by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
It could be argued that Jake Godbold is the most influential mayor in the 41-year history of consolidated Jacksonville.
As City Council president, Godbold was named mayor in 1979 when then-Mayor Hanz Tanzler resigned to run for governor. Six months later, Godbold was elected to his first of two terms.
Over those eight-plus years, Godbold is credited with many things including the revitalization of Downtown and his near-constant push to clean up Jacksonville from an environmental perspective.
Since leaving office in 1987, Godbold has been repeatedly sought for political advice, both overtly and behind closed doors.
All of that said, nothing in Jacksonville bore Godbold’s name — until now.
Friday, the letters quietly went up on the old Haverty’s Building and until Tuesday morning, Police and Fire Pension Fund Executive Director/Administrator John Keane said no one had even asked about the new name on the renovated building. In the near future, there will be a ceremony to officially dedicate the former furniture store the “Jake M. Godbold City Hall Annex.”
Keane said the board of the Police and Fire Pension Fund — which owns and is renovating the building and will lease it to the City — voted to name the building after Godbold last fall. A couple of months later, he and members of the mayor’s office and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department asked Godbold to meet with them to talk about something. Godbold, well-aware of the rift between the City and the Pension Fund over City contributions to the fund, said he was leery of the meeting, especially after seeing who else was in the room.
“I thought, oh no, they are going to put me in the middle of the pension fund,” said Godbold, who has been called upon many times since leaving office to mediate issues. “I thought, this is not a good thing. When they told me they were dedicating the building in my name, it was a big surprise. It’s a great thrill and a great honor. They told me yesterday (Monday) the letters went up on the building.
“I am very thrilled and very appreciative. It’s heartwarming they would do this. I was close to the firemen. They were my guys.”
Keane said he and his board opted to name the building after Godbold as a way of thanking him for his work on behalf of Downtown and the environment. In fact, the idea was pushed hard after it was learned the City intended to move its Environmental Compliance Division into the building.
“When the administration selected the environmental regulatory division, we thought it was a fitting tribute,” said Keane. “There was no debate. It was a pretty quiet discussion. It was an easy decision for the board to reach.”
Keane said an official ceremony is in the works, although a specific date hasn’t been selected. He does expect to get a Certificate of Occupancy for the building this week and says the building is 98 percent done.
“We had the elevator inspected last week and the roof approved,” said Keane.
Once done, Keane said he and his staff will start looking at other Downtown buildings to possibly purchase and renovate. He said working with the City on the Haverty’s Building has gone well and the current economic climate may dictate that this is a good time to buy commercial property, regardless of its condition.
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