, being patient,” he said. Leggett said his group sought and received some environmental and resource permitting in anticipation of the recovery, “and we just put it on the shelf.” The St. Johns River Water Management District has extended an environmental resource permit for the property for five years. Leggett is the son of the late Max Leggett, a former council member who represented North Jacksonville.
The commission set a collective “harvest objective” of 320 bears that could be killed in four parts of the state. The areas are the eastern Panhandle region, which includes the northwestern Big Bend area to west of Apalachicola Bay; the South region, which includes Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties, the North region, which goes from Jacksonville west to Hamilton and Suwannee counties, and the Central region, which includes the St. Johns River watershed to the Ocala National Forest.
Those opened in 2014 in Lakeland and near Tampa, together employing 2,000 workers. The Orlando Sentinel reported in August the company was adding 2,000 more jobs at the two centers. Jacksonville did not formally bid on the centers. The order-filling centers are part of the company’s efforts to provide next-day and same-day delivery for customers. Amazon.com opened online in 1995 and now employs 230,800 people worldwide. It does not list the number or locations of its fulfillment centers on its website and its Securities and Exchange Commission filings don’t outline future locations, but it continues to grow. An industrial real estate blog reported in early 2015 that Amazon.com had at least 50 operational centers in at least 21 states. In the past several months, the company has opened or announced centers in several more states for projects from 500,000 to 1 million square feet. kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com @MathisKb (904) 356-2466
He said he’s personally happy for Crenshaw and his family. But to lose a teacher and mentor? “I’m devastated,” he said. Boozman, the longtime congressman and senator from Arkansas, also had mixed emotions when Crenshaw broke the news to him. Like Diaz-Balart, Boozman considered Crenshaw a mentor who has helped him since he was first elected to Congress a year after Crenshaw. “He taught me you get a lot done if you don’t care who gets the credit,” said Boozman, who was elected to the Senate in 2010. The two serve as House and Senate counterparts, who chair their respective Financial Services and General Services subcommittee, meaning they’re often working together. And outside of the politics, the two frequently dine out, although their tastes differ. “I’m more of a quantity guy,” said Boozman, with a laugh. “He’s more of a quality guy.” Yet, the two do agree on Shake Shack, the popular burgers and fries chain. In January, Boozman will lose his friend and dining partner when Crenshaw steps away from public office. “He’s really going to be missed,” said Boozman. “He’s been a great example to all of us.” Crenshaw said Wednesday it’s those types of relationships he’ll miss more, much more so than process of Washington politics. He said he made the decision to not seek re-election over the spring break period. After talking to his wife, Kitty, about the future, he decided it was time. “It was a pretty easy decision,” said Crenshaw. He said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference. Former Mayor John Peyton knows Crenshaw quite well, serving eight years in City Hall during the first part of Crenshaw’s time in Congress. “He’s always been enormously effective and available,” said Peyton. Some of that value can be seen in Crenshaw’s strong relationship with the U.S. Navy. Peyton said Crenshaw helped protect Northeast Florida’s military presence and actually made the region a net winner during a
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Early names to seek seat With U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw announcing his retirement from public service, it opens the field for suitors seeking to represent Northeast Florida in Washington, D.C. As news broke Wednesday, several names started emerging and falling. Some of them are: • Jerry Holland, Jacksonville property appraiser. Holland said he was interested, but would make a decision by next week on whether to run. He would not have to step down from being property appraiser to seek the congressional spot. • Michael Corrigan, Jacksonville tax collector. Corrigan said he would make a decision in the next two to three days. Like Holland, he wouldn’t have to quit his current job. • John Rutherford, retired Jacksonville sheriff. Several reports have him being interested. stressful round of Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission decisions on military restructuring. “I doubt anyone in Congress has a better relationship with the Navy than Ander Crenshaw,” said Peyton. Like others, Peyton said he was “shocked” to hear the news Wednesday. Diaz-Balart, Boozman and Peyton all noted Crenshaw’s sense of humor, too. Peyton said it was evident when former President George W. Bush visited Jacksonville during the 2000s. Peyton said he and Crenshaw would ride with Bush during his visits to town, but the former president couldn’t quite pronounce Crenshaw’s first name — it sounded more like “Onder.” It’s a running gag that has stuck. Peyton still calls Crenshaw “Onder” at times, which usually elicits a smile. “He’s certainly going to be missed,” said Peyton. dchapman@jaxdailyrecord.com (904) 356-2466
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