>> The breaking news alert. ♪
We continue to follow breaking news we’ve been following all day remembering this man who
helped make Jacksonville the
city it is the day former mayor
former City Council member
Jake godbold that’s the way it
is home in oceanway this
morning at the age of 86, then
when you leave this world you
want to make it better when I
leave Jacksonville I want to
the
♪
the ♪ say hey he made a better place
she added a lot. The quality of
life.
An excerpt from the
documentary recorded back in
2014 by leadership,
Jacksonville.
>> Where the former mayor
shared his remarkable life
story he served as mayor from
1978 to 1987 and was known for
his street savvy and tell it
like it is style.
And
private partnerships restored
crumbling landmark buildings
and worked tirelessly to build
up Jacksonville self esteem in
his own unique way.
>> Of all the tributes he ever
received the fire boat named in
his honor may have been Jake
godbold favor is a very frail
to.
>> To see this boat and see how
the people in it you know what
a better a lot of the river.
I love the Fire Department all
of Jacksonville. So
it’s a great partnership
partnership was his motto.
>> Working with others when he
was mayor to help an outdated
underpaid Fire Department
become modern professional and
state of
the art.
>> To be associated with a
group like these men and women
here this
Fire Department there’s just an
honor and I’m I’m very proud of
his first partnerships in
public life or on City Council
where he served for 12 years.
>> In 1978 as Council
president, he stepped in to
become mayor when handstands
were left office early
a year later godbold was
elected to the first of his 2
terms. Roger the start
he made clear the heart of the
city was a priority we had a
tremendous downtown development
pier. We had the.
>> The famous
said the I think they referred
to as is the billion-dollar
decade. We did it. A tremendous
amount of new.
>> Construction the
Jacksonville landing was part
of that billion dollar decade
is godbold forged a partnership
between local government and
the business community
that same partnership say the
old union train terminal and
converted it into a convention
center. The thrill for godbold
was not the building so much as
the people who would come and
make use of it and enjoy it
that was the same philosophy
behind his River walk improving
the quality of life for the
people who live here.
He also had that in mind when
he dared to dream the biggest
boldest dream the city had ever
seen. Worship is selected
Jacksonville ice.
>> 1314 years
of the motion just all came out
at one time just
a bit it is or know where they
were but here they are now the
Jacksonville got that
French asked and I had no idea
had the camera on I
I couldn’t help but I
just tears came to my last
start crying and I got all
choked. Thank God. No one was
talking to me at
that time the good ideas.
I was all the crowd that turned
out that November night in 1993
to rejoice at the birth of the
Jaguars.
>> Shared in the realization of
the dream godbold first had
14 years earlier, it was on
another night one another crowd
turned out to see the owner of
the then Baltimore Colts emerge
from the channel 4 helicopter
godbold lit the spark of cold
fever, which led ultimately to
mayors later the Jacksonville
getting an NFL expansion team,
a dream come true for the mayor
who dared to dream and dreamed
no matter what anyone said
people think you are not yeah,
they come in they’re jacket
we’re jock.
>> Now they demean had a
complimentary way.
>> Like any visionary godbold
often drew criticism and it
hurt. The worst accusations of
favoritism at the end of his
second term that led to grand
jury investigations, no
favoritism or other wrongdoing
was ever found.
But for the mayor’s Associates
did serve time for unrelated
offense is I’m sorry about that
it it
it caused a horrible time in my
life despite that horrible time
godbold ran for mayor again a
decade later and he responded
to those who question his
integrity I will not back up to
any main you or anybody else
when it comes to integrity I am
very proud be a family man.
The a good citizen, paying
my taxes
godbold got 49% of the vote in
1995 losing a close race to
John Delaney who became the
city’s first Republican mayor
since reconstruction.
>> I say it to bring it home to
you that it’s happening every
day.
>> Godbold never ran for public
office again, but instead
worked tirelessly for various
causes for the public good
including prevention of
domestic violence in memory of
his murdered sister-in-law
Barber and Campbell, godbold
helped because
he cared if one thing stands
out above all the rest about
Jake godbold it was his love of
people. All people and
especially the people of the
city. His legacy can be summed
up with this. It was always
thinking of others to know
that some.
>> Share that lives on the
north side raised in a project
can grow up and be
president the council in May is
city Jacksonville is it is a.
I think these young boys coming
up today, these young girls
coming
up today. All they have to do
is look at me and say hello he
can do it we can to.
>> They got old son Ben says the support he’s been receiving has been overwhelming.
>> And spoke with news 4 Jax
reporter Jim Piggott this
afternoon and Jim is joining us
from the former mayor’s
oceanway neighborhood gym.
You know time we’ve been out
here throughout the afternoon
we got the news and we’ve been
watching people. >> Arriving people leave family members are out here spoke to
us as well we’re staying away
is back out of respect
obviously here and there has
just been tribute after tribute
for Jake godbold in fact his
family says they’re overwhelmed
by everything that they’re
receiving.
For Jake godbold family and
friends his death this now
showing just how much
Jacksonville cared about him.
I spoke with the sun been about
his dad. The one thing that you
would remember
Jakes legacy in this town.
I mean I know it’s hard to
think there are so many things
what would you think.
>> He was always on the side of
the people. It didn’t
what the
people were the black told the
wide that it didn’t matter who
they were he was always on the
side of the people upset was
evident. The last time we saw
Jake godbold as he was pushing
to find out more information
concerning J a and walked into
a City Council meeting in
November demanding the sale be
stopped called him on the phone
and congratulated him in so you
know you don’t you.
Yeah, one list Fatah one more
fight in you did you hit.
And though he took it to him
you
know when but it was
all full of people use solar’s
all was to do with everything
he did was for the people.
>> Thank God. Both says his
father has always been
passionate years and was
planning to meet friends today
as it was all a very sudden,
you know he you know he was on
his way to pick up breakfast
had a heart attack in.
The Pharma at least so me that
he did not suffer at all and
since that happened the family
has been flanked with friends
and supporters, one of them
Martha Barrett who was at Jake
side throughout his political
career list.
>> One of us.
Us Scott’s friends just so
many people ID love
the city. It really love this
city.
>> And that’s the one thing about Jake godbold is that he did love the city Tom, as you
were mentioning, we were
hearing in that tribute
basically to
Jay Kabul. He was involved in
so many things and so many