JEA board pick wins approval, Trailer Bridge names a CEO, and the old Duval Laundry gets new life

Council reappoints Joseph DiSalvo to the JEA boardAfter months of deferrals, City Council voted 12 to 7 on Oct. 27 to reappoint DiSalvo, the former JEA board chair and retired Army lieutenant general who has served on the board since 2020. Members Raul Arias, Joe Carlucci, Kevin Carrico, Rory Diamond, Mike Gay, Ron Salem and Randy White voted no. Diamond pointed to DiSalvo’s support in June for raising JEA’s rates, which took effect Oct. 1, while Salem said DiSalvo had struggled to professionally evaluate former CEO Vickie Cavey. The nomination of Randy Wyse to the board is still pending. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

Trailer Bridge names Charles Gittens as CEOThe Jacksonville based ocean shipping company, which has served the Puerto Rico trade for 35 years, said Gittens starts Nov. 2. He most recently served as president of trade for King Ocean Services and brings more than 30 years in transportation and logistics. He follows Mitch Luciano, who led the company from November 2012 to September 2026 and resigned citing personal and family time. Trailer Bridge also noted more than $9 million in recent improvements to its roll on, roll off barges. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

The old Duval Laundry in Springfield is rezoned for shops and officesCouncil voted 18 to 0 to rezone the 1901 building at 1905 Walnut St. from Light Industrial to a Planned Unit Development. Plans call for seven to 12 tenants in the main building, with retail, restaurant, office and event space, plus coworking or office space on the second floor and one to three tenants in a second building. A condition bars live music and amplified sound from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

A last mile distribution center is planned in northern St. Johns CountyThe St. Johns River Water Management District began reviewing plans Oct. 15 for a 173,000 square foot facility on part of 500 acres east of Interstate 95 and north of Florida 16. Orlando based Orange and Blue Management LLC, as manager of Highland Pointe LLC, is listed as the owner. The project has not started the county’s building permit process. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

Matanzas Innlet moves ahead with plans to rebuildThe St. Augustine restaurant, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, filed a new preapplication and revised site plan Oct. 23 for a 2,310 square foot restaurant across two buildings and three floors at 8805 Florida A1A S. The family ran it from 1992 until 2016. St. Johns County’s Development Review Committee is scheduled to discuss the project Nov. 18. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

LifeSouth opens a blood donor center in Jacksonville BeachThe nonprofit blood bank opened its Jacksonville Beach Donor Center at 1250 Beach Blvd. on Sept. 21, citing the region’s growth, and added UF Health Durbin Park Hospital to the more than 200 facilities it serves. First time donors there get a $50 gift card, other donors get a $25 e gift card, and LifeSouth is looking for businesses to host free blood drives. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

Diamond Springs breaks ground on its lagoon todayMetro Development Group set an Oct. 28 groundbreaking for the roughly 4 acre lagoon at its Diamond Springs community in West Jacksonville, about 4 1/2 miles west of Cecil Airport. The plan calls for 2,700 single family homes and town homes across 1,300 acres, with DRB Homes, Dream Finders Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar building. Builder links on the developer’s site show town homes starting at $199,000 and single family homes from about $236,000. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

Aleizha Batson joins the Jacksonville Planning CommissionCouncil voted 19 to 0 on Oct. 27 to confirm Batson, a senior communications lead at Florida Blue, to represent District 5, which covers much of West Jacksonville. She previously worked in community relations at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority from 2015 to 2021 and replaces Moné Holder, who won a citywide Council seat in September. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 27, 2026

JTA leaders are expected to answer finance questions todayA JTA spokesperson said interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson and CFO Randall Barnes plan to address board member Daniel Vallencourt’s questions about the authority’s finances at Wednesday’s board meeting. Vallencourt had called for the authority’s top leaders to resign. Source: Jax Daily Record, Oct. 26, 2026