Jacksonville Bold for 4.29.26: Ballard boost

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From: Extensive Media Enterprises U.S. Rep. John Rutherford will get some help from Jacksonville friends at a D.C. fundraiser. The Ballard Partners event includes Brian Ballard, Jacksonville-based Jordan Elsbury, Lenny Curry, seven members of the City Council and a former staffer for Jacksonville’s current Democratic Mayor (among many other roles), Karen Bowling. “It’s shaping up to be a nice event,” Curry shared. Brian Ballard backs John Rutherford at Washington fundraiser amid strong fundraising lead. Rutherford, a former three-term Jacksonville Sheriff, seeks his fifth term in Congress representing Florida’s 5th Congressional District. He is by far leading the fundraising race. As of the first quarterly report of the year, Rutherford has raised nearly $530,000. He has eclipsed the $400,000 cash-on-hand mark, with nearly $180,000 brought in during the first three months of 2026. Political action committees related to business groups and corporations contributed $116,000 during the period. Though the District, which includes portions of Duval and St. Johns Counties, is drawn with a Republican advantage, one Democrat is making a decent showing on her own. Rachel Grage, who previously ran for state House, closed the quarter with more than $180,000 raised and retained more than $95,000 cash on hand as of the filing. Other candidates are struggling to keep pace. Democrat Mark Heggestad has raised a little more than $25,000 during the campaign. Republican media personality Mark Kaye has raised nearly $22,000. Rutherford has never lost an election. And his network wants to ensure it continues in 2026.

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The way we were   While the congressional map being considered in Tallahassee this week makes no material changes to Northeast Florida’s configuration, the process in 2022 that ended a minority-access seat running from Jacksonville to the Tallahassee area was on the Governor’s Office’s mind when they sent their proposed product to the Senate. Northeast Florida sees no changes for seats held by Republicans Aaron Bean, Kat Cammack, Randy Fine and John Rutherford. Image via EOG. The executive branch argued that Florida districts historically have been “distorted by considerations of race” because of the Fair Districts Amendments (FDA) to the Florida Constitution, which superseded “the requirement to maintain compactness and to utilize existing political and geographical boundaries” with racial considerations. “This requires the use of race in redistricting — something that the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled is unconstitutional,” the Governor’s Office opined, before recalling the Legislature’s proposal that would have “packed the Black population of Duval County into one district.” “Even though the Black voting-age population was diminished relative to the benchmark district, the Legislature nevertheless believed that the Black population was large enough that Black voters could still elect candidates of their choice,” the recollection continued, saying the district “stretched over two hundred miles across the Florida/Georgia border to encompass the Black populations in Duval County in the east and Lean and Gadsden Counties in the west.” The Governor vetoed that map, along with a more status-quo legislative attempt, invoking the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “The Legislature eventually enacted, and the Governor signed, the current congressional map with a race-neutral version of Congressional District 5,” the narrative concluded. The proposed map would create just four Democratic seats, including one that packs Orlando and surrounding areas into a district, and three South Florida districts. In Senate Rules on Tuesday, Northeast Florida legislators questioned the process and the product. Democratic Leader-designate Tracie Davis peppered representatives of the Governor’s Office about the process by which the map was drawn. Republican Jenn Bradley took issue with the lack of changes north of I-4, which contradicted the argument for reapportionment to reflect population changes in fast-growing areas. Ultimately, both voted against the proposal, but it is moving forward anyway.

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Challenger emerges   With just over a year until the next countywide General Election in Jacksonville, a first-time Democratic candidate is launching a challenge to incumbent Mayor Donna Deegan. Marquita Valencia, a 42-year-old third-generation native of Duval County who grew up in Brentwood, who still goes to Mt. Moriah Church, and who attended Mandarin High School, opened her campaign account Friday. Valencia has been a mortgage loan processor for Deutsche Bank for the last five years and has spent her entire career in financial services, so she keeps an eye on the bottom line in all aspects of her campaign, including ballot qualification. A new candidate for Jacksonville Mayor emerges. She tells Florida Politics she intends to do so by petition, which requires 7,500 signatures, to save on the filing fee. Valencia learned frugality growing up, noting that her mother sometimes struggled with the cost of food, and those early struggles and the ongoing issues in her old neighborhood inspired her to run in part. While she acknowledges progress has occurred in parts of the city, it hasn’t reached places like Brentwood, which suffer from a lack of grocery stores and from infrastructure that gets overlooked as investment goes to other parts of town, many of which she has lived in over the years. “I don’t see any progress in those areas,” Valencia said. Places like the Northside and Eastside need “change and progress to lower crime, to lower homelessness,” Valencia said. But city leaders prioritize Downtown over the neighborhoods that border it. She questions one of Deegan’s signature projects specifically. Valencia doesn’t believe the city’s $775 million investment into refurbishing the Jaguars‘ stadium, which comes at the expense of deferring paying off a now-closed pension plan five more years until sometime in the 2050s, benefits the Northside or the Eastside by bringing “healthy food” to those areas or making it “safe to walk” the streets. To be sure, this first-time candidate will face a challenge in trying to make Deegan a one-term Mayor, as the former newscaster launched her campaign last week to become the first Democratic Jacksonville Mayor re-elected since Jake Godbold in 1983. Though the formal re-election campaign is just beginning, Deegan has already begun fundraising. The aligned Duval for All political committee has raised more than $1.62 million and has spent less than $177,000.

