Diane Melendez
09-23-2007, 12:45 AM
Looks like an effort is underway to hide the names of the businesses who are getting corporate welfare Jacksonville style, through the JEDC.
Date: 09/15/2007 10:45:47 AM
Subject: They Might Prevent You from Knowing Who the Corporate Welfare Cases Are!
Holy Moly! Now the JEDC considers awarding grants and loans without telling the public who the recipient is!?!? IT'S LEGAL, BUT EXTREMELY UNETHICAL!!!! If you ever think it can't get worse around here, don't believe it!
I blame myself. At council meetings I mention the names of these greedy entities, and the JEDC and their cronies probably don't like it. Tough **** I say. If they want the money they should take the heat along with it.
Sieg Heil, Mayor Peyton and Ron Barton! DS
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Andy Johnson <downtobusinessandy@yahoo.com>
Apparently the city leaders just don't give a toot about the local public demand for MORE Sunshine in the operation of our city government!
Here we go again. The JEDC believes there is just too much damn Sunshine and they now have a plan to give us less Sunshine.
Scroll down to the final paragraph of the following article from the T.U.
Andy Sunshine Johnson
The Florida Times-Union September 14, 2007
2 firms win local incentive packages
By LIZ FLAISIG,
The Times-Union As Jacksonville set it sights on the global marketplace this week at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce's economic symposium at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, two local businesses were encouraged to focus closer to home.
--------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------- Trend Offset Printing Services Inc. and J.C. Renfroe & Sons Inc. received approval from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission for incentive packages geared toward ensuring their businesses will grow in Jacksonville, not elsewhere in the country or abroad. The incentives come under Florida's Qualified Targeted Industry Tax Refund, which requires both state and city contributions. Trend Offset plans to spend $11.5 million on new press equipment and $500,000 on renovations to its Busch Drive plant at Imeson Industrial Park. The expansion will create 30 new full-time jobs with an average wage of $41,516, according to JEDC records. Under the program, the state will contribute $72,000 and the city will give $18,000 for a total of $90,000. Since opening in 2000 with 40 employees and $5 million in sales, the company has grown to 105 employees and $45 million to $48 million in sales, General Manager and Vice President Bill Fleegle said. Approval of the tax incentive was the determining factor for the Jacksonville expansion, Fleegle said. Without it, the company might handle the $6.2 million in sales it turned away here last year by building a plant in Texas or the Midwest. J.C Renfroe's interest in eventually partnering with a Spanish company to increase manufacturing capacity of its steel lifting clamps put its leadership in a similar position: in need of an incentive to invest in Jacksonville. Its $4 million investment to expand its Springfield plant will create 32 new full-time jobs at an average of $45,178 each. The second generation company also qualified for a Brownfield redevelopment bonus in its $272,000 package. J.C. Renfroe will get $217,000 from the state and $54,000 from the city. In other JEDC action Thursday, the commission: - Approved a resolution allowing it to consider development plans for city-owned property within the Community Redevelopment Areas it oversees without first using the existing request for proposal process. The Northbank and Southbank downtown and the airport are the city's three areas. The change is allowable under state law and would have to be approved by City Council. - Began discussing whether the commission will allow companies who request anonymity during the local and state incentive application process to receive it. State law allows it but Jacksonville has not practiced it in the past, JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton said. The commission didn't make a decision on the matter. liz.flaisig@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4640
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com (http://jacksonville.com/) at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091407/bus_199351690.shtml (http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091407/bus_199351690.shtml).
Date: 09/15/2007 10:45:47 AM
Subject: They Might Prevent You from Knowing Who the Corporate Welfare Cases Are!
Holy Moly! Now the JEDC considers awarding grants and loans without telling the public who the recipient is!?!? IT'S LEGAL, BUT EXTREMELY UNETHICAL!!!! If you ever think it can't get worse around here, don't believe it!
I blame myself. At council meetings I mention the names of these greedy entities, and the JEDC and their cronies probably don't like it. Tough **** I say. If they want the money they should take the heat along with it.
Sieg Heil, Mayor Peyton and Ron Barton! DS
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Andy Johnson <downtobusinessandy@yahoo.com>
Apparently the city leaders just don't give a toot about the local public demand for MORE Sunshine in the operation of our city government!
Here we go again. The JEDC believes there is just too much damn Sunshine and they now have a plan to give us less Sunshine.
Scroll down to the final paragraph of the following article from the T.U.
Andy Sunshine Johnson
The Florida Times-Union September 14, 2007
2 firms win local incentive packages
By LIZ FLAISIG,
The Times-Union As Jacksonville set it sights on the global marketplace this week at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce's economic symposium at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, two local businesses were encouraged to focus closer to home.
--------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------- Trend Offset Printing Services Inc. and J.C. Renfroe & Sons Inc. received approval from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission for incentive packages geared toward ensuring their businesses will grow in Jacksonville, not elsewhere in the country or abroad. The incentives come under Florida's Qualified Targeted Industry Tax Refund, which requires both state and city contributions. Trend Offset plans to spend $11.5 million on new press equipment and $500,000 on renovations to its Busch Drive plant at Imeson Industrial Park. The expansion will create 30 new full-time jobs with an average wage of $41,516, according to JEDC records. Under the program, the state will contribute $72,000 and the city will give $18,000 for a total of $90,000. Since opening in 2000 with 40 employees and $5 million in sales, the company has grown to 105 employees and $45 million to $48 million in sales, General Manager and Vice President Bill Fleegle said. Approval of the tax incentive was the determining factor for the Jacksonville expansion, Fleegle said. Without it, the company might handle the $6.2 million in sales it turned away here last year by building a plant in Texas or the Midwest. J.C Renfroe's interest in eventually partnering with a Spanish company to increase manufacturing capacity of its steel lifting clamps put its leadership in a similar position: in need of an incentive to invest in Jacksonville. Its $4 million investment to expand its Springfield plant will create 32 new full-time jobs at an average of $45,178 each. The second generation company also qualified for a Brownfield redevelopment bonus in its $272,000 package. J.C. Renfroe will get $217,000 from the state and $54,000 from the city. In other JEDC action Thursday, the commission: - Approved a resolution allowing it to consider development plans for city-owned property within the Community Redevelopment Areas it oversees without first using the existing request for proposal process. The Northbank and Southbank downtown and the airport are the city's three areas. The change is allowable under state law and would have to be approved by City Council. - Began discussing whether the commission will allow companies who request anonymity during the local and state incentive application process to receive it. State law allows it but Jacksonville has not practiced it in the past, JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton said. The commission didn't make a decision on the matter. liz.flaisig@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4640
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com (http://jacksonville.com/) at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091407/bus_199351690.shtml (http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091407/bus_199351690.shtml).