Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 069 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
JCCI restructuring after 4 decades
Citizen Engagement Pact to be announced Wednesday
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be engrained in the Jacksonville and Northeast Florida community.” Kevin Hyde, the immediate past chair of the JCCI board of directors, and J.F. Bryan IV, board chair in 2013 and a director, will announce the pact. They signed
an email to JCCI stakeholders that was attached to Stewart’s email. Hyde, a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, was traveling and referred questions to the Burdette Ketchum public relations, advertising and marketing agency. Bryan could not be reached for comment. Ginny Walthour, Burdette Ketchum director of public relations and community affairs, did not answer a list of questions. “We and JCCI leadership look
forward to sharing more information with you and other JCCI supporters at the event on the 22nd,” she said. The letter explained the pact initially will be composed of charter organizations that traditionally have played an integral role in either the work of JCCI “or that serve as a diverse constituency so as to be able to represent their needs and interests going forward.” The announcement is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at
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Jacksonville Community Council Inc. is being restructured. The nonprofit created in 1974 to study community issues and recommend change has evolved into a “civic pact” that will be announced Wednesday. The Citizen Engagement Pact of Jacksonville was described in an email to Mayor Lenny Curry’s Chief of Staff Kerri Stewart as an effort “to ensure the values that foster a culture of civic engagement to improve the quality of life for all citizens will continue to
I was on the three-month plan with it being commission only. I either made money or I couldn’t afford to do it. Jane Bracken About her start in the real estate business
Taking a chance that has paid off big time Sometimes in life, taking a leap such as making a career change, can lead to success beyond expectation. That was the case with Jane Bracken, a Jacksonville native who blossomed into not only one of ERA Davis & Linn’s top agents, but one of the area’s, as well. A multimillion-dollar producer, Bracken’s accolades include the ERA Leaders Circle award, the company’s highest honor, designating her in the top 10 percent of the agency’s agents in the country. She also has received the ERA Momentum Award the past three years, an honor based on an agent’s ability to maintain or increase production. Bracken’s production has been on the rise each year. But she didn’t always aspire to have a career in real estate.
Deciding to take the leap
Bracken took a calculated risk when the broker who was listing her home convinced her she needed to be in the real estate business. With a little nudge from her broker-turnedfriend, Bracken focused her energy on her new career path. That was almost 13 years ago. At the time, Bracken was in the insurance business — working in corporate management and claims administration for a large financial company in Jacksonville. It was a career she enjoyed for two decades and one in which she utilized her degree in finance from the University of Florida. Bracken, who also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Florida, was flirting with the idea of becoming a financial planner. BRACKEN CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Jane Bracken of ERA Davis & Linn
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WJCT Studios at 100 Festival Park Ave., where JCCI had occupied space. The letter said the framework “will continue a culture of inquiry, convening and implementation.” MATHIS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Area hotel business continues to grow
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
By Carrie Resch, Contributing Writer
legal NoticeS begiN oN Page
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Powerboat P1 race returning June 2-3
Success shows Bracken’s leap into real estate was right move
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It’s a great time to be in the hotel business in Duval County. So great that the revenue from the 6 percent hospitality tax collected on hotel bills from October-December totaled $1.83 million, a 14.5 percent increase over the same period in 2015. That’s because more rooms were booked at a higher average daily rate per room than in late 2015, according to a report provided Thursday to the Duval County Tourist Development Council. The biggest gain was in December, when bed tax revenue was up 41 percent compared to the previous year, more than likely due to business from tourists who attended the TaxSlayer Bowl, said Assistant City Council Auditor Kyle Billy. Tax revenue in December alone was more than $699,000, he added. The tourism council administers 2 percent of the 6 percent tax to fund Visit Jacksonville, the convention and visitors bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches, to provide grants to attract convention and event business. The remaining 4 percent is used for debt service and maintenance of the city’s sports and entertainment facilities. The council approved a $20,000 grant for an event that will in June mark its fourth year in Jacksonville — the Grand Prix of the Seas that brings powerboat teams and spectators to the city for a day of racing in the St. Johns River near Memorial Park. “It has been a tremendous success for Jacksonville,” said Dave Herrell, director of the sports and entertainment office. “And it continues to grow every year.” In addition to the tourism grant, the city supports the event with a $10,000 grant from sports and entertainment. The marketing value of the Jacksonville event being featured on Powerboat P1’s international television broadcasts is estimated at about $500,000, with 40 percent of the exposure in the U.S., 12 percent in the United Kingdom (where the race TDC
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