C O U N C I L M A N__B E C T O N ' S
DISTRICT 11 NEWSLETTER
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Dear Colleagues, Constituents and Friends,
Happy New Year! This newsletter comes marking the end of the final quarter of 2022.
In today's economic environment, we have seen that most of everything we purchase has increased in price. The services that we use and the goods that we spend our discretionary dollars on are costing us more. Little by little, these increased expenditures have reduced our overall family income and placed pressure on the family budgets as inflation is still at 7.7% coupled with rising interest rates, and in addition, the Federal Fund Rate is approaching 5% resulting in a 30-year home mortgage in the range of 6.59%. This will continue to push the economy towards a slow-down, and it is unfortunate that the result of that will cost people their jobs and inflict further pain as the Federal government keeps handing out free money, further diluting the value of the dollar.
In Jacksonville, we have been blessed with a strong and thriving economy. Northeast Florida is continuing to be a destination for new residents to our state and was acknowledged by a recent Forbes, “Best Cities in Florida to Live” ranking, placing Jacksonville #2 only behind Tampa. On the jobs front, our city continues to attract major companies to our area and adding more jobs to our economy. Recently announced, Paysafe is opening their North American Headquarters in Jacksonville and bringing an additional 600 very high-paying jobs to our city. Certainly, this is a testament to those previous incentives that we made where each additional gain was a result of the previous, first starting with FIS, then Dun & Bradstreet, and now Paysafe. All of these companies, having moved here in the past eight years of my City Council term, are now calling Jacksonville their home. Other success stories can be found, for example Amazon, where city incentives helped get them here, too. The long-term result of Amazon’s success has resulted in major gains of expansion with multiple warehouse locations, the addition of thousands of jobs, and a distribution network that is serving our city and the entire region. It will be with a strong business foundation that Jacksonville weathers the 2023 economic headwinds and is positioned for better days ahead.
In District 11 news, this is my final year-end report as my City Council term comes to an end on June 30th, 2023. As I often express, being the District Council member for District 11 during the term of 2015 thru 2023 has been an absolute honor and privilege. I feel that my community, professional experience, and the many years as a business owner have helped tremendously to provide the leadership to manage and navigate the many opportunities to what contributed to the largest growth area in our city over those many years. It has been the response from many constituents that I talk to everyday, that thank me and help me look back, and what they say about my tenure being “the right-person at the right-place at the right-time” to serve our city and this area, gives me a great appreciation that we don’t often get to enjoy as public servants. So, to that, I say “thank you” for giving me the opportunity these past eight years to serve you as your City Councilman.
As you continue to review our Quarterly Newsletter, please see my biggest accomplishment of recent, the passage of Bill 2022-766, which was inspired by many in our community who have been negatively affected for decades by over-regulation. This three-year collaboration with top leaders of industry, owners of businesses, and government officials to work together and unanimously agree on changes to improve the government’s role, I am again honored to have been that conduit for change.
As always, it is my objective to work and provide news as well as to highlight issues as your representative. I continue to fight for fiscal responsibility and help to welcome new companies to the community.
The District 11 office has remained very busy in taking this time and opportunity to continue improvements to our website. As you may or may not know, the dannybecton.org website is not a city supported resource but a unique self-developed and privately funded website that began many years ago. The goal has always been to keep you informed and updated while providing you access to information and resources that otherwise would be difficult to find. I encourage you to reach out to me and provide any suggestions or additional opportunities you believe would enhance the website experience. Your suggestions and feedback are always appreciated.
I am proud of the many communication mediums created and utilized to deliver important news and announcements directly to you! Those platforms include: the District 11 Website - www.dannybecton.org, District 11’s NextDoor Agency account, and our Facebook and Twitter pages. I value the ability to assemble and produce newsworthy content and distribute it with efficiency and transparency in hopes that you too find it to be beneficial and noteworthy.
Please remember to keep up with all the latest news and initiatives in District 11 by visiting the website often! Please spread the news and tell your friends to connect with us, too!
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City Council Passed Ord. 2022-766, Introduced by CM Becton, Reforming the Certificate of Use Process
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Jacksonville, FL (November 22, 2022) – This evening, City Council unanimously passed Ordinance Bill 2022-766, introduced by Council Member Danny Becton, that modifies the Certificate of Use (COU) requirements after several years of work and collaboration with industry professionals and private business owners. The COU requirement for businesses has been one of the top frustrations and complaints due to the requirement that any new tenant of a leased or occupied space must go through a formal review of zoning, building codes, and fire codes before being allowed to open. While this seems reasonable, what really happens is that many small businesses who are just changing their corporate name or their ownership without making any changes to the physical space triggers this requirement. In times of great demand in the building industry, the professionals that need to be hired to help navigate this process are not available, and when they are, it’s at great expense. This is also true for the government departments which oversee this requirement. It is not uncommon to hear about this process taking 3 to 6 months to complete. During this time, many business owners have signed leases, are paying rent, and, due to this typically unknown requirement being mandated, they are not allowed to proceed in opening their business to generate income. |
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Jacksonville, FL (December 21,2022) – The City of Jacksonville's mobile hazardous waste collection event is designed to help our environment by providing convenient access to disposing of hazardous materials that cannot be thrown out along with regular household waste.
