As I write this column, July 4 is upon us, a time of celebration, especially in Jacksonville. It’s also one of those occasions when many of us look at the holiday as a time to take a deep breath about midway through the year.
We’re also in the throes of an election season in Duval County, one that concludes in November when we elect those who will serve us locally, and we also choose the next President of the United States.
In this, the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, if someone thinks that good people don’t want to seek public office any longer, you only need to check out the list of people who will be on the August 14 election ballot in Duval County.
There are nine candidates for two state senate seats; 11 people are running for six seats in the House of Representatives; two people are vying for Public Defender; 15 people are running for four school board seats; there are seven candidates for Clerk of the Circuit Court, and 13 people are running for three spots on the Soil and Water Conservation Board.
And, then, there are the judicial races. Four candidates are running for County Judge Group 12, five candidates for Circuit Court Judge Group 1, two are running for Circuit Court Group 29, and there are two candidates for Circuit Court Group 34.
By now, our two organizations have held their candidate interviews and endorsed slates of candidates. That’s an important and valuable part of the election process.
I really believe elections and campaigns are important to democracy.
• They help connect us as communities to each other.
• They put us in touch with important issues.
• They help define who we want to be and where we want to go.
• And they bring us face to face with the people we choose to lead.
An August 14 election can be easy to ignore. People are out of town still on vacation. Families are getting their children back to school.
Don’t overlook voting this summer. You can still request an Absentee Ballot from the Supervisor of Elections, or you can take advantage of early voting which begins August 4.
Confidence
Once again the economic figures for Northeast Florida are a little good news and a little bad news. It all makes for more head scratching and little reason for renewed confidence.
Let’s look at the bad news first. Construction jobs in the Jacksonville area dropped by 8 percent from May of last year until this May. Earlier in the year construction jobs seemed to be on the incline, but now that appears to have reversed.
The better news reveals that in addition to food and gas prices being lower, economic indicators for May showed the price of single family homes here has increased slightly.
According to a report from Paul Mason, an economist at the University of North Florida, the average price of a single family home about $20,000, to $192,000, from April to May. But before you start feeling too good about this slither of sunshine, keep in mind that four years ago the average cost of a home here was around $260,000.
Summit
Finally, the Urban Land Institute recently held its Florida Summit in St. Petersburg. The news generated by real estate sages included some serious challenges that we must face to ensure the kind of America we all want in the future.
These are some of the “things to think about” that were gleaned from the Summit.
• People are viewing home ownership as more of “shelter” that “investment.”
• Urban living is gaining in popularity (which can be good news for our own downtown) as young people want lifestyles that include more walking, bicycles and mass transit. Cutting down from two cars to a single auto saves $8,000-$10,000 a year, which raises the amount of available money for the purchase of a home.
• New housing is getting smaller, even as rich people still build mansions. The median size of a home has dropped from 2,400 square feet in 2007 to 2,100 now.
• The economy has driven mortgage lenders back to a standard 20 percent down payment, which means that someone purchasing a $150,000 house in Jacksonville needs to come up with $30,000.
• More and more, homes are becoming multi-generational as people are sharing their homes with their elderly parents and their adult children.
• The current crop of young adults has less money than their parents did and a lot more debt. One of the Summit sages called marriage “a merger of debt.”
• And, perhaps most disturbing, Americans today are far less educated than we need to be, trailing several other countries with the number of young adults who have the equivalent of an associate’s degree or are certified for technical and construction jobs.
Our staff works hard to create editorial copy that will be helpful, educational and inspiring. That in-turn makes readers spend more time on the pages which makes our advertisers happy. When they get results, the circle is complete.
One thing you can do to inspire and encourage us is to let us know.
Now that I can operate and navigate a facebook page, I am aware not everyone is using it to tell us when they’re going out to dinner, walking their dog or bashing an ex. Many seem to utilize it as a time saver and networking tool, for both personal and work related conversations.
Facebook has also create a much smarter society, where you have the ability to have a conversation in which one can think about what to say next. Can you imagine a presidential debate where the candidates know the questions in advance?
Bottom line, go to Realty/Builder Connection and like us. If you don’t, tell us why. We want to be better, but we need you to tell us.
— Jim Bailey is publisher of Realty/Builder Connection and president of Bailey Publishing & Communications Inc. He can be reached at