by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The possibility of reopening Cecil Field as a Navy master jet base has brought Jacksonville to an “economic crossroads,” Mayor John Peyton told the West Jacksonville Rotary Club Wednesday. Which direction the City chooses will be up to its residents he said.
Reopening the base could bring up to 12,000 high-paying jobs in targeted industries to Jacksonville’s Westside, pumping an estimated $1 billion in wages into the Duval County economy. Peyton called it “an economic opportunity that would take a generation to match.”
But the conversion has a down side too, he cautioned. Increased jet traffic would bring the roar of jet engines to unprecedented levels around Cecil Field, and Peyton said he was aware that the quality of life in some surrounding communities would be affected.
Peyton thinks the resulting job growth would provide a booster shot to Duval County’s lagging wages, which are falling further behind the national average. He thinks the economic activity is too good to pass up. But if Jacksonville is given the opportunity to claim the master jet base — the Base Relocation and Closure Committee has yet to give a final order to close the current Virginia base — the decision will ultimately be up to Jacksonville’s residents, he said.
The results of Peyton’s first informal poll were encouraging. He asked the Rotary Club for a show of hands for and against reopening Cecil. The results were unanimous in favor, although several members expressed concern about the noise and about the future of the current corporate tenants at Cecil Field — now an industrial park.
Peyton was heartened by the results. His first statement to reporters was “Did you see the vote? That should be your headline.” But he said residents who oppose the conversion will have ample time to make their opinions known to the City Council and the Florida Legislature. Those two bodies will have the final say on whether the State and City spend $150 million and $50 million, respectively, to relocate Cecil’s current tenants.
Cecil Field’s signature tenant, Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, supports giving Cecil back to the Navy and has indicated a willingness to move to Jacksonville International Airport, said Peyton. Talks with Cecil’s other tenants, which together with Embraer account for about 1,600 jobs, are ongoing.
“We’re meeting with all of the tenants and pledging our support for their continued presence in Duval County,” said Peyton. “My impression so far, is that they’re taking the big picture view of this thing. They realize what a good thing this will be for Duval County as a whole.”
Virginia Beach, which has a tenuous hold on the current master jet base, Oceana Naval Air Station, has until March to convince the BRAC commission that the base should remain. But Peyton said the city government there faces an uphill battle to keep Oceana.
By March, Virginia Beach would have to present the commission with a plan to relieve congested development around the base. That would require the City to come up with close to $1 billion to buy about 1,800 homes, multiple shopping centers and a 200-year-old church with 2,000 members. That development encroaches on likely crash zones around the base, preventing the Navy from carrying out necessary training flights. Politically and economically, Virginia Beach’s effort to keep the base, “is almost impossible,” said Peyton.
“The Department of Defense has already said that Oceana is not the long-term solution, but what they’re telling Virginia Beach is ‘We want you to spend a billion dollars to keep the base in the short term.’ That’s a tough proposition to sell,” said Peyton.
Peyton said the predicted crash zones around a Cecil Field master jet base are largely clear. He also predicted the air base would help, not hurt, surrounding property values.
The base could generate demand for construction of up to 30,000 new homes around the base, catering to relatively well paid military pilots and other specialized labor.
“Some of these pilots are making $80,000 a year... These are good jobs and the housing will reflect that,” he said.