Please also note that Household Hazardous Waste cannot be collected curbside with regular trash. Residents may bring these items to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 2675 Commonwealth Ave weekly (Tuesday thru Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday & Monday Closed).
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Jacksonville, FL (November 19, 2022) – Council Member Danny Becton was on hand to help join in to cut the ribbon on District 11’s newest and most unique small business, Mr. Potato Spread. Founded by Lakita and Aaron Spann in 2014, this new location and their first franchise comes after many years as a food truck business and operating their first location at Regency Square Mall, which closed back in April 2022 because of the mall’s decline. Now located at 7159 Philips Hwy, Ste 2, Jacksonville, FL 32256, this location becomes their first franchised location, operated by Randall Coursey and his wife Shinika, and is open from 10:30am to 9:00pm Monday through Saturday. |
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Jax Chamber Announces London-Based Paysafe Opening North American Headquarters in Jacksonville
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Jacksonville, FL (November 14, 2022) – At a press conference this afternoon, Jax Chamber Board Chair Ray Driver and Jax Chamber CEO Daniel Davis announced that London-Based Paysafe, a company that specializes in financial payment services, would be opening its North America headquarters in Jacksonville. In addition with this announcement, Paysafe is expected to create approximately 600 jobs and have over 200 of those positions filled by the end of 2023. Council Member Danny Becton was on hand for the announcement. |
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CM Becton Provides Update on District 11 Parks
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Jacksonville, FL (December 10, 2022) – As the city continues to upgrade and enhance the parks system within District 11, Council Member Danny Becton is providing this update on various COJ Parks and Recreation projects. The update includes progress on the new Fort Family Baseball fields, the future development of the recently acquired park property on AC Skinner Parkway, improvements at Julington-Durbin Creek Preserve, and a change in park management and new equipment for Greenland Park. Funding for many of these improvements was secured through this year’s budget bill 2022-505-E within the city’s Capital Improvement Project, in addition to various other pieces of legislation both introduced by the administration and Council Member Becton. With emphasis on improving the quality of life for the community and fulfilling recreational needs for our residents, these initiatives have been a top priority for Council Member Becton throughout his service on City Council. Once again, he has delivered on that promise. |
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CM Becton Provides Information on Small Business Planning
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Jacksonville, FL (December 27, 2022) – Council Member Danny Becton recently reached out to the City of Jacksonville’s Planning and Development Department as well as the Office of Economic Development (OED) to request information to assist current and future small business owners. As one of the districts experiencing high growth in Jacksonville, Council Member Becton thought it important that prospective District 11 tenants be provided with the tools needed to successfully establish and maintain a small business in Jacksonville. |
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Click on the Press Release from the Duval County Clerk of Courts Below to Download and Learn More about their Property Fraud Alert Program
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Click on the Calendar Below to Download the 2022-2023 WastePro Collection Calendar
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View updated pictures from Fort Family Park Progress, Mr. Potato Spread Ribbon Cutting, Jax Chamber's Paysafe Announcement, and More!
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MYJAX: Submit/Check Status of
Service Requests
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Watch the tutorial video below to learn how to use the online portal, submit and check on city service requests and additional residential information. |
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--------------------- REMINDER ----------------------
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Don't forget to use the calendar posted on the homepage of dannybecton.org to stay updated with committee and council meetings. You can find all information for committee, council, CPAC, Sherriff's Watch, and other community events within each calendar event by simply clicking on the date then the specific meeting meeting you are interested in.
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Since our last newsletter, a lot has transpired, and I encourage you to visit the District 11 web site at www.dannybecton.org to keep you informed on the changes within District 11 and our city. The media does not cover all the important happenings, details of changes and the story line of legislation being crafted. It is my commitment to bring you those important legislative stories and what you need to know as well as my position on the specific topic.
Please take a moment and visit the web site If there is something missing or you want to know about, please do not hesitate to contact me at: DBecton@Coj.Net.
As always, I want to thank you again for being a concerned citizen, a connected friend and if my office can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. We’ll stay in touch!
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Danny Becton | District 11 - Jacksonville City Council | 904.255.5211
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The ultimate app for connecting neighbors and neighborhoods.
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