ONE OF PEOPLE BOUGHT HOSTING US THIS MORNING HAVE BEEN HERE. YOU SHOULD COME BECAUSE
IT’S A WONDERFUL PLACE. YOU
KNOW, THEY’RE GOING TO BE
MOVING A LITTLE BIT OVER TO
THE SHIPYARDS PROPERTY WHEN
IT’S DEVELOPED. WE’RE HERE
CELEBRATING JACKSONVILLE’S
BICENTENNIAL AND SOMETHING YOU
MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT OUR
CITY. IT WAS ALMOST HOME TOO.
WALT DISNEY WORLD. AND NOW
HE’S LIVE AT ONE OF THE
HISTORIC EXHIBITS. AND
MELANIE, THE PEOPLE SEEKING
LAND FOR EAST COAST THEME PARK
IN FLORIDA WERE TOLD BY AND
BALL. I DON’T DEAL WITH
CARNIVAL FALL AND ORLANDO GOT
A CARNIVAL NAMED DISNEY.
>> AS THAT CARNIVAL GROWN, OUR
CITY WOULD LOOK A LOT
DIFFERENT WITH DISNEY ROLLED,
RIGHT. BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME
INFORMATION ON NEWS. 4 JAX DOT
COM. KIND OF LIKE 10 MISSED
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
JACKSONVILLE. AND THAT WAS
NUMBER ONE, WHETHER YOU LIKE
DISNEY OR NOT, IT DEFINITELY
WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE WAY OUR
CITY IS. BUT WE’RE HERE AT
MOSH, AS YOU MENTIONED. AND,
YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT DOES
STILL HAPPEN IS A LOT OF SNOW.
BIRDS THAT COME TO
JACKSONVILLE COME TO FLORIDA
BECAUSE THE CLIMATE BECAUSE
THE TEMPERATURE IS A LITTLE
BIT MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE
WINTER. BUT WE KNOW WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE SUMMER. IT IS
SMOKIN HOT AND THAT’S WHERE WE
ARE RIGHT NOW. SO THIS IS THE
FLORIDA SUBTROPICAL
EXPOSITION, WHICH WAS A BIG
PART WHEN IT CAME TO TOURISM
AND MARKETING JACKSONVILLE ALL
THOSE YEARS AGO. I WANT TO
BRING IN ALLAN BLISS, WHO’S
WITH THE JACKSONVILLE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY. YOU OF
WORK SO HARD TO SHOW PEOPLE
WHAT JACKSONVILLE IS ALL
ABOUT. FOR TOMORROW TELL ME. I
MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK
AT HISTORY, ONE OF OUR
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS HAS BEEN
REALLY DIGGING INTO THE
HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, JUST
SO MANY DIFFERENT NUGGETS THAT
PEOPLE JUST DON’T KNOW.
>> I ARGUE THAT JACKSONVILLE
HAS MORE AND MORE INTERESTING
HISTORY IN ITS LITTLE FINGER
THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN
FLORIDA. THIS IS A FABULOUSLY
COMPLICATED CITY WITH
COUNTLESS STORIES. OUR TAG
LINE AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
IS ONE CITY, MANY STORIES AND
WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF
SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE
THIS CITY THEIR HOME, THEIR
PLACE OF WORK, THEIR BUSINESS
BUILT CAREERS BUILT INDUSTRIES
HERE. AND IT’S A LEGACY THAT
WE ARE ALL THE STEWARDS AND
CUSTODIANS OF IN THE PRESENT
MOMENT. LOVE. I LOVE THE WAY
THAT YOU JUST WORDED THAT IF
YOU COULD SHARE. I MEAN, I
KNOW THERE’S MILLION THOUSANDS
OF THINGS THAT YOU COULD
SHARE. BUT WHAT WHAT IS ONE
PIECE OF HISTORY THAT YOU
THINK PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY
INVEST IN? LEARN?
>> THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO
CHOOSE FROM, JACKSONVILLE
EXISTS WHERE IT DOES BECAUSE
IT’S A SEA PORT CITY. IT’S A
RIVER PORT AND A SEAPORT AND
THAT HELPS ACCOUNT FOR ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT HAS MADE IT SO
DISTINCTIVE OVER TIME. PEOPLE
HAVE ARRIVED IN JACKSONVILLE
AND FOUND IT AT JUST ABOUT THE
IDEAL LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
CLIMATOLOGICALLY.
