Latest news with #RonSalem
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First bid to construct new Duval County jail received by the city
The planned relocation of the Duval County Jail may be years away, but at least one group of companies is already bidding for the job to build a new one. With an estimated cost of more than a billion dollars, the City of Jacksonville has a big decision to make when it comes to selecting the company or companies that will be tasked with constructing a new jail. Previous coverage: 'We need a new jail': Jacksonville mayor says major decision on jail move coming soon Now, even before the city has officially launched a Request for Proposal (RFP), an unsolicited bid has been submitted by a team of three companies. Those companies include Sustainability Partners, Ajax Building Company, and HOK. According to the mayor's office, the bid doesn't include any dollar amounts, but does describe the 'public-private partnership that would exist throughout the various stages of the new jail, including site search, feasibility study, design, construction, and a lease arrangement where the city is the tenant'. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Unlike the lease-to-own option previously floated by the mayor and other city leaders, the mayor's office told Action News Jax this bid would be a regular lease agreement, where a private company would build the new jail and the city would permanently rent the facility. 'It will be the largest project that the city's ever done,' said Council Finance Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large). Salem led the charge to get the ball rolling on the jail move during his term serving as Council President. He said he knows there are many companies interested in competing for the jail construction contract. 'So, the fact that there's an unsolicited bid, I can assure you there are other groups that are looking at getting involved in this jail, hopefully through a competitive process,' said Salem. Sheriff TK Waters weighed in on the jail move development as well. 'As this important project begins to take shape, my primary focus is on examining all paths forward to ensure it is done in the most open, fair, and transparent manner possible,' said Waters in a statement. Read: Jacksonville asked to double its contribution for proposed UF campus The mayor's office said it's in discussions with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on how to best move forward, 'whether it is with this proposal or an RFP instead'. Salem wants to ensure the city considers all of its options and puts the contract out for competitive bid before landing on a final candidate, especially given the estimated price tag. Read: Winning lottery ticket worth $8.75 million sold at Jacksonville Beach store 'That multiple entities have a chance to participate and we get the best price and the best project for the taxpayers,' said Salem. The mayor's office noted that regardless of whether it decides to move forward with this proposal or put out an RFP, there will be a 45-day open competition period for any other companies to participate. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville asked to double its contribution to $100M for proposed UF campus
The City of Jacksonville's share of a proposed $345 million UF grad school in LaVilla may balloon from $50 million to $100 million as a result of additional plans to house a Semiconductor Institute on the campus. The university is asking for the additional $50 million commitment from the city to be approved by the council by June 24th. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The extra funds would be used for campus improvements. The state is also kicking in $45 million for the Semiconductor Institute. The mayor's office backed the additional investment in a statement, arguing it will provide a solid return on investment. 'This Institute is expected to have at least a $100 million dollar economic impact for Jacksonville,' a spokesperson for the mayor's office told Action News Jax. 'This additional spending is necessary to ensure the successful launch of the Florida Semiconductor Institute in Jacksonville and to invest in workforce development for the city.' Council Finance Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) said he believes the potential the proposed campus would bring to the urban core is worth the investment. 'I think it will add jobs and be good for the city,' said Salem. But given the city is staring down the possibility of budget shortfalls in excess of $100 million over the next three years, city leaders will have some tough choices ahead. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'I'm not sure exactly when that $50 million will kick in, how quickly, and if we're going to do that we may have to look at other expenses and cut those back in order to pay for it,' said Salem. In a statement, UF told Action News Jax the second $50 million installment is the last piece of funding needed to build the first academic building on the proposed campus. 'We do not anticipate requesting any additional funds in the near future,' a university spokesperson told Action News Jax. But there are additional costs the city could incur soon related to the campus. Two competing proposals are being considered that would facilitate the acquisition of a two-story LaVilla office building to allow classes to begin this year. Salem's proposal would spend up to $8 million to purchase the building outright, while the mayor's plan involves swapping an acre of land in Riverfront Plaza for the property. Mayor Donna Deegan's plan would require Gateway Jax to develop the land and offer at least $20 million in incentives to the developer. It's not clear how the additional funding request from UF will play into how council members view the two competing options, but Salem said he's optimistic a decision on the office building acquisition will be made by late May. 'And I believe there will be more coming here from the University of Florida as we get this going. We're a large urban area. Gainesville is not, and I think that will pay off for us long term,' said Salem. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City finance chair wants a list of Gateway Jax investors as council considers land swap
