The Federal Highway Administration has awarded the St. Johns River Ferry a $900,000 grant from the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP).  The grant will be distributed to the ferry in two $450,000 annual payments beginning this fiscal year.

The Jacksonville City Council is seeking nominations for the 2014 “Robert O. Johnson Good Government Award”.  The award was established by the Jacksonville City Council in 2003 in honor of former City Council Auditor Robert O. Johnson.  Each year, the award is bestowed upon an employee who has demonstrated a sustained and significant contribution to the increased efficiency and effectiveness of the City of Jacksonville or its Independent Agencies.

The City of Jacksonville and City Council hosted a Tire and Sign Buy-Back event at the EverBank Field parking lot on April 5 as part of efforts to curb neighborhood and urban blight. More than 23,000 tires and 6,000 illegal signs were collected, resulting in a payout of $41,255. At the first-time event, approximately 3,000 Duval County residents turned out to trade in up to 10 tires for $2 per tire, and up to 40 illegal snipe signs for 50 cents per sign.

The event was a collaboration between the City of Jacksonville and the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Jacksonville’s Neighborhood Blight, which is chaired by Council Member E. Denise Lee, and includes Council Member John Crescimbeni, Council Member Bill Bishop, Council Member Jim Love and Council Member Dr. Johnny Gaffney. The Neighborhood Blight Committee was formed by City Council President Bill Gulliford to examine the status of blight in neighborhoods throughout the city.

One Spark Runs From April 9-13

Mayor Alvin Brown joined One Spark Executive Director Joe Sampson, City Council President Bill Gulliford, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Leonard Propper and Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s CEO Nat Ford to outline road closures and parking options for this year’s five-day One Spark event.

During the event’s duration, from Wednesday, April 9 through Sunday, April 13, free parking will be available in Lot E at EverBank Field. Free shuttles will take visitors to and from One Spark. There is also a free parking option at the Prime Osborn Houston Lot. JTA is offering free Skyway rides to and from that location.

Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Fortune 500 health care company Centene Corporation, is considering expanding its presence in Jacksonville.

Sunshine Health, located on Jacksonville’s Southside, currently employs 107 people in Jacksonville and is working with city leaders on growing its local offices. A proposal to be filed with the Jacksonville City Council would add 125 new employees and invest $900,000 into the local economy. The expansion is contingent on City Council approval.

Adecco, S.A., the world’s largest staffing company and provider of human resources solutions, announced today that it plans to relocate its North American headquarters for Adecco Group North America from Melville, N.Y., to Jacksonville.

Mayor Launches New Transparency Effort to Provide Even More Access for Citizens

Earlier in this Sunshine Week, the First Amendment Foundation rated the City of Jacksonville’s website as the most transparent city website in Florida. Building on that success, Mayor Alvin Brown today announced the launch of a new transparency web page to make it easier for people to connect with their government.

“Open government is good government,” said Mayor Brown. “It’s essential that our city government is transparent and citizens have convenient access to information. We appreciate the positive recognition from the First Amendment Foundation. Our new transparency web page is the next step forward in our continuing efforts at openness and accountability.”

Greencore USA, Inc., a publicly traded global food service company that already employs 259 people on Jacksonville’s Northside, announced that it plans a $10 million investment and expansion that would create up to 283 new jobs, pending approval of City legislation.

New Website Offers the Public a Tool to Learn about City’s Progress on Key Priorities

Mayor Alvin Brown today announced the launch of a new City of Jacksonville web page with “performance scorecards” aimed at enhancing efficiency and accountability in city operations. JaxScore 1.0, developed by the city’s Information Technology Division, offers the public a new tool to find out how well various city departments, divisions and offices are performing on key priorities.

“JaxScore is about making our city government more efficient, effective and responsive to community needs,” said Mayor Brown. “It’s about being focused on clear goals and measurable results. It’s also about being transparent and accountable, so citizens can see how their city is performing. Some people call it data-driven government. I just call it smart government.”