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City economic-development official highlights major investments, small-business centers and Arlington corridor work
Summary
Ed Rand of Jacksonville’s Office of Economic Development described nearly $2 billion of investment at Cecil Commerce Center, plans for a $400 million aviation project, new small-business centers and local updates including Regency Square redevelopment and Arlington Expressway landscaping.
Ed Rand, head of the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development, told a District 1 town hall that the department is focused on attracting jobs and expanding the tax base, with recent wins concentrated at the Cecil Commerce Center and in targeted industrial and manufacturing projects.
Rand said the Cecil Commerce Center comprises about 6,000 acres of developable land and that private investment in the area has exceeded $2 billion, with major tenants including Amazon, FedEx, Jenco Solar, SAFT (batteries), Lockheed Martin and Boeing. He highlighted an incoming aviation project, Auto Aviation, which he described as a roughly $400 million investment to build an aircraft that, he said, will be about 40% more fuel efficient than existing models and will use interior video screens instead of windows.
Why it matters: Large industrial and manufacturing investments can create stable, higher‑paying jobs, broaden the city’s industrial base and increase tax revenues —…
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