by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
As John Delaney’s administration quickly winds down, major changes are starting to occur in the mayor’s office. Resignations are being tenured and others are being pondered.
Preservation Project — a Delaney initiative that has set aside thousands of acres of natural wetlands in Duval County that will, he hopes, forever remain untouched — is also moving. Although executive director Mark Middlebrook and his administrative assistant Kristie Miller have been on the Parks & Recreation payroll since Preservation Project was enacted, they have worked out of the mayor’s office.
No more. Starting this week, Middlebrook will oversee Preservation Project from the Parks Maintenance building on West 44th Street. The logic behind the move is pretty simple: Preservation has always actually been a division of Parks and, with a vast majority of the acquisitions completed, Preservation is entering more of a maintenance phase.
“We’ve actually had plans to shift the office space of Preservation Project for about six months or more,” said Chief of Staff Audrey Moran, explaining that the next two months will be spent wrapping up Delaney initiatives and working with the next administration. “During the transition, it made the most sense to move the Preservation team to Parks & Recreation. They already have interaction with that part of government on a regular basis.
“The goal now is access, access, access.”
By access, Moran means Preservation land will be secure and clean. Hiking trails will be well-planned, designed and designated. Middlebrook will also assure the canoe and kayak launches are permitted properly and installed when and where they need to be.
“This does not mean, however, this administration believes acquisition should end,” said Moran. “This administration believes when the opportunity arises to acquire land, we should.”
Middlebrook agreed the move makes sense.
“I’ve been on the Parks payroll for the past two years and sort of on loan to the mayor’s office,” explained Middlebrook. “Basically, we are just going back to where Preservation rightly belongs.”
From his new office, Middlebrook will run the the largest urban park system in the country. When all is said and done — and with a few more smaller acquisitions in the pipeline — Preservation will have spent about $200 million on over 40,000 acres of natural wetlands. As important as the acquisitions are, it’s just as important to note Delaney and Middlebrook have made it nearly impossible to one day make Preservation land available for development. Moran said such a reversal would require City Council-approved legislation. It would also mean directly opposing one of Delaney’s most subtly-prominent accomplishments during his two-term tenure.
Despite the physical move and ability to perhaps increase the staff, Middlebrook says there are no plans to do so.
“We made a concerted effort not to staff up when we started Preservation Project,”’ said Middlebrook. “A lot of the work has been outsourced and I assume we will continue to do that.”
Although Preservation Project covers the entire county, most of the land in the northeast corner of the county where the St. Johns River the Intracoastal Waterway converge a form a complicated maze of tributaries, wetlands, points and solid land. The latest and greatest acquisition is Tiger Point, a section of Black Hammock Island bisected by Pumpkin Hill Creek. Moran says Delaney’s favorite Preservation acquisition is in this area.
“Without question, and I feel confident in speaking for the mayor, it’s the Timucuan Preserve,” said Moran. “We have a gem in the Timucuan Preserve unlike anything else in the United States. It’s a property roughly the size of Minneapolis, and that speaks volumes.”
Middlebrook says it’s impossible to single out one parcel of land. But, Cedar Point — a raw parcel just west of Sister’s Creek and about 14 miles (as the crow flies) from downtown — isn’t bad.
“What people don’t realize is all of these are spectacular,” said Middlebrook. “Look at Cedar Point. You can look 360 degrees and all you see is preserved land from horizon to horizon. It’s 20 minutes from downtown and it’s a wilderness.”
Maybe it’s because he’s slightly biased, but Middlebrook believes Delaney will be remembered most for Preservation Project. Sure, the new Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, arena, library and county courthouse will all be beautiful and prove worthwhile. And, the $1.5 billion worth of infrastructure work will benefit everyone at some point. But Middlebrook thinks having the guts and drive to set aside 62 square miles and declare the land off limits to developers will be Delaney’s legacy as mayor.
“Stand at Cedar Point and you realize that’s what John Delaney did. It’s an incredible acquisition,” said Middlebrook, adding Preservation will ultimately become the envy of the nation and the model for cities looking to set aside land. “I was a government observer for 20 years when I was working in the media. I have never seen a government program go from idea to completion so fast and be so successful in that short amount of time. That’s not me, that’s him [Delaney].
“We live in the middle of a national park system. We just don’t realize it.”