The presidential office suites at two of Jacksonville’s higher learning institutions will have new occupants in 2026.
Jacksonville University President Tim Cost announced in October that he will become JU’s chancellor next summer to focus on fundraising, government relations and partnerships.
Also in October, the University of South Florida board of trustees unanimously selected University of North Florida President Moez Limayem to be USF’s ninth president.
His appointment was approved Dec. 12 by the State University System of Florida board of governors.
Limayem’s three-year tenure at UNF will be remembered for achievements and milestones. In 2025, UNF welcomed the largest incoming class of students in its history, leading to its highest overall enrollment since being founded in 1972.
A 1981 magna cum laude graduate of JU, and the first alumnus to serve as president, Cost began his tenure as the private university’s 12th president in February 2013.
Since then, the university has experienced continued momentum, achieving its highest U.S. News & World Report rankings and its first-ever inclusion in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Forbes Top 500 U.S. Universities.
Cost directed the two largest fundraising campaigns in school history and led the “Renew Arlington” effort of community investment and economic development.
During Cost’s tenure, JU expanded from three colleges, five schools and two institutes to five colleges, nine schools and three institutes, and established partnerships with companies, health care providers and community organizations.
The university’s trustees began the search process for Cost’s successor when his transition to chancellor was announced.
When Winn-Dixie parent company Southeastern Grocers Inc. was acquired by German grocer Aldi in March 2024, it seemed inevitable that Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker would be leaving the company.
Instead, a group led by Hucker made a surprise announcement in February 2025 that they were acquiring about 170 Winn-Dixie Stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and operating the Jacksonville-based business as an independent company.
Hucker remains CEO of the company, which will be renamed The Winn-Dixie Co. in 2026.
Hucker, a native of Wales, joined Southeastern Grocers in March 2016 as chief operating officer.
He became interim chief executive when CEO Ian McLeod left the company in June 2017 and Hucker was named permanent CEO in August 2017.
The company announced in October it was shedding most of its stores outside of Florida to focus operations in the state and in neighboring southern Georgia.
Winn-Dixie expects to operate about 130 supermarkets after completing the sale of its other stores.
Hucker told the Daily Record in March that customers can expect to see changes in their local Winn-Dixie stores.
“We are embarking on a transformational journey, and I have challenged our entire business to revolutionize the customer experience,” he said.
“This change means a reinvigorated shopping experience with expanded offerings, modern store formats and exciting announcements to come.”
As Nat Ford’s Jacksonville Transportation Authority sent its first wave of Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation service vans onto Bay Street, Ford stepped back into Jacksonville’s spotlight to defend the program.
Ford, JTA’s CEO, came under questioning by the Jacksonville City Council Special Committee on Duval DOGE, which seeks to identify areas of potential city savings. Ford defended JTA’s Ultimate Urban Circulator program while critics questioned whether Ford was trying to artificially inflate ridership numbers.
A report by Action News Jax found that JTA had instructed employees to ride NAVI shuttles up and down their Bay Street route, which inflated the U2C’s initial ridership numbers. Council member Rory Diamond, an outspoken critic of the U2C, called the issue a “boondoggle.”
Ford, however, defended his organization, saying that employees riding the NAVI vans were serving as “ambassadors,” part of standard procedure for debuting a new product. Ford, along with other city leaders, began a weekslong crusade to defend the program.
Ford placed Jacksonville on the international stage. JTA welcomed a delegation from Japan, which was interested in the U2C program, in October.
He also worked with Holon, which is contracted to provide vehicles for the U2C program.
Holon is a subsidiary of Austria-based company Benteler.
Tasaru Mobility Investments, part of the Saudi Arabian public investment arm, also has a 38% stake in Benteler.
Holon is set to invest $100 million into a Northwest Jacksonville manufacturing facility. It was approved for $7.7 million in city incentives.