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Numbers racket   Jacksonville’s Inspector General says the city’s Housing Authority allowed nine workers to double dip, collecting full salaries and benefits while also drawing tax-free workers’ comp payments. Jacksonville Housing Authority overpays workers due to payroll error, triggering Inspector General probe and ongoing recovery of misallocated public funds. “The issue stemmed from a misclassified payroll code that treated ‘workers comp’ entries as a payout code, causing the system to issue full salary regardless of an employee’s work status. Based on JHA records, the OIG identified overpayments totaling $73,204.51. JHA was unable to locate documentation showing that any indemnity checks were submitted to payroll as required by its Standard Operating Procedures,” the OIG explained. One person got nearly $19,000 in overpayment due to the error. JHA axed its HR team and is now working to recover funds, with more than $10,000 clawed back as of last week.

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Brothers in arms   You’ll be in Dire Straits if you break a new law and pass stopped school buses starting May 1. And it won’t be Money for Nothing. You’ll be fined $225 if you decide to drive around one of them with its stop arm extended, the Duval County School District warns. Jacksonville Housing Authority overpays workers due to payroll error, triggering Inspector General probe and ongoing recovery of misallocated public funds. Jacksonville Housing Authority overpays workers due to payroll error, triggering Inspector General probe and ongoing recovery of misallocated public funds. Duval schools warn drivers: ‘Dire Straits’ fines hit $225 for illegally passing stopped school buses starting May 1. “Earlier this month, the District announced the launch of this safety initiative, which is aimed at protecting students as they enter and exit the bus. District buses are now equipped with stop-arm camera technology that captures the license plate information of vehicles that violate Florida law by passing a stopped school bus,” the District notes. We assume most of our readers are already following this law.

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Word is bond   The Jacksonville Aviation Authority is celebrating solid bond ratings for its $230 million Concourse B construction project. Moody’s Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA), assigned JAA ratings of A1, A+ and AA. All three rated the independent Authority’s finances as stable. Jacksonville Aviation Authority earns strong bond ratings, advancing $230M Concourse B expansion at Jacksonville International Airport. Image via Jacksonville Business Journal. “These ratings signify the strong financial position of the JAA,” JAA CEO Mark VanLoh said. “This allows us to finance projects that matter to the Northeast Florida community, such as the construction of Concourse B. Not only will it bring additional gates which are desperately needed, but new customer service amenities and great dining options for travelers.” “The strength of management, the current status of the Concourse B project and the Authority’s strong financial metrics are likely factors these agencies considered while issuing their guidance. We look forward to going out to the bond market and securing financing for the completion of our largest construction project in the last 20 years,” said JAA Chief Financial Officer Ross Jones.

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JAXPORT pickup   Earth Day for JAXPORT employees was very productive, as they helped clean up a major thoroughfare near some of the port’s more prominent operations. Those workers focused on a 2-mile stretch of Heckscher Drive on April 24, the official Earth Day celebration. The roadway runs along the northern shore of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. The workers focused on that stretch of Heckscher because JAXPORT adopted that area four years ago through the Florida Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway program. The roadway is near the organization’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. JAXPORT employees remove more than 2,200 pounds of debris during Earth Day cleanup along Heckscher Drive near the Blount Island terminal. JAXPORT employees gathered an estimated 2,260 pounds of refuse from the areas along the road. Those workers were able to collect trash, tires, large signs, metal debris, house siding and various car parts among the refuse. “Our annual Earth Day cleanup reflects our ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor and responsible steward of the environment,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “As the main thoroughfare to two of our major cargo terminals, this corridor is vital to our operations. Each year, our employees help keep it clean while protecting natural resources and preventing debris from reaching nearby waterways.”

