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Comment by JL Gawlik on June 5, 2011 at 10:31am

Here is the Article J.R.:

Jaguars, city battle over $500,000 in unpaid bills

They seek an end to the 3-year spat.

Posted: June 2, 2011 - 7:44pm

 

By Steve Patterson 

Before Jacksonville changes mayors, city representatives and the Jaguars are trying to settle more than $500,000 in stadium bills that are up to three years old.

"They haven't paid us, [and] we haven't paid them for some of their invoices," Jaguars Chief Financial Officer Bill Prescott said Thursday.

"It's come to light with the upcoming change in administrations and [managers are] trying to clear everything up."

The Jaguars and the city have disagreed since 2008 about who was responsible for several expenses, including scoreboard operations and some cleaning crews and trash removal.

For the past three seasons, for example, the Jaguars billed the city $11,210 per home game for operating the electronic scoreboards — a total of $336,300.

But the city's lawyers said no, pointing to a 2005 lease change that made anyone using the stadium responsible for the scoreboard costs.

Prescott answered that those bills included a lot of payroll items he didn't think the lease language addressed. The question to answer, he said, is: "is there an amount the city should not pay?"

While the city refused to pay scoreboard bills, the Jaguars refused bills for some cleaning services, eventually holding back $226,899 the city had demanded.

Prescott said he'll go through the bills today with someone from SMG, the company the city contracts to manage EverBank Field and other entertainment venues.

Those talks had been delayed after changes in SMG's management last year, said Misty Skipper, a spokeswoman for Mayor John Peyton. She said the talks — part of a negotiation process called a "true-up" — are a chance to sort through competing claims based on a complicated stadium lease that has been changed repeatedly.

"There are various gives and takes coming into play," Skipper said. "There is an ongoing true-up that has to occur."

Because a number of bills could offset each other, Prescott said he thought resolving all the issues might not be very costly.

"This is not a major issue," he said.

Ron Barton, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission's executive director, invited the Jaguars to talk out the disagreements last year, and raised the subject again last month, city records show.

In May, Barton wrote a memo saying that because he hadn't succeeded in getting action, the subject "now falls under the discretion of the Mayor's Office and the dispute continues to be unresolved."

It also surfaced this week in the City Council, where members are considering legislation to surrender the city's rights to a suite where the city hasn't bought tickets for years.

Giving up those rights would mean changing the stadium lease, a city lawyer wrote in a briefing this week. The lawyer added the council might want to see the disputes that are already happening settled while it thinks about any more lease changes.

steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263

 

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-06-02/story/jaguars-city-ba...

Comment by Charles D White on June 5, 2011 at 9:55am

Just Speak Up is on every day at noon on AM600 WBOB. We follow Laura Ingraham and as such our listening audience is in the low 60,000's and our loyal callers and listeners are already "fired" up about this. The call-in phone number is 904-854-1320 and after Colleen and I banter this will be our first story. I will brag about us and how we are rallying around this issue.

Comment by J.R. on June 5, 2011 at 9:31am

Chuck, please publish here your radio station number, hours for your show, and call-in telephone number for your show.

Thanks for informing us of all of this and the date and time for the meeting this week. We need to get everyone calling in to your radio program and also calling and e-mailing objections to current Council members today through Wednesday. This is highly unethical for them to rush this through with no allowance for public comment BEFORE the vote. I would not be at all surprised if the unethical lame-duck Council president Jack Webb shoves this through before he's out of office. This deal was already made on his watch. We need to recall every Council member who votes for this scam. They have absolutely no legal right to burden taxpayers with unnecessary subsidizing of private businesses, when it has nothing to do with legitimate and necessary costs of running county government.

We also need to look into the possibilities for legal recourse if this boondoggle is passed, and we need to file a complaint with the FL Real Estate Commission if there is a realtor involved in this unethical deal and method of getting it through. We could also look into filing a complaint with the Consumer Affairs Division of the FL Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs and the state agency that has oversight over local government finances. As taxpayers, we are consumers of local government, for we are required to pay for it. We need to target everyone who benefits from this deal in any way, for they have no right to make a profit off of captive taxpayers who are forced by law to pay county taxes.

