Jacksonville/Duval County

Mayport could land 7,400 new jobs if the Navy decides to station a nuclear carrier there. [Photo: Eileen Escarda]

“We will succeed by continuing to play to our strengths and focusing on areas where we have unique assets and a proven track record.” — Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton [Photo: Kelly Laduke]

More than 2,000 new jobs brightened Jacksonville’s economic picture in the fourth quarter of ’09. The city must “play to our strengths” to climb out of the recession, says Mayor John Peyton, who has an ambitious agenda for his final year. Political and business leaders are particularly focused on the military, Duval County’s largest employer, and the healthcare sector, which employs one in six residents. The congressional delegation’s top priority is a nuclear carrier proposed for Mayport. If the U.S. Navy stations the carrier here as expected, Jacksonville will see some 7,400 new jobs.

The two regions of focus are downtown and Cecil Commerce Center. Former naval base Cecil Field is now a 17,000-acre commercial/industrial site. It’s seen its most promising movement recently, with Saft America building a $200-million lithium-ion battery plant that will bring 280 jobs.

Downtown, some high-profile development projects are seeking taxpayer bailouts, and city land along the St. Johns River is barren. The city council recently approved Peyton’s plan to rebuild Southbank Riverwalk, Friendship Fountain and Metropolitan Park. But leaders say the crucial need for success in the urban core is more downtown residents — some 10,000 of them.

People to Watch

» While the Jacksonville mayor’s race is still a year away, it’s already the political contest to watch in northeast Florida, with a crowded field of influential Republicans pulling in lots of early cash. Top money-raisers so far are tax collector Mike Hogan, city councilman Kevin Hyde and Audrey Moran, president of the Sulzbacher Center for the homeless. Others expected to enter the race include publisher and businessman Jim Bailey and city general counsel Rick Mullaney.

Businesses to Watch

» Jacksonville-based Lender Processing Services employs about 2,100 of its 8,400 workers locally and plans to add hundreds more this year to keep up with demand created by the mortgage-industry crisis. The company provides mortgage processing, settlement, default and data services to lenders.

» Jacksonville’s Rayonier is best known for its timberland and real estate holdings, but the company is also one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty cellulose fiber. It exports fibers to nearly 40 countries, where they’re used in a range of products from LCD screens to pharmaceuticals. The company’s manufacturing capacity helps keep its operations balanced — sales for timber and real estate toppled last year, while sales of performance fibers remained strong, with $839 million for the year; $41 million above 2008.

Jacksonville approved a plan to renovate Southbank Riverwalk

» In a gesture of confidence for downtown, longtime Jacksonville company Perdue Office Interiors moved from the Southside suburbs back to downtown, where it got its start in 1916. The company’s new showroom is on the first floor of the old Woolworth’s on Forsyth Street.

Who’s Hiring

St. Augustine/ St. Johns County

St. Johns County has a relatively low unemployment rate, and its population growth continues to outpace that of neighbors, including Duval. But that residential growth has kept the county tax base out of whack, with 85% residential development compared to 15% commercial. The county suffered a real blow this year when a commissioner working to change that mix — former Chairman Tom Manuel — was sent to federal prison for demanding bribes from developers. Economic development officials say the recession has them focusing on the short-term: They are working to increase the inventory of “shovel-ready” commercial/industrial sites for prospects who want to move now — not five years from now.

Business to Watch

» When Florida’s real estate market imploded, St. Johns County officials who’d championed development of 13,000-acre Nocatee were more than a little worried that the sprawling new town at the Duval County border (more than 11,000 acres are in St. Johns) would implode as well. But master developer PARC Group has maintained a steady stream of new activity, including completion of the first phase of Nocatee Town Center with the largest Publix in northeast Florida; unveiling of the town’s water park; and a deal with Pulte Homes to more than double its Riverwood “active adult” community at Nocatee to 1,015 acres and 1,988 homes.

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Nassau County

Nassau County hasn’t seen its job numbers turn around like some other parts of north Florida have, but regional and county programs targeting international economic development seem to be paying off. (Favorable exchange rates don’t hurt, either.) About 40% of the Nassau County Economic Development Board’s current prospects are companies outside the U.S. Economic developers have held popular “export-U” training programs to help local businesses start exporting. Meanwhile, longtime exporters are seeing an uptick. For example, Smurfit-Stone, emerging from bankruptcy protection, has beefed up production at its Fernandina Beach mill.