A Jacksonville city councilman wants to know who stands to benefit financially from a proposed land swap deal between the city and Gateway Jax. The deal would swap a two-story office building in LaVilla for a plot of land in Riverfront Plaza. The LaVilla office building would be donated to the University of Florida so classes at its new grad school could begin this summer. Meanwhile, Gateway Jax is promising to develop the land in Riverfront Plaza. Related: $1M permit approved for splash pad at Jacksonville's Riverfront Plaza 'I haven't had as much pressure from the administration and others, it reminds me of my days going through the JEA scandal, where the pressure and the phone calls are just excessive. And it makes you wonder why everyone's pushing this thing so hard,' said Council Finance Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large). Salem wants to know who stands to profit from the exchange, which he believes is based on questionable appraisals that don't factor in how the new park being built next to the riverfront property could impact its value. Related: Duval DOGE mulls roughly $100 million in capital projects He asked Gateway Jax to provide a list of its investors last week, but he's received no response. 'I'd like to know how many of those are Jacksonville citizens just concerned about the process and how many of them may be investors that have an agenda to call,' said Salem. Similarly, when we asked Gateway Jax whether it plans to reveal its investors, we didn't hear back. Salem is pushing competing legislation that proposes spending up to $8 million to purchase the LaVilla office space outright. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In a statement, the mayor's office criticized Salem's approach, suggesting it would unnecessarily spend millions of dollars from the city's reserves. 'Beyond that, the proposed Gateway Jax development will deliver the Riverfront Plaza vision and design that is supported by public input, the DIA, City Council, and administration. It also puts this property onto the tax rolls and provides recurring funding for park maintenance and programming,' a spokesperson for the mayor's office wrote. On whether the properties are equal in value, the mayor's office said, 'We trust the experts that commissioned professional appraisals over Monday morning quarterbacking.' Read: 'A tremendous reduction': NE FL unsheltered homeless population fell 49 percent since last year But Salem argued with Gateway Jax asking for $20 million in incentives to develop the riverfront property, at the very least, the city should look at what other options might be available. 'There may be somebody else that could develop it for a lot less money and we'll never know unless we put out and RFP,' said Salem. Both the land swap and the purchase bill will move through the legislative process over the coming weeks. Salem said he expects a final decision to be made on which path the city will take by the end of May. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘A tremendous reduction': NE FL unsheltered homeless population fell 49 percent since last year
Jacksonville city leaders are touting a major decrease in the number of unsheltered homeless individuals around our region. New statistics show our region saw a 49 percent drop in the unsheltered homeless population compared to last year, representing one of the biggest year-over-year decreases Northeast Florida has ever seen. Between Clay, Nassau and Duval Counties, the most recent count conducted in January found a total of 290 unsheltered homeless individuals. Last year's count documented 566 unsheltered homeless individuals. Counting all sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals, 1,009 in total were identified between the three counties this year. That's down 336 people compared to 2024. Related: 'Compassionate approach': Jacksonville council approves $1.3M for additional homeless shelter beds 'It's been a tremendous reduction. Anyone that works or walks downtown can tell it,' said Council Finance Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large). Salem attributed the drop to investments the city made to expand shelter bed capacity and create outreach teams within JFRD. Related: 'Starting to show a difference': JFRD looks to address public homelessness with boots on the ground approach Those teams have made contact with 562 individuals to date. There's also the new state law banning public sleeping and camping. 'If not for what the state legislators put in place, I don't think we would have done what we did,' said Salem. JSO has issued 775 warnings and made 198 arrests for public sleeping and camping since November 1st. But the agency isn't solely focused on enforcement. JSO's homeward bound program, which helps pay travel expenses for homeless individuals to return to areas where they have better support systems, has been utilized by 391 people since last October. 'If they want to go back home, they facilitate that, which to me is the most compassionate thing to do,' said Salem. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In a statement, Mayor Donna Deegan called the latest stats 'encouraging' but noted there is more work to be done. 'It shows that we're on the right track since the city developed a strategic plan, launched the JFRD PATH outreach team, and expanded available shelter beds. It's important to note that this one data point is also a snapshot in time. We know there is more to do. We must continue the work with our community partners to move people into housing and grow the forward progress,' said Deegan. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Duval DOGE looking into $100 million of city funds that appear to be in limbo
The Special Committee of Duval DOGE is looking into more than $100 million of taxpayer dollars that appears to be sitting in limbo. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In the committee's second official meeting Tuesday, members continued digging into more than 170 capital projects that either haven't spent money since October 1, 2023 or have been listed as complete but still have money in the bank. Of those completed projects, committee members identified 36 totaling $17.25 million that could be immediately closed out. They also indicated they'll be looking into 65 projects totaling $81 million that haven't spent any money over the past two budget cycles, especially those that have never spent any money since their inception. Committee Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) pointed out some of those projects have been stagnating for more than a decade. 'Well, we have turnover on the council, as we always do every four years. Do some of these projects still make sense to the district councilmen? If not, let's close them, and reappropriate those dollars. Some of it is Paygo, which is cash. Some of it is debt that we can reappropriate to other projects. Just potentially tens of millions of dollars in savings here,' said Salem. The committee will also soon dig into city facility usage, travel policies, and overtime along with the city's relationships with independent agencies and the use of city credit cards by city employees. In the end, Salem said he hopes to return any savings identified by Duval DOGE directly to taxpayers. 'If we can to do that, I'd like to do that, but right now I'm just trying to maximize the savings,' said Salem. The committee will meet again three weeks from now. Its final report is due June 25th, but Chair Salem said he expects the committee to continue its work past that date when the new Council President takes over. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
