Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017
VOL. 104, NO. 230 • TWO SECTIONS
35¢
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Unemployment roller coaster The area’s jobless rate has dipped to 3 percent and peaked at 11 percent since 1990. That’s likely why the area unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent in May and has fallen since. Look at our Data Page by Scott Sailer today on Page 16 and you’ll see that since 1990, Jacksonville’s metro area unemployment rate has hovered largely in the 5 to 7 percent range, typically a comfortable environment. But those recessions will get you. There have been a few since 1990, but none as painful as the Great Recession that started a decade ago.
You see them all around — jobs. Amazon.com, Ikea, St. Johns Town Center area stores and restaurants, Deutsche Bank, corner gas stations and grocery stores. It seems that all need help, in total by the thousands.
The five-county unemployment rate shot up to 11 percent in the heart of the recession’s local impact in January-March 2010. The rate crested in Northeast Florida at 10 percent or above for almost two years from June 2009 through March 2011. That’s a lot higher than its previous peaks during other recessionary periods. But its floor had been much lower not long before, sinking to 3 percent
from November 1998 to January 1999. The numbers come from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nobody knows the ranges like former Mayor John Peyton. His term included the highest of the unemployment rates during the Great Recession as well as two years of rates below 4 percent. MATHIS
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How the mayors fared
Unemployment legend
Six Jacksonville mayors served during the 27 years tracked by a Florida Department of Economic Opportunity local area unemployment statistics program. The data tracked cover Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties, although the city of Jacksonville and Duval County are the dominant employment centers. Here are the unemployment rates since 1990 during mayoral terms upon election, departure and the high and low rates during the terms.
12%
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Took office Left office High in office
John Peyton
Low in office
11% Alvin Brown 9.9%
9.8%
10% Tommy Hazouri Hazouri took office in July 1987 before 8% the statistical tracking program.
Ed Austin 7.3% 6.5%
6.3% 6.3%
9.8%
6%
5.4%
5.2%
3.7%
4%
Lenny Curry
John Delaney
3.7%
5.7%
5.4%
5.3%
5.4%
5.2%
3.8%
3.7% 3.1% 3%
2%
June 1991
June 1991
MayJuly 1990
July 1991
June 1995
Feb. 1992
June 1995
July 1995
June Dec. 2003 2001
Nov.Jan. 1998-99
July 2003
June 2011
Jan.Mar. 2010
Feb.Apr. 2006
July 2011
June 2015
July 2011
June 2015
July Aug. 2015 2017
Source: U.S. Department of Labor and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
Council member wants to waive city fees for Irma repairs Homeowners could save thousands of dollars, but details on plan have yet to be finalized. By David Cawton Staff Writer Homeowners could soon get a break on fees the city charges for building permit applications as they repair roofs and structures
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damaged during Hurricane Irma. City Council member Garrett Dennis introduced Ordinance 2017-695, which allows the city Building Inspection Division to waive fees connected to permit applications to repair roofs
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and structures damaged by the September storm. The Building Inspection Division is Dennis under the city Planning and Development Department. “It incentivizes homeowners
and business owners to repair their property,” Dennis said. Dennis, a roofing contractor who also chairs the council Finance Committee, said the idea came in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in 2016 when his company, Shifting Gears LLC, was doing work in Palm Coast. Dennis said he was surprised when the permit fees were
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waived. “Based on the dollar amount of that repair, those fees could be thousands of dollars,” Dennis said. “I thought if they can do it, why we can’t do it here in the city of Jacksonville,” he said. The waiver would be available FEES
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