Looking Back on 2018

“Four years will be gone in the blink of an eye.” That was a line in the inaugural address I delivered over three years ago.
 

Every day is an opportunity to make Jacksonville a better place to live, work and play for all citizens.
 
As I look back on 2018, I am encouraged by how far we’ve come and inspired by what lies ahead.
 
Below are a few highlights from this exciting year:

• We passed our fourth unanimous budget with stronger and innovative investments in public safety including a real-time crime center, neighborhood infrastructure and economic development.
• Since July 2015, we’ve paid down $376 million in debt and earned the first AAA credit rating in City history.
• With a new mission, board, and CEO, the Kids Hope Alliance began reforming the way we serve children in Jacksonville.
• We expanded our summer jobs program and created the Mayor’s Youth at Work Partnership to focus on developing career pathways, which served over 400 young people in 2018.
• To support Jacksonville families, we announced a new employee policy that offers parents six weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
• And we commemorated the 50^th anniversary of Jacksonville’s Consolidation, one of the most bold and ambitious events in our City’s history.