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52-523: The Jacksonville City Council is composed of nineteen members who are elected for a four-year term and serve as part-time legislators. In May of each year, the Council elects a President and Vice President to serve one-year terms beginning the first of July. The current president is Randy White ((R) District 12) The nineteen members are not all elected in the same manner; some are elected from districts, and others are elected at large. However, once elected, there

104-599: A bare-bones passenger service with only a box lunch for food and no baggage, which lasted until 1968. After his sister died in 1970, Ball came under strong criticism for reinvesting the trust's income to build up their value instead of fully respecting the requirements of du Pont's will, which stipulated that after Jessie Ball du Pont's death, trust income was to be used to aid the Nemours Foundation in caring for crippled children and indigent elderly in Delaware . Ball ignored

156-575: A day from the Floridan aquifer , seriously depleting the water table. St. Joe Paper also clear-cut millions of acres of old growth forest , engaging in silviculture to replant the areas with slash pine . The practice decimated the native longleaf pine stands, reducing the species to "2 percent of its former range." Because of this, the United States Department of the Interior designated parts of

208-527: A deal worth $ 849 million. The transaction occurred the following year. In anticipation of increased trade through the Panama Canal , the Apalachicola Northern Railroad was built from Chattahoochee to Port St. Joe in 1910 with plans to load large ships with goods to be taken through the canal, advertised as the “Panama Route”. When the depression hit, business dropped off and the railroad

260-531: A federal grand jury on conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Claude Yates Claude J. Yates (December 26, 1899 - October 25, 1988), was a Jacksonville business executive in the 1960s who is known as the Father of Jacksonville's consolidation. Claude was born in Gibson County, Tennessee, the second of five children of farmer Henry "Chess" Yates and Mary W Landrum. At age 31, the 1930 census listed him as

312-561: A majority ownership of FEC for the DuPont Trusts, allowing the FEC to emerge from bankruptcy. That same year, a labor contract negotiation turned sour, leading to a prolonged work stoppage by non-operating unions beginning January 23, 1963, and whose picket lines were honored by the operating unions (the train crews). Arguably the most noteworthy chapter in Ball's business career was his battle against

364-402: A paper mill at Port St. Joe, Florida . The company invigorated the local economy following the depression , employing thousands and paying good wages, but wreaked havoc on the environment. The mill released sulfurous exhaust and dioxin , a byproduct of the paper bleaching process that is a carcinogen . By the 1950s, the company was drawing 35 million US gallons (130,000 m ) of water

416-589: A railroad and owned newspapers. He worked for and with his brother-in-law Alfred I. du Pont for nine years before running the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust 's businesses himself for another 46 years. He founded and led the St. Joe Paper Company to become a major player in several industries in Florida. He was a leader of the anti-communist Pork Chop Gang , a group of Democratic Party legislators from North Florida . Edward Ball

468-584: A telephone engineer in Birmingham. Two years later he married his wife "Birdie". During World War II he still worked for Southern Bell Telephone in Birmingham, Alabama. In the 1956 Jacksonville City Directory, Claude Yates was listed as Vice President and General Manager of the Southern Bell Telephone Company in Jacksonville. He had recently retired from Southern Bell and been named president of

520-576: Is given annually by outgoing council President for the most effective councilman, i.e. most helpful to the council and constituents. After the 1988 death of Claude Yates , known as the father of Jacksonville's consolidation, the Jacksonville City Council created the Claude J. Yates Outstanding Councilman of the Year Award , which is bestowed annually to an exemplary council member. The council created

572-472: Is no distinction between council members elected at-large and from regular districts. Both have equal rights and responsibilities. Duval County is divided into 14 districts; each of these districts elects a single council member who resides in the district. Like virtually all legislative districts at all levels in United States, these districts are redrawn every ten years following the decennial census. In

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624-509: Is undeserved; he claims he was just a trusted functionary who did his best for the institution he served. Critics say he hijacked the trust as a tool of his personal power, treating the assets like a miser hoarding every coin. He had the reputation of a "tart-tongued, hard-nosed conservative financier". By all accounts, Edward Ball took little time for a personal life. Early on, he travelled constantly, scouting for possible acquisitions and checking up on existing assets. Ball married in 1933, but

676-565: The Citizens for Better Government committee, which successfully disseminated information about the advantages of consolidation. The referendum passed and their Blueprint for Improvement has "since proven to be a national model for urban [consolidated] government", according to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Claude J. Yates was a member and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of

728-676: The John E. Goode Award for best council debater in 1997. The Mary L. Singleton Award is given to the member with the most difficult committee assignment during the year. In late 2007, a Grand Jury announced that it would probe alleged Sunshine Law violations by the Jacksonville City Council. While the Grand Jury found numerous instances of violation of the law, they decided against issuing any indictments when they issued their final report in January 2008. In January 2010, District 13 Council member John Meserve

