Jax Mayor pushing local ports in DC

He’s trying to sell Jacksonville, overall, to the rest of the nation.

“We’re pro-business, we have a great education system- second to none,” says Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown.

But Brown tells WOKV while he’s at the Conference of Mayors in Washington DC this week, he has a specific focus.

“If you really want to put people back to work, you have to make the investment- and I think focusing on the Jacksonville Port is key.”

JAXPORT is still waiting for Congressional authorization to deepen the harbor to 47 feet, which is needed to keep the port competitive with newer, larger ships. The most recent attempts to get that authorization added to the Water Bill currently in conference have not been successful.  Brown says getting to have in person meetings with national leaders and transportation officials will hopefully help make inroads for this goal.