Comment by Charles D White on June 5, 2011 at 8:38am

This issue is on JEDC's published agenda for this Thursday June 9 at 9AM in City Hall Suite 400- Ron Barton will present and as usual it appears their vote happens before public comment is allowed. Colleen and I will go full court press on the radio "Just Speak Up" as we have been doing already. I have spoken with one prominent councilman who is upset with this and he feels JEDC will pass it,because they always do, and it will not be voted on until the new council is installed on July 1st, but htere are no guarantees. I will use all of this dialogue and start to research the many valid questions raised here and I will attend. These people no me from my ownership of NAI Commercial Jacksonville and I personally represent deals like this, this is bad and oh so wrong!

Comment by J.R. on June 5, 2011 at 8:26am

Rod, I totally agree with you, but have not heard of any scheduled JEDC meeting or the likelihood that one would be held before the new Council members are sworn in. Chuck wrote that he thought it would be up to the newly constituted Council, but I've seen no confirmation of that.

I suspect the co-conspirators on this dirty deed fully expected to hoodwink the taxpayers and quickly sneak this one in under the radar, through the strength of their alliances formed to assure Brown's win... after their plan to install Audrey Moran failed. These dishonest, unethical, pro-tax, dirty games players have no business being in any position of authority to game Duval County taxpayers... or to defraud them by saddling them with subsidizing preferred special interest businesses that have no right to be feeding at the public trough. This devils' alliance has made a mockery of our election and any semblance of honest government by and for the people.

We do need to make our voices heard---loudly and clearly---that this will not stand or there will be hell to pay. I favor a re-call of everyone involved in this scam.

I also believe a full-page ad in the progressive Times Union, who were a major promoter of Alvin Brown, is in order to fully expose this scam and inform Duval County citizens/voters of what's going on. I will be glad to help write it. Anybody up for helping pay for it? It could also be run in the smaller local papers, published online, and sent out to TV and radio outlets. The public has a right to know what local government is doing behind their backs that will negatively affect their personal finances.

Comment by Rod Morrill on June 5, 2011 at 2:35am

This article took my breath away in just a few sentences and the disbelief that such a plan could ever be even spoken of is being done.

 

I then read all of the comments about the buildings and who the owners are but where are the plans and discussions to mobilize against this atrocity?  Who are the dozens of the readers that are already scheduled to appear at the JEDC Meeting.  Who is encouraging and coordinating the hundred, or more, taxpayers preparing to descend on the next City Council Meeting.  Where is the research and quoting of the JEDC's and the City's policies, code and rules regarding such an action.

 

I am but one simple citizen but will begin any and all efforts I can to cause a reaction, a response and more important an action by as many as possible.

 

I am ready for and am looking forward to the voice and action of "the people".

I have a modification of a familar saying.

 

You have heard: A person that stands for nothing will fall for anything.

And: United We Stand.

Now: If the Citizens do not stand united for Rights and Freedom they will fall under the oppression and loose both.

 

Enough said.  I have to get to work.

 

 

Comment by J.R. on June 4, 2011 at 10:51pm

JL, do you remember exactly what those disputed bills between the City of Jacksonville and the Jaguars owners were originally for? Did they have anything to do with the big Everbank sign down there at the stadium? The Weavers endorsed Alvin Brown and contributed to his campaign. And, Alvin Brown worked for Winn Dixie, in one of their stores, while he was in college. Small world, isn't it?

Comment by J.R. on June 4, 2011 at 6:18pm

Chuck and Colleen: I know this is off the topic of your blog, but here is a link to most of our questions that Alvin Brown would not answer and the Florida Times Union would not ask him prior to the election: http://www.fctpcommunity.org/profiles/blogs/alvin-brown-and-florida...

Actually, voters knew very little about his qualifications or fitness to serve prior to the election. And more has become known, since the election, that generates new questions. After he is sworn into office as Mayor, we will ask him those questions again. The public, ie. the citizens of Duval County, has a right to know.

Comment by J.R. on June 4, 2011 at 1:01pm

Correction to the last sentence in my comment below... it should read:

Sounds to me like a pre-election, planned conspiracy to defraud the taxpayers... and throw the election.

Comment by JL Gawlik on June 4, 2011 at 12:47pm

Interesting to note also, not to get off subject but the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville have a dispute over money owed and who should pay the bills going back several years. This just goes to show that the city council and the city of Jacksonville have NOT stayed on top of things like they should. Someone needs to be held accountable for this also.

 

Thank you Chuck, Colleen, JR and all the others for shining a light on this.

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