by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Instead of Navy jets, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission is now looking for ways to land jobs at Cecil Field.
After scuttling plans to move a Navy master jet base into the Westside industrial park, Mayor John Peyton is working with the JEDC to resume private development at Cecil.
Actually, Peyton hopes to pick up the pace. During his campaign to land the Navy at Cecil, Peyton described the City’s development efforts there as only semi-successful. Corporate recruiting to Cecil had been slow-moving, Peyton said, and had cost the City millions in incentives.
But with Cecil’s corporate future cemented, and following years of infrastructure investment, JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton said he thinks the aerospace industrial park could be ready for takeoff if the City improves its marketing approach.
“The debate over Cecil actually came at a good time,” said Barton. “We had been focused on the infrastructure element out there and that phase was coming to a close. We’ve put in the roads, sewer and electric services necessary to handle the kind of development we want. Now we’ve got to market it.”
The first order of business is to assure tenants, both existing and potential, of the City’s commitment to making Cecil work as an industrial park. The debate over Cecil’s future played out in national headlines and gave competing aerospace recruiters ammunition in arguing against Jacksonville. City Council member Suzanne Jenkins was told by Jacksonville Aviation Authority officials that other Florida cities were trying to lure away Cecil tenants as Jacksonville made up its mind.
But Barton credited Peyton with making a decisive move toward an industrial future for Cecil.
“It was critical to get closure on Cecil. The current tenants needed that closure,” said Barton. “They want to know they have a long-term opportunity for them to grow their business.”
Barton even sees a silver lining in the very public debate over Cecil’s future. The publicity provides a platform from which to launch a corporate marketing campaign, he said.
“You can make the argument that any exposure is good exposure,” said Barton. “And you certainly can’t say Cecil Field hasn’t been exposed.”
An initial component of that marketing will be to establish relationships with national real estate brokers, said Barton. That will give Cecil Field a national and international reach for recruits.
The mayor’s office also is inviting members of the Cecil Field Opportunity Commission — initially convened to accommodate the Navy’s return — to now look for ways to speed Cecil development.
Mayor’s office spokesperson Misty Skipper said the group’s 17 members were chosen for their business and political savvy and their interest in helping the Westside’s economy. Those attributes will still be helpful in mapping out Cecil’s corporate future, she said.