BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
The Northeast Florida Economic Development Partnership is promising strong collaboration with the city of Starke, even if the city does not have a seat on the EDC board.
Commissioners further postponed a decision on joining with the EDC earlier this month because of lingering disagreement over the city’s role in the organization.
At issue was the inability — per the EDC’s bylaws — for an elected official to have a seat on the board of directors. EDC supporters insist upon the privacy of its discussions with interested developers and the board’s decision making. Having elected officials involved could require them to operate publicly “in the sunshine,” they say.
But joining the EDC with an annual investment of $10,000 in public funds and not having a say in how that money will be spent to benefit Starke has left some commissioners with questions.
After several meetings with Amber Shepard, who works for the EDC as strategic alliance business partner, Starke Chief Administrative Officer Jimmy Crosby presented commissioners with a list of advantages for joining the organization. Crosby and General Manager for Utilities Drew Mullins have been invited to attend EDC meetings on the city’s behalf, but this does not include access to closed-door discussions or a vote on the city’s behalf.
Commissioner Janice Mortimer said Dec. 3 said she still took issue with no one from the city having a seat on the board — even an ex officio nonvoting seat.
“You, in essence, are still wanting us to give you, just give you, $10,000 of public funds, and you guys can do whatever you want to do without having anybody from the city represented. I take issue with that,” she said.
Crosby said he met several times with Shepard to discuss the benefits of the city’s membership and presented Mortimer’s idea for an ex officio position on the EDC board as a compromise. Shepard said it is not something the board wanted to move forward with at this time. Nevertheless, they do want city representation, she insisted, pointing to Crosby’s open invitation.
“The reality is that it’s not unchecked and not unbalanced, because the proof is in the pudding. We’ve been working, I’ve been diligently working since January this year, to bring economic activity to the community. And every executive that comes to this community, I bring them to Mr. Crosby’s office so that we can have that meeting, have that conversation, and make sure that it’s a good fit for the community,” Shepard said.
The efforts they make are expensive and require funding, she said, which is what they look to their members to provide. She extended the same invitation for Crosby to city commissioners to attend the meetings if the EDC is aware in advance so their presence can be placed on the agenda.
Mortimer said she did not doubt the EDC’s mission to generate economic development.
“I just still have a concern about spending public money with a private organization that completely shuts us out,” she said, asking whether the invitation to meetings and communications with the city about development would continue even without the $10,000 investment.
“Absolutely,” Shepard said. “It would be foolhardy not to.”
Mortimer said in many cases the city commission would have a say on approving development plans in Starke, even if not allowed “a say on the front end.”
“You can’t bring a business into our city without the city making some kind of accommodations,” she said.
“We have invited your group to attend our meetings, and your insight is very valuable to us,” Shepard said. “And if Mr. Crosby says to me, ‘Amber, that’s not a good fit,’ I’m going to listen to that. I’m not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We’re all working together for the best opportunities for the city of Starke, for Bradford and for our region.”
Mortimer said they are to be commended for their work, but she still did not understand why the EDC was rejecting the idea of naming an ex officio member, especially if Crosby was already performing the role. She understands the groups bylaws, she said, but bylaws can be rewritten. She asked to postpone a decision on EDC membership for further explanation and so every commissioner could be there to vote.
She said her vote would hinge on having an ex officio member named to the EDC board.
“If we can get that, if I can see you guys are willing to give in on that, then I support you 100%. I support you 100% already, but I would support the city contributing $10,000 of public funds,” she said.
Commissioner Danny Nugent said there were other groups focused on the same work, so he didn’t support spending the money to duplicate services.
Mayor Andy Redding said he supported having a “symbiotic relationship” with the EDC. Even without a vote on its activities, he said the city’s $10,000 investment would give it a voice, otherwise the city could withdraw future financial support.
Shepard discussed some of what she has been at work on, such as using a $75,000 state grant to create a strategic plan for economic development, including ways to market the community to developers and creating an inventory of available properties. She recently attended a global manufacturing conference in South Korea where the conversation included the benefits of foreign companies locating within the United States to avoid higher tariffs on their goods. While they did lose one potential business to another community with a readily available building, they made a good impression on someone who still sees potential in Bradford County.
“We did such a good job of presenting the community to him that he really believes in our mission — understands that this is not just about bringing businesses here, but trying to attract businesses that are willing to invest in our community, businesses that are willing to partner with our schools to build certifications that will help feed their workforce needs, and that will introduce things like robotics and other STEM technologies that we don’t have in our community yet,” she said.
Shepard compared her work to planting fruit trees, which take several years to produce fruit.
“In the event that we are unable to change the bylaws and unable to get that traction, I feel that it’s important for the commission to know that, from my perspective, the insights of this community are invaluable. I can’t be successful doing it on my own. This really does take a team, and I am personally committed to ensuring that there is strong collaboration,” she said.