Biz boom   Florida’s large cities are the best in the nation to start a business. That’s according to a new study published by WalletHub, which found that the Sunshine State’s biggest cities are so business-friendly that there’s little room for any other states in the top tier. Jacksonville ranks among top U.S. cities for startups, driven by low taxes, strong growth and a thriving small business environment. The firm compared 100 large cities across the country using 19 factors, including the five-year business survival rate, labor costs and the affordability of office space. Jacksonville was among the best, coming in third in the nation behind Orlando. Jacksonville’s startup business score was 62.08. WalletHub analysts raved about Jacksonville’s business environment. “The city has some of the lowest corporate taxes in the country, which can provide a boost to new businesses by allowing them to reinvest more of their capital. Businesses that are currently in Jacksonville are thriving, as the city has a very high number of startup firms per capita, indicating a strong environment for launching new businesses,” the analysis said. “It also has some of the highest rates of growth in business revenues in the country, which suggests that companies in the city have strong potential to expand and succeed.”

Hall of Famers   Junior Achievement of North Florida will host its Hall of Fame event on May 13 at the University of North Florida. The ceremony runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Adam W. Herbert University Center, recognizing leaders in business, education and community service. Andy Allen, founder and CEO of Corner Lot Development, will receive the Thompson S. Baker Award, the organization’s top honor for impact and leadership. Other honorees include Pam Coleman as Educator of the Year, FIS as Company of the Year, and Evan Satterwhite of Bank OZK as Volunteer of the Year, highlighting contributions across sectors.

MOCA maven   Jacksonville hometown artist is being celebrated at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) beginning Thursday. MOCA is featuring an exhibit of Amer Kobaslija, a Jacksonville-based painter whose work has gained international recognition. “Outside Looking In: The Paintings of Amer Kobaslija” begins its run at MOCA with a free Community Opening Celebration from 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday. The exhibit will run through Sept. 20. MOCA Jacksonville debuts Amer Kobaslija exhibit, showcasing internationally recognized paintings and Florida landscapes through September. Image via The Florida Times-Union. Kobaslija’s work focuses on his surroundings “with virtuosity and wit,” according to a MOCA news release. The Outside Looking In exhibit will highlight his work from early in his career. That will also include works featuring his elements from The Florida Diaries, a continuing series of paintings detailing Florida landscapes. Kobaslija was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and became a refugee fleeing to Germany in 1993 amid the Serbo-Croatian war. He eventually moved to Jacksonville in 1997, where his career took off.

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Draft doubts   The Jaguars’ draft has not been well-received around the league. ESPN’s Mel Kiper gave the Jaguars a C (tied with the lowest grade he gave any team), CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco rated the Jaguars a C+, and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked the Jaguars’ draft last out of 32 teams in the NFL. Why? For starters, the Jaguars did not have a first-round pick. They dealt this year’s No. 1 away in last year’s deal that brought Travis Hunter to town. But beyond that, many draft analysts believe that the Jaguars reached for players, selecting them higher than was warranted. In the second round, the Jaguars selected Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher, a blocking tight end with only 38 receptions in five college seasons (he played his first four years at Nebraska). While the Jaguars have a particularly good pass-catching tight end, Brenton Strange, they also have a pair of blocking tight ends on the roster, Hunter Long and Quintin Morris. Perhaps the pick will make more sense in the long run, but right now, it seems like a luxury pick that could have been spent on a big body, like Iowa’s Logan Jones, considered the top center in the draft, who the Chicago Bears selected with the next pick. Jacksonville Jaguars draft draws league criticism, with analysts questioning picks, strategy and overall roster value despite potential long-term upside. In the third round, the Jaguars held three picks. With the 81st draft pick, they selected another Texas A&M product, defensive tackle Albert Regis. While the interior defensive line was an area of need, Regis initially projected as a backup. He was projected as a later pick by most draft analysts. Perhaps the Jaguars’ best pick came next. Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon began his career at Wyoming, then transferred to USC before finishing his college career by earning All-America honors at Oregon. In his 51 college starts, he allowed only one sack. He will likely compete for the left guard spot with incumbent Ezra Cleveland. The final third-round pick, No. 100 overall, was Maryland defensive back Jalen Huskey. The Jaguars list Huskey as a safety. Some analysts had Huskey as a long shot to be drafted at all, much less in the third round. The Jaguars drafted six more players, using all but one of the 11 draft choices they held to start the draft. Among the highlights, another tight end, Houston’s Tanner Koziol, who is projected to be more of a pass catcher, Baylor wide receiver Josh Cameron, a big (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), strong wide out, and Stanford’s CJ Williams, who played at USC and Wisconsin before that. That’s a lot of pass catchers. Fun fact: One of the Jaguars’ seventh-round picks, Washington Edge Zach Durfee, was a bit of a cult favorite among Husky fans. They gave him the Chuck Norris treatment, saying that when Durfee lifts, the weights get in shape, and that Durfee didn’t get drafted by the Jaguars, he told them he was coming to Florida. Perhaps Jaguars general manager James Gladstone knows better, and this draft will prove to be one that will launch the team to new heights, but that’s not the opinion of most of the draft analysts around the league. We’ll see how the rookies do as the team’s offseason practices progress.

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