The City of Jacksonville celebrates 90 years of a classic rivalry. The University of Georgia Bulldogs will take home field against the University of Florida Gators on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 3:30 p.m. at EverBank Field.

“It’s my honor to welcome back the thousands of fans who have made this classic college football matchup a tradition that puts a spotlight on Jacksonville,” said Mayor Alvin Brown. “This is one of the most exciting times of the year in our city, and I’d like to thank everyone from the athletes to the staff and volunteers for the important roles they play in creating an unbeatable experience right in the heart of our city.”

Series of events will honor veterans, educate the public, and celebrate the lives of veterans

Highlighting Jacksonville’s commitment to the military and veterans, Mayor Alvin Brown and an array of community leaders announced a major weeklong series of events to honor and celebrate the contributions of current and former armed forces members and military families.

The Week of Valor in November serves as a way to come together as a community and honor those who serve, reflect on their sacrifices and celebrate their lives.

The Week of Valor kicks off Monday, Nov. 5, with a military appreciation luncheon sponsored by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. The national spotlight on the city’s deep ties to the military and veteran communities will include two major sporting events.

Financial Design Associates started as a Mass Mutual branch in 1999 with five staff members and has since grown to 50, covering a service area that straddles Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. With the move to Downtown, the firm has announced plans to hire 25 new employees in the next two years and double the size of business within the next five.

“I’m excited to partner with business and community leaders to usher in this new era for our Downtown,” said Mayor Brown. “Everyone brings to the table a unique perspective on what it will take to create a sustainable environment to lure major companies, small businesses and world-class entertainment. This is a tremendous opportunity to polish the Jacksonville brand and make our city more competitive at a time cities all over the nation are fighting to recover.”

Three-week project focuses on Downtown revitalization

A consulting team commissioned by the worldwide technology services company IBM at no cost to taxpayers has concluded a three-week research project Downtown and is now finalizing an action plan to help Mayor Alvin Brown’s efforts to revitalize the urban center.

The work comes as part of the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge, a worldwide initiative to distribute a total of $50 million worth of services and technical assistance to 100 cities through 2013. The project carries an approximate value of $400,000.

Jaguars to Debut at London's Wembley Stadium in 2013

With interest in the NFL in the United Kingdom at an all-time high, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a multi-year commitment to International Series games in London.

The Jaguars will play one regular-season home game in the United Kingdom in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, all at London’s historic Wembley Stadium. The date of the 2013 game as well as the opposing team will be announced in the months ahead.

Legislation creating the DIA (2012-364) received unanimous Council approval on Wednesday night. The Mayor and City Council will select a nine-member board of directors to oversee the DIA on an unpaid, volunteer basis. 

Three-week project focuses on revitalization at no cost to taxpayers

A team of IBM experts, funded by a grant from the major technology services company IBM, has started a three-week project to determine realistic solutions to revitalize Downtown Jacksonville.

The project is part of the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant program, a worldwide initiative to provide a total of $50 million worth of services and technical assistance to the most progressive 100 cities around the world through 2013. The project carries an approximate value of $400,000 and requires no tax dollars.

Jacksonville was selected earlier this year among eight cities nationally and 33 globally after Mayor Alvin Brown and a number of stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors met with IBM representatives at City Hall to make the case for Downtown.

Plan streamlines process to make Jacksonville more competitive

Mayor Alvin Brown’s plan to streamline city job-creating functions by transforming the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission into an executive-run Office of Economic Development is now official.

Mayor Brown signed his economic development legislation (2012-212) today at 9:30 a.m. while commending City Council for the unanimous vote on June 26, 2012, backing the mayor’s vision for Jacksonville’s future.

“This is more than policy and it’s more than structure,” said the mayor. “It’s the unanimous opinion of our elected City Council to do what’s right for the taxpayers. It’s the conversation-starter with business leaders wondering where to expand or relocate. And it’s a solution for the nearly 38,000 people in our city who remain out of work and deserve a chance to rebuild themselves.”

Legislation streamlines operations to make Jacksonville a more competitive city for jobs

Jacksonville City Council has approved Mayor Alvin Brown’s plan to make Jacksonville a more economically viable city by streamlining job-creation efforts while increasing the focus on sports, entertainment and special events.

 Mayor Alvin Brown has announced two major steps forward in his administration’s goal to deliver quality, cost-effective services to Jacksonville’s military and veterans community.

• The U.S. Department of Labor is giving the City of Jacksonville a $218,260 grant to help homeless veterans get job training.

• The Florida Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) has bestowed the Pro Patria award on Mayor Alvin Brown’s Jobs for Veterans program, a public-private partnership with the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition and more than 80 employers. This represents the highest honor the ESGR, a Department of Defense agency, bestows to recognize best practices. Normally the award goes to a business, but for the first time the award went to a municipality to recognize Jobs for Veterans.

Heather Burky from the Art Institute of Jacksonville, and local mom of three, was one of ten U.S. students honored for excellence at the 39th Student Acadmey Awards on Saturday, June 9. Burky's documentary, Lost Country, followed three Cuban expatriates who fought Fidel Castro.

Burky's award is the first time a student from the Art Institute of Jacksonville has been honored in the annual competition organized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which administers the annual Academy Awards. The goal of the student awards is to support excellence in filmmaking for the up-and-coming generation.

Read the full article from USA Today.

Learn more about Jacksonville's thriving film community

Navy Secretary announces ship buildup will begin quicker than originally planned

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the first amphibious ready group (ARG) ship scheduled to shift homeport to Naval Station Mayport will arrive in the last quarter of calendar year 2013.

The USS New York, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS Fort McHenry, will shift from their current homeport of Norfolk, Va. to Mayport. The New York will be the first to change homeport, followed by the Iwo Jima and Fort McHenry in 2014.

Mabus originally announced Feb. 28 that the ARG would arrive no later than 2015.

“This is another proud moment in our city’s longstanding relationship with the U.S. Navy. I look forward to welcoming many new Navy families and I applaud Secretary Mabus for his confidence in Jacksonville,” said Mayor Alvin Brown. “The military installations in Jacksonville already supply an annual economic impact exceeding $14 billion for the region. Expanding the fleet will support even greater activity for local businesses and the Jacksonville housing market.”