It’s been an eventful decade for Jacksonville.
The city experienced growth both in its population and in the form of dozens of major development projects. It moved closer to achieving the long-awaited revitalization of downtown and toward forming a city-wide identity.
The Coastal began publishing in December 2015, so we were around for just under half of the decade. But to honor the 2010s in Jax, we put together our collection of what we believe to be the biggest stories in Jacksonville from the past decade.
Check out our list below and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the decade’s most important events.
It’s never a great sign for any organization when its own board fires its CEO – and it’s an even worse sign when doing so becomes the only positive news to come from the organization this year.
The ongoing charade of JEA claiming to be in a “death spiral” for the sake of selling itself has quickly become one of the city’s most gripping storylines, and the drama has been going on for longer than you may have realized. Years of financial mismanagement left the utility $6 billion in debt to begin the decade. And its inability to grow and adapt as customers fled for more efficient solar options only worsened its financial situation.
Because of JEA’s status as a public utility, the city apportions part of its budget toward supporting its operation costs. Mayor Curry posited the idea that selling JEA would reduce the city’s financial responsibilities, and Aaron Zahn, Curry’s hand-picked choice for JEA’s CEO, initiated efforts within the company to pursue a sale.
Now, after massive public backlash, it appears that the sale may not happen after all. No matter what happens, Zahn will not play a role in it.
