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 — particularly in the West Side and other economically distressed areas the city identified for targeted incentives.

Rand said the city is emphasizing small businesses as part of its economic strategy. He described three newly opened small-business centers — at the Jacksonville Main Library, the Gulf‑to‑JAX center near I‑95 and the Phoenix Arts District — and said a fourth center at Cecil Field will open soon. Rand promoted the city’s JSEB program (small and emerging business participation), noting the city spends a large share of procurement dollars locally and aims to increase local small-business participation.

On incentives and return on investment, Rand told the meeting the city has attracted roughly $1 billion in logistics and distribution capital and about $600 million in manufacturing investments in recent years; he said the most recent fiscal-year figures show an estimated return ratio of approximately 26.88 to 1 on incentives the city provides.

Rand also described the city’s film and television office, recent recruitment trips to London intended to encourage fintech and back-office employers, and long-term relationships that brought firms such as Paysafe and Deutsche Bank’s back‑office operations to Jacksonville.

Local district updates during the meeting included several community developments: the council member said the Regency Square retail complex has a new owner that plans demolition between the church and the former JCPenney building and intends a mixed-use conversion; Raising Cane’s has contracted for a parcel on site. The council member also announced two grocery openings in District 1 — Lotte, a Korean‑American supermarket that invested about $17 million in a former Best Buy site, and an Aldi store that replaced a closed Winn‑Dixie — and said Parker Kitchen (a gas‑station food operator) plans a location near Atlantic Boulevard.

Transportation and corridor work were discussed: the council member said the Florida Department of Transportation has committed funds for landscaping and improvements along the Arlington Expressway and that the city is pursuing a lit, monument sign reading "Arlington" at the Matthews Bridge approach. She said the city is working on speed-reduction measures and traffic enforcement in Clifton and expects the new roundabout referenced in previous meetings to open in the fall, with signal work to follow.

Other topics raised in Q&A included Osearch — a shark‑tagging research group establishing a presence in Mayport and working with Jacksonville University — potential municipal dock improvements to support commercial shrimpers, and a city RFP to study jail-site options. The council member said the jail study is underway and will be a multi-year effort.

No formal votes or new legislation were taken during the presentation; Rand and the council member fielded questions and offered to follow up with specific staff contacts for individuals with property and project questions.