Daily Record Financial News &
Friday, May 5, 2017
Vol. 104, No.124 • One Section
35¢
www.jaxdailyrecord.com
What if Curry takes the CFO job? Race to replace the city’s mayor would trigger no shortage of political intrigue By David Cawton Staff Writer. “Mayor Curry is doing a great job, but I’m worried about the session right now.” That’s the answer Gov. Rick Scott gave this week when the Daily Record asked if he was
considering Mayor Lenny Curry to be Florida’s next chief financial officer. In February, Scott accepted the resignation of CFO Jeff Atwater, who leaves in June for the same role at Florida Atlantic University. The opening presents the
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opportunity for the Republican governor to appoint the next CFO, a cabinet position normally elected by voters. With the passage of pen-
sion reform and a controversial human rights ordinance, Curry is said to be on Scott’s short list to fill the position. Scott’s non-answer only adds to that speculation. It was the first question asked of Curry, moments after signing pension reform into law at an April press conference. His answer was more direct. “I am mayor of Jacksonville, and I have had no conversations with anyone about being chief
Commercial real estate on tour
financial officer, so let the media do their thing,” Curry said. Curry has plenty of financial experience. He’s a CPA by trade and led the Florida GOP before being elected mayor. Curry isn’t the first Jacksonville mayor to have his name come up for a state position. Former Mayor John Delaney, now University of North Florida president, also was courted by Mayor
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Passport revenue growing for clerk It takes only about 16 minutes to apply at courthouse By Max Marbut Associate Editor
Photo by Karen Brune Mathis
JLL Executive Vice President Michael Loftin promotes the 6805 Building to commercial brokers during their tour of office and industrial properties during the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Trade Association bus tour Thursday. More about the tour, Page 4
Lawmakers aren’t heroes they think they are Raising the homestead exemption has ill consequences – for your neighborhood Normally, count us all in when the subject of cutting taxes arises. It’s a no-brainer when anyone in Washington proposes cutting federal tax rates — be it the personal income tax rate, payroll tax rate, estate tax rate, corporate income tax rate, dividend tax rate or capital gains tax rate. Cut them all! We would take anything that would allow Americans to keep
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more of what is theirs and what they earned, rather than have it confiscated and sent into the federal abyss. But at the same time, we’re not all in on a proposed Florida constitutional amendment that would cut property taxes for homesteaded property owners by raising Florida’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000.
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From the publisher Matt Walsh
Let’s talk taxes. Just before this year’s legislative session began, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran spoke to an audience of CEOs and elected officials. Afterward, one of the mayors
in the audience remarked that Corcoran left the impression that municipalities were lucky to be able to exist and should be grateful to the Legislature. Another way to put it, and it often appears this way: Lawmakers have disdain for county and municipal governments — especially when it comes to the idea of home rule. Two instances: No. 1) The Legislature’s continued meddling in counties’ and municipalities’ regulation of vacation Walsh
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Of the myriad documents filed in the course of about 1,000 statute-required functions at the Duval County Office of Clerk of Courts, U.S. passport applications is one of the fastestgrowing categories. The office began processing the applications after a 2014 study determined that about 11,000 people in Jacksonville applied that year for the federally issued international travel document. At the time, applications were accepted at certain post offices and the Clay and Nassau county clerk’s offices. Adding the Duval County Courthouse to the list made sense, said Duval County Clerk of the Circuit & County Courts Ronnie Fussell. “We wanted to make it more convenient and make it a positive for the clerk’s office,” he said. On average, it takes 16 minutes to complete the application process from the time you arrive at the office until you’re walking out the door “if you’ve got your Passport
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2016 Unpaid Tangible Personal Property Tax List SEE PAGES 12-27 OR VIEW THE LIST AT JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
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