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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JAX Chamber selects St. Louis for its 2020 leadership trip
Curry orders face masks in public
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
The decision could mean RNC attendees must comply at the arena or be turned away.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
File image
The Gateway Arch is the centerpiece of Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. The arch is 630 feet tall and clad in stainess steel. The building in the center is the Old St. Louis County Courthouse. It is operated by the National Park Service.
Chair-elect Ray Driver said the visit will focus on fintech, development and the city’s response to social unrest.
BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
JAX Chamber Chair-elect Ray Driver said June 24 the Annual Leadership Trip is scheduled in September for St. Louis, a city the chamber visited in 1997. As the chamber chair-elect, Driver chooses the destination of the annual trip. He is a partner with the Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow law firm and becomes JAX Chamber chair in 2021.
JAX Chamber said the trip will be Sept. 9-11. It is the business group’s 40th intercity visit. Driver told the Southside Business Men’s Club he chose St. Louis to study its fintech Driver industries and support; its convention center redevelopment; and its aquarium.
Florida health care experts are calling for more precautions to stop COVID-19’s spread in public places and during the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville as city officials announced a mandatory face mask order to take effect 5 p.m. June 29. Duval County residents will be required to wear cloth or medical face coverings in public and indoor places or “in other situations where individuals cannot be socially distanced,” city Director of Public Affairs Nikki Kimbleton said. Kimbleton and Mayor Lenny Curry’s Chief of Staff Jordan Elsbury said the decision was made the morning of June 29 after consulting with local hospital officials and health experts. Elsbury said enforcement will rely mostly on personal responsibility. “(Hospital officials) advised us on the importance of wearing masks now for months, which is why every bit of messaging, every single press conference, the mayor has reiterated that point,” Elsbury said. “Today, we had a conversation specifically about a mandate and that’s how we ended up at the policy position today.” Elsbury said the decision was based on guidance from local hospital officials and protocol at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and other area U.S. Navy installations that require masks be worn on base. The announcement is a reversal for Curry, who said in a news conference June 16 that Duval County would not enforce universal mask wearing. The mayor did not
SEE TRIP, PAGE 2
SEE MASKS, PAGE 2
Lexington now Marriott-branded Southbank Marriott announced June 24 it reopened the former Lexington Hotel & Conference Center as The Southbank Hotel at Jacksonville Riverwalk. It is Marriott’s first hotel in Downtown Jacksonville. The hotelier said in May it would rebrand the 39-yearold property at 1515 Prudential Drive. Marriott said the hotel, which was renovated in 2018, will receive additional enhancements and transition in early 2021 into its newest upscale brand, Delta Hotels by Marriott. The Southbank is owned by LexDevCo Jax LLC and managed by Real Hospitality Group in conjunction with CalVegas Ltd. through a franchise agreement with Marriott International Inc.
VOLUME 107, NO. 159 • ONE SECTION