780-583: The River Club for dinner. Alfred du Pont acquired a major interest in Florida National Bank (founded 1905) of Jacksonville shortly after arriving in Florida in the mid-1920s. Other banks were gradually added into what became the Florida National Group, which was one of the strongest banks in the state. In size, the branches eventually numbered 185, second only to Barnett Bank . Ball built

832-592: The 1930s to the 1960s called the Pork Chop Gang that spawned Florida's version of McCarthyism . Their public spokesman was Florida Senate President Charley Eugene Johns from Starke . The coalition supported racial segregation (which was practiced at the St. Joe Paper Mill) and was known for toasting "Confusion to the Enemy!" with Jack Daniel 's whiskey. Ball rarely, if ever, took a public role in politics. With control over

884-488: The 1940s and 1950s, prompting a book to be written in 2000: Claude Pepper and Ed Ball: Politics, Purpose, and Power . According to a 1979 article in The New York Times , Edward Ball at various times was called a Robber Baron and a political power broker; a clever man with a dollar and a dangerous man to cross; a courtly Virginian with the ladies and a ruthless foe. He is known for "orneriness" but insists his reputation

936-483: The 1965 Legislature created the Local Government Study Commission (LGSC) chaired by J.J. Daniel , who later became publisher of The Florida Times-Union and Jacksonville Journal . Lex Hester was hired as the executive director. Claude Yates was among the 50 business and civic leaders invited to participate. Elected officials and government employees were intentionally excluded. On October 1, 1965

988-532: The 3rd special district. A judge subsequently invalidated the election, and the seat became vacant. Currently the council has five Democrats and fourteen Republicans serving. This makes Jacksonville the most populous city in the United States with a majority Republican council. The Council President assigns members to committees and to act as council liaisons. There are five standing committees: There are two administrative committees: There are three council boards & commissions: The Charles D. Webb Award

1040-635: The Florida National Bank building at 214 North Hogan Street in Jacksonville in 1961. The structure was eleven stories tall and contained the corporate offices for the bank. Ed Ball also kept his principal office there for managing the du Pont Trust. After Ball's death, the structure was renamed the Ed Ball Building. On March 7, 1989, First Union Corporation , based in Charlotte, North Carolina , announced that it would acquire Florida National Banks in

1092-809: The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce in 1964 when all 15 public high schools lost their accreditation. On January 19, 1965 Yates called a lunch meeting of the chamber at the Robert Meyer Hotel to decide on a course of action. Those individuals who attended included: Glenn Marshall Jr., Roger L. Main, W.S. Johnson, Charles W. Campbell, Gert H.W. Schmidt, Edward Ball , C.G. Whittaker, Luke Sadler, B.D. Fincannon, George B. Hills, Jacob F. Bryan III, B.N. Nimnicht, James R. Stockton Sr. , J.T. Lane, J.H. Coppedge, Gen. Maxwell Snyder, Harold Meyerheim, Joseph W. Davin , Thompson S. Baker, Richard Lewinson, Henry M. French and S. Kendrick Guernsey. All are deceased. The date

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1144-644: The Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta , ca. 1958-1965, appointed by their Board of Governors., The Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity program began in 1968 as an anti-poverty initiative that started, among other things, project Head Start . Claude Yates was one of its directors. Years later, Yates was the president of Area Communications Inc. , the company that established cable television in Jacksonville. Continental Cablevision purchased Area Communications in 1984 and

1196-722: The branches in 1932, and the Key West Extension was abandoned after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 . However, streamliners terminating in Miami nevertheless plied the rails between 1939 and 1968, including such famous trains as The Champion and The Florida Special jointly operated with the Atlantic Coast Line . Adding to the woes was the Cuban embargo , thus reducing a significant portion of FEC's revenue. In 1961, Ball purchased

1248-509: The commission was established and given until May 1, 1967 to complete their work. In January, 1967, after 15 months of effort and three months ahead of schedule, the LGSC submitted a consolidation proposal entitled, Blueprint for Improvement . The legislative delegation altered the plan slightly to make it more appealing and ordered it to be placed on a referendum in 1967. Voters had consistently defeated consolidation referendums since 1935. Yates led

1300-480: The criticism, but he couldn't ignore the wave of lawsuits that were brought by other trustees, the State of Delaware and others. In 1976, Raymond K. Mason collaborated with Virginia Harrison to author a book about the life of Edward Ball, Confusion to the enemy : a biography of Edward Ball . This book was the "authorized" biography, whereas the book, Ed Ball, confusion to the enemy by Leon Odell Griffith, published

