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School Setback- Northeast- Jan. 2004
Alachua County -- A coalition of healthcare advocates wants the county to levy a quarter-cent, local-option sales tax to provide healthcare to low-income residents who do not have health insurance. Proponents are pushing for a referendum this summer on the measure that would raise an estimated $7 million annually.
Gainesville -- Airport officials say they intend to give Continental Airlines $1.3 million in incentives to schedule regular service, despite recent interest from American Airlines and other smaller carriers in the financial package. Some believe American, which is larger than Continental and has a Miami hub, is a more attractive option.
Wal-Mart will try for a second time to win city approval for a supercenter at the intersection of N.W. 53rd Avenue and U.S. 441. Commissioners shot down an earlier proposal after opponents raised concerns about the store's impact on Hogtown Creek, whose headwaters abut the proposed site.
FLORIDA TRENDLINE?Property Taxes
TAX BITETwo of the top five counties with the biggest jump in property tax levies from 1996-2000 are in northeast Florida:
Growth in Total Property Tax Levies
(1996-2000)Walton78.14%Sumter76.84%St. Johns54.59%Okaloosa52.54%Nassau49.01%Note: Includes all taxing jurisdictions
Sources: Florida Department of Revenue; Florida TaxWatchJacksonville -- A federal jury ruled that two Jacksonville-based companies, Orthopedic Rehab Specialty Clinics and Professional Massage Services, must pay State Farm Insurance $4 million for numerous fraudulent claims. A judge could boost the judgment to $11 million.
CSX Corp. (NYSE-CSX) raised eyebrows when it announced plans to cut 800 to 1,000 managerial jobs, then just days later agreed to purchase $1 million in tickets for Super Bowl 2005 in Jacksonville.
The city's neglected Northside will be home to a $30-million office complex/entertainment center. The development, which features several restaurants and a movie theater, will occupy 32 acres near the Anheuser-Busch brewery off I-95.
Developer Toney Sleiman is asking for $17.5 million in incentives for phase one of his renovation and expansion of The Jacksonville Landing.
Beth McCague, a longtime Jacksonville banker with the former First Union, is returning to the city as managing director for Wachovia Wealth Management.
Jacksonville University will open a Marine Science Research Institute on its St. Johns River campus with $750,000 in federal funds. The institute will be housed in JU's planned Environmental Science Center.
JU President David L. Harlow announced he intends to retire by June 2005. Harlow's three-year tenure has been marked by a capital campaign for a new business school and recent financial problems that have led to a severe budget shortfall.
The 16,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena opened with a nearly sold-out show by pop star Elton John followed by two cancellations. Dumping a Natalie Cole concert cost taxpayers $42,500 after the singer sold just 951 tickets.
Mayport -- A design flaw that would have left a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway five inches too low will delay completion of the Wonderwood Connector by at least five months.
Nassau County -- County commissioners cleared the way for construction of Amelia Concourse in Yulee, a 3.5-mile, four-lane road between A1A and Nassauville Road, where landowners plan several subdivisions.
Ocala -- Crews broke ground on The Centers, a $1.6-million expansion of the former Marion Citrus Mental Health Center that will include 15 beds for Medicare recipients and 10 beds for children under 14 -- groups that have had to leave the county for mental healthcare.
St. Augustine -- Bishop Victor Galeone announced in November that the Diocese of St. Augustine is running a $1.3-million deficit. Galeone blamed the shortfall on subsidies for new high schools in Jacksonville and Gainesville and unanticipated repairs to church facilities.
A 15-foot-long saltwater crocodile named Maximo is the latest attraction at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Maximo and his 8-foot mate, Sydney, were shipped from the Cairns Crocodile Farm in Queensland, Australia.
St. Johns County -- County commissioners approved a 10,000-seat amphitheater near I-95, with one catch: Ticket sales will initially be limited to 4,500 per event. The county wants developers to complete promised road improvements before the facility can test its capacity.
Education
SCHOOL SETBACK
ST. AUGUSTINE -- A hotly contested proposal by the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind to build student housing in a residential neighborhood was rejected by the city Planning and Zoning Board. School officials say they'll build dorms in a commercially zoned area while trying to work out differences over the remainder of the project.
