Abel Harding: EverBank deal a winner for Jacksonville's downtown
Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:10:40 +0000
In print: June 26, 2011
The Jacksonville City Council is gearing up for a familiar fight this week — a battle over the use of incentives to lure corporate jobs downtown.
Some oppose the proposed legislation, which would give fledgling financial power EverBank $2.75 million in return for locating 1,000 jobs downtown.
The argument against the proposal, simply summarized, is that government is choosing winners and losers by pitting one neighborhood against another. Tea party activists argue that the role is not a traditional one for government.
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These builders? Not yellow, and not bluffing
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:00:29 +0000
Newly shingled roofs atop freshly wrapped walls awaiting stucco are a sight a’ plenty on Yellow Bluff Road, just north of burgeoning River City Marketplace.
The visual — a fairly common one in the go-go housing boom of the 1990s and early 2000s — is a rare one in Northeast Florida now. Indeed, in all of Florida.
But Yellow Bluff Landing bucks the trend. The Northside development recently celebrated its 100th sale over the past 12 months, a rare statistic after housing values began to slide at the end of the past decade.
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Abel Harding: Industry’s chance for action is now
Sun, 05 Jun 2011 02:45:09 +0000
During the lumbering recovery, consumers and businesses alike often complain that access to capital — lending — is severely restricted.
It’s a charge disputed by traditional banks, who argue they are eager to lend to credit-worthy customers. But there’s a lesser-known segment of the financial sector that says gaps exist and it believes it can fill them.
They’re called industrial banks, institutions wholly owned by corporations. Target owns one, as do Toyota and CMS Energy, Michigan’s largest electric and natural gas utility.
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On Politics: Branding can be tough as a front-runner
Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:23:24 +0000
In print: June 3, 2011
Being viewed as a front-runner in a Republican primary can be a mixed bag.
On the plus side, there's access to party donors. Mike Haridopolos has capitalized on that, banking $2.6 million in the year's first quarter, more than any other Republican running for the U.S. Senate during that period. But then there's the downside - keeping activists happy while scouting those donor dollars.
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Last updated at: 5/22/2012 7:57:43 PM ET