>> IT IS A COMFORTABLE PLACE
TO BE IN FLORIDA AND IN THE
AMERICAN SOUTH. IT’S ONE OF
THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
COME HERE FROM OTHER PARTS OF
THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE,
SOUTH AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN,
IT HAS STIMULATED A REMARKABLY
DIVERSE COMMUNITY OVER THE 2
CENTURIES THAT HAS EXISTED AS
A PLACE CALLED JACKSONVILLE
AND IT CONTINUES TO WORK. YOU
KNOW, IT’S INTERESTING AS I
GREW UP IN ORLANDO AND I HAVE
TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE’RE
LANDLOCKED. SO IT IS MUCH MORE
COMFORTABLE HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE BECAUSE WE HAVE
THE YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
THIS. IF YOU WALK INTO WITH
ME, THIS IS.
>> JAX WILL SORT SOCIETY. FEEL
LIKE THIS STEAMBOAT. HERE IS A
KEY POINT OF HISTORY AS WELL.
>> WHAT WE SEE HERE IS A
RIVERBOAT. I BELIEVE THAT IS
THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE SIDE
PADDLE WHEEL STEAMBOAT THAT
USED TO TRAVEL UP AND DOWN THE
SAINT JOHNS RIVER
COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE PORT
CITIES UP AND DOWN THE RIVER.
AND IN THE BACKGROUND, WE SEE
A CARGO SCANNER THAT WAS A
VESSEL THAT WAS USED TO CARRY
MAINLY FREIGHT, SPECIFICALLY
TIMBER IN AND OUT OF
JACKSONVILLE. AND IT HELPED
ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE TRADE
BETWEEN JACKSONVILLE, THE
CARIBBEAN AND THE EAST COAST
OF THE UNITED STATES. IT ALL
SPEAKS TO THIS AS A PLACE OF
IMMIGRATION. MIGRATION BETWEEN
PLACES AND IT HELPS STRENGTHEN
THE FACT THAT JACKSONVILLE HAS
ALWAYS BEEN DEEPLY CONNECTED
TO THE REST OF THE REST OF
REST OF THE COUNTRY AND
INTERNATIONAL. THE WATER MADE
US JUST WHAT DO YOU LOOK WHAT
YOU SEE IN THE NEXT 200 YEARS,
EVEN THE NEXT 10 YEARS FOR THE
CITY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, ON THE
HISTORIAN AND SO WE’RE
CAUTIOUS ABOUT TRYING TO PEER
AROUND THE CORNER INTO THE
FUTURE. BUT I SEE US AS A CITY
CONTINUING TO CAPITALIZE ON
THE INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
THAT THIS PLACE HAS. I SEE US
CONTINUING 2 AND BRACE WORK
THROUGH SOME OF THE COMPLEX
COMPLEXITIES OF OUR DIVERSITY.
I SEE US AS A PLACE THAT I
HOPE IS MINDFUL OF OUR
HISTORY, MINDFUL OF OUR PAST.
AND THAT REMINDS US WHEN WE
THINK ABOUT THAT THAT WE HAVE
AS A CITIZENSHIP DUTY IN THE
PRESENT AND WE NEED TO BE
MINDFUL OF THE GENERATIONS
THAT WILL BE COMING AFTER US
IN THE CITY. THAT’S VALUE OF
HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
COUNT. THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU
DON’T LIKE TO LOOK AT FUTURE,
BUT THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL WAY
TO DO IT. SO THANK YOU SO
MUCH. YOU KNOW.
>> I’VE LIVED HERE A LOT
LONGER THAN I THOUGHT I EVER
WOULD. AND I DO BELIEVE
BURR’S, YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS
SO MUCH POTENTIAL AND WE’LL
SEE SOME OF THAT COMING UP ON
SATURDAY AT THE BICENTENNIAL.
IT IS GOING TO BE A HUGE
CELEBRATION AND A TIME TO
REALLY INVEST IN THIS CITY AND
THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
>> AND YOU KNOW YOU JUST
SHOWED US GETTING AN IDEA. I
THINK THAT YOU RICH JEN AND I
SHOULD INVEST IN A PADDLE BOAT
AND YOU CAPITALIZE ON SOME
FUTURE TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES.