5 Biggest Local Stories of 2020

2020 has finally come to an end.

It was a year of unprecedented challenges in which we lost several local businesses and, much more significantly, hundreds of residents as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – which we’ll talk about more later. It was also a year of slow but steady progress on a number of issues in Jacksonville, including riverfront development and racial equality.

As we look forward to a more positive year in 2021, let’s take a quick look at some of what made 2020 noteworthy locally – the good, the bad, and the in-between. Here are the five biggest stories from Jacksonville in 2020, in no particular order.

RIVERFRONT REVIVAL WITHIN SIGHT

For several years, the city has been trying to activate the riverfront with activities and new development along the Northbank and Southbank Riverwalks. And despite an increased focus on riverfront activation in recent years, that goal has still for the most part eluded the city.

2020 didn’t necessarily change that, but it offered hope for progress in the near future.

Construction began on a new 184-unit apartment complex west of the Acosta Bridge along the Southbank. On the opposite side of the bridge, a mixed-use development is proposed to take over the existing River City Brewing Company property – and a planned overhaul of the adjacent Friendship Fountain will add water and light shows as a riverfront attraction.

Additionally, MOSH recently announced that instead of overhauling its existing campus, which is technically located on the Southbank but faces away from the river, it will seek funding to construct a new, much larger facility along the Northbank on a portion of the long-dormant Shipyards property. It’ll be joined at the property by the Jacksonville Naval Museum, whose main exhibit – the USS Orleck – will be docked nearby.

In 2021, look for the riverfront to again be a major story as the unfinished husk of Berkman Plaza’s second phase comes down – and its property becomes open for development – and as the city continues to seek a replacement for The Jacksonville Landing.

A PANDEMIC HITS HOME

At the start of the year, no one could have imagined that a then-emerging overseas virus would bring life to a grinding halt – at least temporarily – here in Jacksonville.

And yet, that’s exactly what happened, both here and throughout the country, as the U.S. became the epicenter of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns in the spring brought about the closure of bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and many other businesses, all in the interest of “flattening the curve.” It worked, but only temporarily, as early misconceptions about the way the virus spreads combined with anti-science disinformation created a perfect storm that put COVID-19 on the path to becoming endemic in the U.S. It has been spreading in waves since it arrived.

And unfortunately, many of those businesses that closed during the lockdown are gone for good.

Mayor Lenny Curry took a relatively strong stance in fighting the pandemic compared to Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump’s respective administrations. Curry instituted a local mask mandate and worked with city council to provide financial support to local businesses that were negatively affected by the lockdowns.

As of today, there have been over 60,000 cases of COVID-19 in Duval County. Just over 1,500 residents have been hospitalized, and 725 have died from the illness.

Between the pandemic itself and the struggles it has caused for local businesses, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the city that hasn’t in some way felt the impact of COVID-19.

With the arrival of several vaccine options, 2021 looks to be a more hopeful year. But COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and its personal, emotional, and economic ramifications may be felt for years to come.

THE RNC DEBACLE

So, remember how we mentioned that COVID-19 was spreading all year long?

That fact wasn’t enough to deter Mayor Curry from throwing Jacksonville’s name into the hat when disagreements between the Republican National Committee and the city of Charlotte over COVID-19 protocols led the former to pursue a new venue for its national convention. Curry would get his wish when, in mid-June, Jax was named as the new host city for the 2020 Republican National Convention.

The announcement was not particularly well-received locally for two key reasons. The first, of course, was the ongoing pandemic that prompted the change in host cities. The RNC was seeking a more permissive venue, and Jax – or at least the mayor’s office – seemed poised to provide exactly that.

The second problem with the convention was its unfortunate timing. President Trump’s nomination acceptance speech was set to take place on the same say as the 60^th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday. Given Trump’s history of racially charged rhetoric, many saw this as problematic. (It’s worth noting that the speech had been scheduled prior to the event’s move to Jax.)

Weeks of ensuing chaos – over what the regulations for the event would be, how many would attend, whether there would be protestors, and so on – ultimately proved to be pointless, as the event was canceled in late July when it became abundantly clear that moving forward with it would be irresponsible. The convention was held virtually, with Trump’s speech taking place at the White House.

LOT J ESCALATES

A lot of talk has emerged over the latter half of 2020 about Lot J – specifically, about the city’s contributions to it.

The deal, which would involve Jaguars owner Shad Khan and developer The Cordish Companies building a mixed-use entertainment center at the site TIAA Bank’s Lot J parking lot, has become controversial for several reasons, including but certainly not limited to its potential ramifications for the future of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

The development team is asking for well over $200 million in total – and expects a quick decision. But perhaps the biggest sticking point currently is the $65.5 million “breadbox” loan attached to the deal.

The loan more or less gives Khan and Cordish a net total of over $50 million to use, and pay back, at their discretion without paying interest. The city, meanwhile, would need a loan of its own to make it work – one which would almost certainly not be interest-free.

City council is expected to vote on the deal in January.

CITY MOVES ON FROM CIVIL WAR ERA

Over the summer, protests and debates over racial inequality in the U.S. broke out following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

The movement even spread to Jacksonville, where progress often comes at a slower pace than in most major cities and where the police have a notably complicated history with the Black community.

In June, the Confederate monument that once sat in the center of Hemming Park was permanently removed. Mayor Curry then announced that all other Confederate monuments on city-owned property would be removed as well. And in August, city council voted overwhelmingly in favor of renaming Hemming Park itself to honor James Weldon Johnson, the Jax-born civil rights leader who penned the famous hymn “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” It also voted unanimously to rename Confederate Park as Springfield Park.

The city still has plenty of work to do in addressing inequalities, but it was a welcomed sight to see a few steps in the right direction this year.