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Q&A: Mayor John Peyton
The State of Jacksonville
Florida Trend talked with Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton in November about why and how Jacksonville is bucking the economic downturn.
On Cecil Field:
The port activity has enabled us to jump-start Cecil. Now we have a demand for distribution centers and the space for them. We have 4,000 acres at Cecil on Interstate 10 where an interchange is being built for direct access. That land is poised and ready to serve as a tremendous what I call “job sanctuary.” We’re passionate about conserving environmentally sensitive lands, and we should be equally passionate about land that is held for jobs. There should be a balance there. If we’re going to raise per-capita income and hopefully pull more people out of poverty, for job opportunity we’ve got to have the space, we’ve got to have the land for jobs.
Cecil really has two purposes, one 4,000 acres for distribution, then you have a 10,000-foot runway, phenomenal infrastructure for the aerospace industry. We are now starting to get traction through a long cultivation cycle. The cultivation cycles for these aerospace-type contracts are very long and very, very competitive. Everyone with a runway wants the type of job we are competing for. The good news is that we do not have limited airspace, and we have plenty of land and you’ll never have to wait on the runway. So we now have a new deal which we just signed (Alenia), which is a significant milestone. Boeing has had a presence there; Flightstar has had a presence there; FCCJ community college is putting in an aerospace school with a paint shop for airplanes, a joint venture with major aircraft manufacturers. So you see a critical mass now.
To put it into perspective, Cecil is probably a 30-year development. We are in the process of making sure that we find the most qualified partner that has the relationships, the capital, and the know-how to develop this and get it out of the hands of City Hall. We tested the market, and we have a lot of interest. How the deal is structured and what it looks like is basically what we’re working on. This is what we’ve contributed — we have put in over a hundred million dollars, we’ve got the space available, we’ve got all your concurrency for needed trips, we’ve got all the environmental done, we know where the wetlands are. It’s poised and ready. We do not have the expertise, the staying power or the relationships to make it work. I just don’t want City Council to debate every week on whether Cecil is working or not. You’ve got to have long-term vision.
On Jaxport:
We are all optimistic that Jacksonville may emerge as the premier port in the Southeast. But we are in a race right now with the Savannah and Brunswick ports. With the addition of the MOL trade pact and Hanjin deal, we become very competitive. We’ve got some hurdles. We’ve got to get the channel deepened — that’s a big hurdle — and we’ve got to figure out a transportation infrastructure plan: Getting those containers from the dock onto the interstate system and on the rail. We’ve got a plan basically put together, but we have not solved the funding challenge yet. I’m optimistic that we’re going to get that figured out because it is absolutely a top priority in this community. Failure to do that will really hit our ability to be the third-largest port.
On his future when his term is up in 30 months:
I envision going back to the family business from whence I came (Gate Petroleum). This job appealed to me because it’s a CEO position. The way our government is structured here lends itself well to a manager. All 8,000 of the employees in this government report to the mayor; I prepare a budget. The focus is my job; I keep us focused. I don’t see my skill-set being to anyone’s advantage in the Legislature.
Gate was founded in the 1960s, so a lot people working on the original team are starting to retire. My father is nearly 80; he’s running the company today. Gate will be significantly larger than the budget here, and there will be good opportunities. I’ve actually looked forward to going back to the family business. My brother is there. We have a great working relationship. There are a lot of good people working at the company. It’s a much saner environment than this. Although I will miss the activity and being a part of the good things that happen in our city and the people I work with ... anything will be easy after this, let’s put it that way.
