Daily Record Financial News &
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 154 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Blunt Mousa back in City Hall
Curry hires veteran to be chief administrative officer By David Chapman Staff Writer When Sam Mousa asks questions, he wants answers. No fluff. No half-responses. Direct answers. City department heads not accustomed to his straightforward, blunt style are quickly finding that out this week during budget reviews. “I come across as an intimidating person,” said Mousa, Mayorelect Lenny Curry’s transition executive director. “People have told me that, but I don’t know
that I do. I feel like I come across as wanting the facts. It’s black or white.” Those in City Hall better become acquainted with Mousa’s style. He’ll be around well after the transition as their boss. Curry announced Wednesday the longtime City Hall veteran was named chief administrative officer, bringing an expertise and demeanor needed to run day-today operations. Mousa and his volunteer budget team were in the middle of a session with the Planning and Development Department
shortly after the 2 p.m. hiring announcement when his phone rang. He quickly silenced it, but then it rang again minutes later. Then again. He looked at it with a hint of agitation. This wasn’t a time for congratulations or chit-chat. He was working — something his former bosses also say people should get used to seeing.
Work ethic ‘second to none’
Mousa isn’t a stranger to the CAO role. He served under for-
mer Mayor John Delaney, including leading the Better Jacksonville Plan. In the 12 years since Delaney left office, he said people have told his successors John Peyton and Alvin Brown that Mousa was “the best hire they could make.” Curry is taking note, making Mousa his first full-time hire. “I think he’s even better now than he was 12 years ago,” Delaney said Wednesday. “… He’s got a work ethic just second to none. He hasn’t slowed down any.” Mousa continued on Page A-3
Mousa
Company seeking incentives for 123 jobs
Prom date’s family thanks Marks
Proposal asks for $1.8M to locate Downtown
Khameyea Jennings’ family visited Sen’Derrick Marks of the Jacksonville Jaguars during practice Wednesday to thank him for taking 18-year-old Khameyea to her prom. She died a few days later of cancer. Above, Dreams Come True Manager Courtney Andrews; Quan Jennings and Mikhaela Jennings, Khameyea’s mother and sister; and Dreams Executive Director Sheri Criswell present him with a plaque for his support.
Photo by Bobby King
By Karen Mathis Managing Editor
Hectic pace for Fidelity National By Mark Basch Contributing Writer Fidelity National Financial Inc. is a dealmaking machine, with a sometimes dizzying array of transactions involving companies outside its main business of title insurance. However, as Fidelity President Brent Bickett outlined some of those moves at Wednesday’s annual meeting, he said the company’s deals have benefited shareholders. “In 2014, we really had an exciting year,” Bickett said at the meeting at Fidelity’s Riverside Avenue headquarters complex.
Public
“Lots of tremendous activity there. We’ve created a lot of value for our shareholders,” he said. The biggest move in 2014 was the creation of a tracking stock called FNFV Group that represents the non-real Bickett estate-related businesses in Fidelity’s investment portfolio. It can be confusing, since the stock is separate, but all of the FNFV businesses are still owned by Fidelity. After the meeting,
legal notices begin on page
A-9
Bickett explained that investors can look at FNFV simply as an “asset management fund” that is run by Fidelity. Bickett told shareholders that before the split, some of FNFV’s investments had “clouded” the strong performance of Fidelity’s main business, which is the dominant company in its field with 32.4 percent of the U.S. title insurance market. He also displayed a graph showing that profit margins in its title insurance business have consistently outperformed the industry through various cycles in the business. That should attract investors interested in a real estate-related company. Fidelity continued on Page A-2
Published
for
Because it fits all the targets — high wages, financial services, global identity and a Downtown location — the city and state are asked to provide $1.8 million in assistance to a confidential company to bring 123 jobs to Jacksonville. The city Office of Economic Development filed legislation Wednesday with City Council seeking approval of the city’s share of the incentives. Unless another deal is submitted within two weeks, the resolution, 2015-446, could be the last economic development project filed by the administration of Mayor Alvin Brown. Brown was defeated in the May general election by Lenny Curry, who takes office July 1. In a statement, Brown said his administration is “excited another business sees opportunity in our city, especially Downtown where we continue to see investment. “ It also could be one of the first deals consummated by Curry and the new Jacksonville City Council. The 19-member council comprises 11 new members and eight incumbents. Referred to only as Project Post, the company is considering Downtown Jacksonville and at least one other city to establish a new global banking shared services office. Project documents say it does not have a presence in Jacksonville now. It is described as a large international banking and finance company. Documents did not identify the other Southeastern competitor city or indicate a targeted Downtown Jacksonville location. The project parcel was described only as a “to be determined site” in Duval County, Incentives continued on Page A-2
26,681
consecutive weekdays