Beltway Driving Development to Clay

May 26, 2017     0    93

The multilane toll road is driving growth along the corridor through Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties.  The first segment, running from Blanding Boulevard through Clay County north to I-10 in Duval County, is scheduled for completion in early 2018.  Construction on the second section, which will stretch from Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg south through Green Cove Springs, is expected to start in 2019.  The expressway’s third segment, including a replacement for the Shands Bridge, will connect with I-95 in St. Johns County, just south of County Road 210. Funding is pending. Here are more details about the three projects:  The Challenger Center Clay County and the Clay County Utility Authority plan to start building the Atlantis Drive entrance road and install water and sewer in August, said Shawn Thomas, the engineer project manager. While the county and utility authority are sharing the $3 million infrastructure costs, the work will be bid together. The project will operate as a taxing district that will reimburse the upfront costs as the project is completed. Part of the Branan Field Master Plan, the Challenger Center will comprise ...

Major Milestone for Jaxport: Deepening Project Receives First-ever Federal Construction Dollars

May 25, 2017     0    30

Although the funding is just a fraction of the estimated $700 million or more the entire project will cost, it does represent a major milestone, as this is the first time Washington, D.C., has stepped forward with money for the deepening itself.. “We’ve crossed the goal line on this one,” said Eric Green, Jaxport’s interim CEO. “The entire conversation now has changed.” In total, Florida has $238.3 million committed in the work plan. As well as the deepening money, North Florida projects include $3.2 million for beach nourishment in Nassau County and $3.3 million for nourishment in St. Johns County. For Jaxport, the funding represents the culmination of a fight that has been going on for years, as the area first struggled to get the work authorized and then fought to get the money to pay for it. The deeper draft is necessary to bring fully laden container ships in at all tide levels, particularly when dealing with the larger ships that are now going through the Panama Canal. The port embarked on the pre-construction, engineering and design phase of the project in 2014 ...

First Coast Expressway-Connecting Our Community

May 22, 2017     0    175

“There are a lot of parts and pieces, as you can imagine, you’ve got the first segment opening soon, the second segment will start construction in January of 2019, it’s already funded. And it’s that second segment that’s really going to impact Clay County from one end to the other,” said Mary Justino, a public information officer for the Florida Department of Transportation, who gave a presentation at the summit. Justino said public events such as the summit are ideal forums to educate the community about the massive project. The 2016 expressway summit had about 50 attendees, while 170 guests attended Monday’s event. “No. 1, people want to know when is it coming and is it anywhere near me, my business, my house, etc. and then some of the bigger issues, which can be a little controversial – tolling, in general, imminent domain and how does right of way purchasing work. So, if it is coming near my property, am I going to be approached about a right of way purchase or am I going to just be on the edge ...

Jacksonville is Open for Business and Willing to Make a Deal!

May 18, 2017     0    64

Deutsche Bank, United Parcel Service Inc. and others on the list promised to add a total of 5,084 new jobs and make more than $721 million in capital investments. The agreements usually commit both city and state money, handed out as tax rebates, grants and other incentives, paid out over time. For example, in 2015 Grace Aerospace LLC was awarded an incentives package of $332,500 that included $25,000 from the city in the form of a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund, paid out over five years. The state is responsible for the rest. There’s always the chance a deal will fall through when a company fails to make good on its promises. Curry said the agreements are structured to favor the city, ensuring money isn’t granted until businesses hit certain employment or investment targets agreed to during the negotiations. He claims the city won’t enter an understanding unless it benefits taxpayers in the long run. He called a return on investment “the stake I’ve put in the ground.” In the case of Grace Aerospace, the company must add 25 jobs by ...

Moves From the Snow Belt to the Sun Belt are Back Up to Pre-recession Levels

May 8, 2017     0    91

Sun Belt migration fell by almost half between 2005 and 2010 as aging baby boomers delayed retirement in the wake of both plunging home prices and stocks, and the “sand states” suffered from record foreclosures. Moreover, fewer job opportunities in the wake of the most severe recession since the 1930s prompted fewer job-related moves. “Think of the recession as freezing people in place -- now that is thawing,” said Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer and public policy professor at the University of New Hampshire. “States with histories of slow growth due to large domestic migration losses -- which did better during the recession -- are starting to see less growth again.” U.S. government data released Friday showed that residential investment increased at a 13.7 percent annualized pace in the first quarter, contributing 0.5 percentage point to economic growth, the most since the fourth quarter of 2012. Florida added 207,155 people in 2016, or almost 600 people a day. By contrast, New York, Illinois and California each lost more than 100,000 people. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce promotes tourism in about 50 travel ...