1352-406: The current structure, at-large council members must reside in the special district for which they are running, but are elected by the voters of the county as a whole. One at-large seat was vacated in 2007 because of a violation of this residency requirement; "Jay" Jabour was elected as the at-large councilman from the 2nd special district, but evidence later arose indicating that he actually lived in

1404-419: The early 1990s, voters approved an unusual residency requirement for "at-large" members. The county was divided into five special districts unrelated to any other districts, solely for the purpose of providing better representation for all geographical areas of Jacksonville. This was done because a trend had developed in which all five "at large" councilmembers actually resided in one small area of town. So under

1456-457: The lodge on-site. Blacksmiths, millwrights, masons, stone cutters, painters, and artists created an elegant retreat using iron and stone; the high ceilings were painted with murals. There are 27 unique guestrooms, each with a voluminous marble bathroom, walk-in closet , and antique or period furniture. Ball dynamited parts of the Wakulla River to open the way for boats bringing his guests to

1508-452: The men inside. Unfortunately, if you were between the explosion and the wooden wall, you would be blown "across the creek" and probably die. In a New York Times interview two years before his passing, he said that his life had been long and the critics be damned; he lived it the best way he could. "When I go across the creek, it will be because I can't help myself or can't work any longer." Shortly before his death, he said, "I waited until I

1560-465: The philanthropic activities of the trust while Edward concentrated on making money. Ball had no interest in running for office and little desire for material things; for most of his life, he didn't even own an automobile. Ball used various means to acquire enormous unofficial political power in Florida. He amassed a wide network of connections, and was the key figure in a group of 20 rural, conservative, north Florida politicians that controlled Florida from

1612-499: The previous year, was done by an outsider. Both were published prior to Ball's death. Ed Ball's favorite euphemism for death was "going across the creek", a reference he learned from Alfred du Pont. Three sides of the DuPont gunpowder mills were made of stone; the side closest to the creek with the water wheel was built of wood. If the powder accidentally exploded, the wooden wall acted as a safety valve so whole building would not collapse on

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1664-700: The railroad running during the strike led to violence by strikers that included shootings and bombings. Eventually, Federal intervention helped quell the violence, and the railroad's right to operate during the strike with replacement workers was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court . As the strike continued, the Florida East Coast took numerous steps to improve its physical plant, install various forms of automation, and drastically cut labor costs, all to an extent that most other railroads would not succeed in matching until years later. Ball therefore

1716-617: The railroad unions in the Florida East Coast Railway strike of 1963 to 1977. In order to try to save the railroad from its three decades-long state of bankruptcy, which if allowed to continue would have threatened the railroad with physical deterioration and even partial abandonment, Ball fought for the company's right to engage in its own contract negotiations with the railroad unions rather than accept an industrywide settlement that Ball thought would include featherbedding and wasteful work rules. His use of replacement workers to keep

1768-451: The region a Critically Endangered Ecosystem . Under Ball, the company also kept workers at the mill racially segregated . Ball continued the trust's aggressive land purchases throughout the 1940s and 1950s, sometimes for "mere dollars an acre" and landholdings reached 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km ). Most of the land was situated between Tallahassee and Pensacola , but there was substantial acreage in southern Georgia. The paper mill

1820-508: The remaining land surrounding Wakulla Springs to the state of Florida, who created Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park . The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression were particularly hard on the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). The railroad declared bankruptcy and was in receivership by September 1931, just 18 years after Henry Morrison Flagler 's death. Bus service began to be substituted for trains on

1872-518: The springs, then fenced off the water passage to keep out the "riff-raff". At the time the Lodge was built no telephone service was available in Wakulla County , so Ball ran a line through the forest from his base in distant (89 miles) Port St. Joe . In the mid-1960s, he donated land to Florida State University for a marine laboratory, which was completed in 1968 and named in his honor. Ball then sold

1924-480: The street from his office in the Florida National Bank Building in Jacksonville. This was the site of a 5:30 weekday ritual for Mr. Ball, his business associates and buddies. Cocktails began when everyone was present, and lasted until the network news began at 6:00 pm, at which time all conversation and movement ceased. Ed Ball took his news seriously. After the news concluded, the group moved to

1976-576: The undersigned, respectfully request the Duval County Delegation to the Florida Legislature to prepare an enabling act calling for the citizens of Duval County to vote on the consolidation of government within Duval to secure more efficient and effective government under one governmental body." It recommended governmental reforms and consolidation for Duval County's governments. In response,

2028-467: The union did not last. He approached marriage like a business deal and wanted everything in writing. The prenuptial agreement had 19 provisions which described the couple's wedded lifestyle and included a definition of "nagging". Ball wanted children, but his wife was unable to get pregnant due to reproductive problems several years before their wedding. Ruth Ball filed for divorce in 1943, but Edward Ball sought an annulment , unsuccessfully appealing it all

