J Magazine Winter 2017

FROM THE PUBLISHER
‘Winds of change’
gusting favorably
for Downtown Jax
MARK
NUSBAUM
PHONE
(904) 359-4349
EMAIL
mark.nusbaum@
jacksonville.com
s you may or may not know —
A and I hope a lot of you DO know
— we launched a new product at
The Florida Times-Union about six months
ago, by the name of “J.’’
You are reading issue No. 3.
J Mag, as I often refer to it, is produced four times a
year and is 100 percent laser-focused on the revitalization
of Downtown.
This is unabashed advocacy journalism with a very
specific goal in mind.
We are thankful for the support of many partners
and sponsors, who care very deeply about our community.
Please take a look at the sponsors throughout
the magazine, and give these folks a special thanks for
participating in such an initiative for the greater good of
Jacksonville.
When we embarked on this journey, we promised
to scrutinize our fair city, warts and all, with the goal of
driving relentlessly toward excellence in our Downtown.
We also augmented J Mag with an op-ed page each
Wednesday in The Florida Times-Union devoted exclusively
to Downtown revitalization.
Now, six months after the launch, I ask myself: Are
we all collectively making progress toward revitalization
of Downtown Jacksonville?
My answer at this point: an emphatic YES.
As part of the launch of J Mag last June, we did some
fairly extensive polling with the help of the good folks at
the University of North Florida.
Some of the results were predictable; others were, in
fact, a bit humbling:
n We asked: “Why have you not come Downtown
more often in the past year?’’ Most respondents clustered
in two segments: 34 percent said, “Nothing to do
there/no reason to go.’’ Another 21 percent said it is too
dangerous. Sure, we can be offended by the answers,
and perhaps even dispute them. Or we can accept them,
and commit ourselves to doing something about them:
We can point out that statistics show Downtown is pretty
darned safe, according to law enforcement officials.
Until we change the perception, WE LOSE.
n Another question: “In the past year, how many
times have you gone Downtown for entertainment or
leisure?’’ This one can sober you up pretty quickly: 26
percent said never, and 49 percent said a couple of times
a year, which isn’t much more. Those two answers comprised
nearly 75 percent of the respondents. Let’s face it:
NOT COOL.
n We also asked: “In general, do you think Downtown
Jacksonville is staying the same, improving or
getting worse. The feedback was a little more positive on
this one: 32 percent said “staying the same,’’ 37 percent
said “improving,’’ and 19 percent said, “getting worse.’’
The data help us frame a picture and maybe make us
feel a little uncomfortable, but maybe it’s good that we
squirm a little.
So what do we do with the polling results moving
forward?
Here’s my vote: Let’s capitalize on it. Let’s turn these
numbers dramatically in a more favorable direction in
the months and years to come. Let’s meet perception —
particularly when it’s wrong — head on.
We can do it. I believe Jacksonville is on the move and
can someday be the showcase of the Southeast.
In Toronto last month on JAX Chamber’s leadership
trip, I was among 140 Jacksonvilleans impressed, many
of them surprised, as a strong lineup of Jacksonville leaders
outlined the many Downtown projects underway or
in active planning. (See our Progress Report on page 14
for a later update.)
It’s happening, folks.
The winds of change.
We all have to continue to work together. It’s absolutely
incredible what can happen when a community
has that special collaboration of voices working in unison
— from the mayor, to City Council, to JAX Chamber,
to the Civic Council, the DIA and, most of all, to you, the
citizens of Jacksonville.
For our part, the T-U will continue to amp up the conversation
about Downtown revitalization. Top-of-mind
awareness, I believe, means everything, as it did when
you approved extending the sales tax to fulfill pension
obligations — by a whopping 65 percent of the votes.
We’ll poll again next spring and ask the same
questions about Downtown, and I believe those polling
numbers will be much, much different.
MARK NUSBAUM is president and publisher of
The Florida Times-Union and T-U Media. He and his wife
live in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood.
WINTER 2017-18 | J MAGAZINE 11