by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce saw the City’s financial difficulties coming from a mile away. Shortly after the State Legislature imposed the property tax cuts on Duval County, the Chamber’s leadership met and decided to withdraw its request for $875,000.
“We are trying to be part of the solution,” said Dr. Steve Wallace, President of Florida Community College at Jacksonville and Chamber chair. “We are very concerned about the situation the City is in with the new budget. We are respectful of the challenges.”
The Chamber opted not to seek funding for three areas: Blueprint for Prosperity ($125,000), the Small Business Center ($250,000) and its Master Marketing Fund ($500,000).
In a letter to Mayor John Peyton and other City officials, Chamber President Wally Lee said, “While we strongly believe in the value that each of these initiatives brings to our community, we feel it is appropriate that we forego City funding at this time when so many critical service providers are now in desperate need of assistance.”
Wallace said neither the Blueprint for Prosperity nor the Small Business Center will be eliminated. However, the administration of Blueprint for Prosperity will fall under the purview of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. Also, the $125,000 from the City for Blueprint for Prosperity — which is matched by the Chamber — will be shifted to the Small Business Center.
“We are confident both will survive,” said Wallace. “But, we will have to be more resourceful. The Small Business Center is very significant and we intend to keep it fully operational. We will do some budget tightening and fundraising to cover the rest.”
Wallace said there won’t be any layoffs due to the decision to decline City funding.
The half-million dollars eliminated from the Chamber’s marketing budget will mean a reduction in the amount of advertising the Chamber does in national trade publications. Wallace said those ads are used to tout Jacksonville’s assets from an expansion and relocation perspective. The ads promote the area’s quality of life, natural amenities and business climate.
“We are scaling back, but not dropping our marketing completely,” said Wallace. “We will seek corporate support and keep Jacksonville on the national scene.
“The Chamber has other options. We could lobby for the funding, but we think that would be very inappropriate.”