Person to Watch

» Nancy Bell is president of Science First! Labs, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of science education equipment like portable planetariums and water-sampling kits. The company was founded by her father in 1960, and Bell now runs it with her two sons (her two daughters, who don’t work in the company, also share ownership). Bell relocated the company last year from Buffalo, N.Y., moved into a new, 25,000-sq.-ft. building in Yulee and made two dozen local hires. The company recently acquired an aquarium product manufacturer called SeaLife Systems and is negotiating another acquisition; if it goes through, Bell will hire an additional 20 employees.

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Orange Park/Clay County

Clay County is concentrating on transportation improvements and commercial redevelopment in some of its gridlocked urban areas. The Clay County Development Authority is working with the city of Green Cove Springs and the county on a major brownfields redevelopment plan for the corridor areas of State Road 16 and U.S. 17. Local leaders believe Green Cove could become the beautiful tourist draw it once was.

Person to Watch

» Thomas Pentz is the CEO of Orange Park Medical Center, the largest private employer in Clay County. He’s leading the hospital in major expansions, including the addition of private towers and heart surgery rooms.

Putnam County

Putnam, overdependent on service-related industries, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the region. The good news: Two major redevelopment efforts — the St. Johns riverfront and the 100 block of downtown Palatka — are moving forward despite the downturn.

Person to Watch

» Dana Jones, who has worked for the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce for 23 years, was named president in January following the retirement of Wes Larson, chamber president for 25 years. Jones is focused on programs to help businesses ramp up to prerecession levels or transform for the new economy.

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Baker County

Baker County at the state border still relies on jobs in Jacksonville, but business leaders recently removed a major roadblock to new industry. Leaders pooled their resources, petitioned DOT, and last year landed a long-sought variance to allow additional traffic on I-10 without costly mitigation fees. The variance makes Baker’s two new industrial parks far more attractive to warehouse, distribution and related industry. Development officials hope to draw some of the business created by Jaxport’s expansion.

Person to Watch

» Thomas F. Jones, Southeast Regional Development Partner for Jackson-Shaw, is responsible for the Jacksonville Tradeport project, but he is also a key player in Jackson-Shaw’s efforts to build “edge cities” in places like Baker and Clay counties. The company’s DRIs “might assist these counties toward independence from Jacksonville,” Jones says.

» Jobs
MSA	Jan. 2009	Jan. 2010	% Change	Jobless Rate
Jacksonville	621,890	600,855	-3.4%	12.1%
Source: Agency for Workforce Innovation
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» Homes Single-family existing-home sales by Realtors
MSA	Jan. 2010 Sales	1-Year Change	Jan. 2010 Price	1-Year Change
Jacksonville	757	+33%	$135,500	-7%
Source: Florida Association of Realtors

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» Population Totals
2.4% or higher ?? 1.0%-2.4% ?? 1.0% or less
?	?	Average Annual Growth
County	2010	2006-2010	Trend
Baker	27,108	2.02%
Clay	195,046	2.59
Duval	863,744	0.68
Nassau	73,122	2.44
Putnam	73,771	0.16
St. Johns	191,862	4.97
Florida	18,910,672	1.21%

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» Population by Age
?	Years of Age (2010)
County	0-14	15-19	20-39	40-64	65+	TOTAL
Baker	20.9%	5.9%	30.0%	31.9%	11.3%	27,108
Clay	19.6	6.5	27.8	34.5	11.6	195,046
Duval	21.3	6.7	26.4	34.4	11.2	863,744
Nassau	17.8	5.7	25.5	34.6	16.4	73,122
Putnam	19.4	6.2	23.5	31.7	19.2	73,771
St. Johns	16.5	5.9	26.6	35.3	15.6	191,862
Florida	17.9%	6.1%	25.4%	32.9%	17.6%	18,910,672

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» Per Capita Income
?	?	Source of Income
County	Per Capita Income 2010	Labor	Property	Transfer
Baker	$26,137	71.7%	9.2%	19.1%
Clay	34,319	73.2	13.5	13.3
Duval	40,057	76.0	18.1	5.9
Nassau	46,053	60.6	28.0	11.5
Putnam	26,859	57.3	13.1	29.7
St. Johns	51,112	60.5	31.4	8.1
Florida	$39,927	62.2%	26.5%	11.3%