Mayor Alvin Brown welcomed Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to Jacksonville on Tuesday. The secretary visited City Hall and met with 40 JROTC cadets from Mandarin High School. He also attended a luncheon with local business leaders at EverBank Field. The mayor presented the secretary with the key to the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars gave him a personalized jersey.
Recently, the Navy released its Fiscal Year 2013 budget which allocated more ships and sailors to Naval Station Mayport. An amphibious readiness unit with 2,000 sailors and their families is slated to arrive by 2015. The three ships in the unit would require around $75 million a year in repairs and maintenance, all of which would be done in Jacksonville.
“It’s a vote of confidence in our city,” said Mayor Brown . “And it is going to boost the number of personnel in Jacksonville – that’s good for our economy.”
Nearly 70 years ago, Duval County citizens approved a $1.1 million bond issue to purchase land for two Navy bases within our county borders. Today, Jacksonville’s military presence provides a $14.1 billion economic impact to our region.
Mayor Brown is committed to the military and to maintaining Jacksonville’s status as the most military friendly city in the country. He elevated military affairs to a cabinet level position and appointed Admiral Victor Guillory to head it. The mayor also raised more than $200,00 to save JROTC programs at four public high schools to help train the next generation of military leaders.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , February 29, 2012; Image: coj