2080-560: The vast du Pont business empire, he exerted political influence through his Florida banking empire, his ownership of numerous Florida newspapers, and by funneling unregulated and unreported cash to political operatives. Ball did not need to get his hands dirty or risk personal resources. Ball was a main (but not the only) financer of the defeat of Claude Pepper in his bid for reelection to the United States Senate in 1950. Pepper's liberalism and Ball's conservatism feuded through much of

2132-465: The way to the Florida Supreme Court. He finally agreed to pay his ex-wife $ 250,000 alimony in 1949. In an interview, Ball said, "I suppose some people might call me tight with a dollar." The stories of Ball's frugal nature border on the legendary. Ed Ball owned a country estate called Southwood Farm outside of Tallahassee, but for years lived in a hotel room at the Robert Meyer Hotel across

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2184-461: Was a pioneer in the American railroad industry's struggle, beginning in the 1960s, to improve its economic efficiency. Ball's tenure saw the permanent end of FEC's passenger service. The FEC was forced to resume carrying passengers two years after the strike began, when the courts ruled the FEC corporate charter mandated that the railroad carry passengers as well as freight. In response, Ball instituted

2236-540: Was born at Ball's Neck near Kilmarnock in Northumberland County, Virginia and educated in the one-room Shiloh Schoolhouse. After completing primary school , he convinced his father to let him quit school and get a job. He had always been obsessed with making money; at one time, he prospected for gold in Alaska. However, when Ball's older sister, Jessie Ball became the third wife of Alfred I. du Pont in 1921, Edward

2288-545: Was given the chance of a lifetime. He began working for his brother-in-law in 1923 at the lofty salary of $ 5,000 a year, and moved to Delaware where he was publicly named manager of the Clean Food Products Company. Privately, he was Mr. du Pont's confidential business partner and became a shrewd financier and caretaker of the du Pont de Nemours estate fortune. After Jessie & Alfred moved to Florida in 1926, Edward joined them. When Alfred died in 1935, his estate

2340-452: Was in bad shape financially. Alfred I. DuPont purchased the struggling railroad in 1933 and created the St. Joe Paper Company . Dupont drew up elaborate plans for the development of his mill town as “The Model City of the South”, and then died. Ed Ball took control of the company in 1935 but never acted on the master city plan. Construction began in 1936 and from 1938 to 1996, the company operated

2392-483: Was most profitable in the 1960s, with products being directly marketed to company-owned box plants. Wakulla Springs is one of the deepest and largest freshwater springs in the world. Ball purchased 4,000 acres (16 km ) surrounding Wakulla Springs in 1937 and constructed the Wakulla Springs Lodge as a guest house. He imported marble and tile and hired craftsmen and artisans who built everything needed for

2444-524: Was named, the Claude Yates Building when it opened in 1989. Edward Ball (businessman) Edward Gresham Ball (March 21, 1888 – June 24, 1981) was a businessman who wielded powerful political influence in Florida for decades. Referred to as "a law unto himself", despite the fact that he never held public office and did not own much of the assets he controlled, he led a forest products company,

2496-467: Was significant because it was the deadline for submitting requests for the upcoming legislative session. At the time, the legislature only met for sixty days every other year. Those prominent business and civic leaders signed a 45-word petition to the Duval legislative delegation of Senator John E. Mathews and Representative Fred Schultz, that would later be dubbed the Yates Manifesto . It stated: "We,

2548-403: Was suspended by Florida Governor Charlie Crist after being charged with conducting real estate transactions without a license. Art Graham, who resigned the seat in 2009 to unsuccessfully run for state senate, was appointed by the governor on February 12, 2010 to replace John Meserve, who is fighting a felony charge. In May 2018, two Council members, Reggie Brown and Katrina Brown, were indicted by

2600-460: Was the city's cable provider until 2002. Claude Yates died of a heart attack in Jacksonville on October 25, 1988. After his death, the Jacksonville City Council created the Claude J. Yates Outstanding Councilman of the Year Award , which is bestowed annually to the outstanding council member. The Riverside YMCA at 221 Riverside Avenue was renamed the Claude J. Yates YMCA in January, 2000. The local government building at 231 E. Forsyth Street

2652-529: Was too old to decide what to do with my own personal assets and have decided that I worked most of my business life managing the duPont estate." Ball said he was very proud of what duPont had established in the Nemours Foundation, and upon his death, save a few minor bequests, he left his entire estate to the Foundation, with one stipulation – his bequest could be used in Florida only." Ball died at

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2704-417: Was valued at over $ 56 million, which, after estate taxes of $ 30 million, left $ 26 million. Alfred's will named Jessie as the principal trustee, but in reality, she deferred business decisions to her brother, Edward, who took control of the assets of the testamentary trusts , which included large Florida landholdings and industrial interests, including the Florida East Coast Railway . Jessie preferred to handle

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