Daily Record Financial News &
Friday, January 15, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 045 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
One of the many signs and stuffed animals in the memorial outside Julington Baptist Church for 21-month-old Lonzie Barton, who has been missing since July 24. Officials believe they found the child’s remains this week.
with community during search
Special to the Daily Record
A voice for Lonzie Hackney shared emotions
Photos by Fran Ruchalski
Scotland company considering Southside
Lonzie Barton
By Marilyn Young, Editor • • • • • • •
JULY 24 “We believe this to be an abduction. … We believe that somebody may have this child.” –– Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney, 10 hours after Lonzie Barton was reported missing July 24 • • • • • • • Soon after 21-month-old Lonzie Barton was reported abducted, Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney started talking to not just the media, but to the community, as well. A community that prayed for Lonzie, searched for Lonzie and now grieves for Lonzie. “This family of this community is really Lonzie’s family and they love him,” Hackney said Monday at a news conference after remains believed to be Lonzie’s were found. Almost immediately when the search began in July, the community supported the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies that combed through woods, dove into ponds and peered down from helicopters. Residents brought food, water, sunscreen and hugs for the hundreds of officers searching for the toddler. They especially supported Hackney. His straight-forward approach made them trust him. His compassion made them feel his heart. And the veteran investigator’s emotions mirrored what they were feeling. From hope when the 20-pound boy first went missing to frustration when suspect Ruben Ebron wasn’t cooperating with police to heartbreak on Monday when a small body was pulled from a trash heap. Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler understands why the community bonded with Hackney. “I think he got angry a few times at the right moments and showed some passion,” Beseler said.
Public
legal notices begin on page
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City Refrigeration, a Scotland-based company, is considering an office operation in Cypress Point Business Park. The city is reviewing a building-permit application for City Refrigeration at 8211 Cypress Plaza Drive. Plans show a 17,100-square-foot tenant space for the company at the Southside business park in the Butler Boulevard area. Those plans show offices, open office space, conference and meeting rooms and a breakroom. Holtsinger Construction is the contractor for the $137,536 project, which encompasses 4,100 square feet. RAM Architecture Inc. is the architect. Landlord HGL Properties Vice President Will Stout said the space formerly was used by EverBank, which relocated Downtown. He confirmed City Refrigeration was based in the United Kingdom, but referred other questions to the company. City Refrigeration could not be reached by email Thursday. According to its website, City Refrigeration Holdings Ltd. is part of the City Group, based in Glasgow. City Group, a facilities management company, was established in 1985 and provides maintenance and engineering, Mathis
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Early push for pension plan smooth By David Chapman Staff Writer
Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney The sheriff said he did the same thing when he stood before news cameras after 7-year-old Somer Thompson was abducted and killed in 2009. Beseler promised his department would “find this animal” who abducted Somer on her way home from school and likely killed her so quickly that she was gone before police could be notified she was missing. The sheriff also praised Hackney for not publicly sharing details that didn’t need to be said, despite the media badgering him for information. Lonzie continued on Page A-3
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Mayor Lenny Curry returned from Tallahassee on Thursday evening, fresh off a fast-paced three days of close to 30 meetings with state lawmakers pitching Jacksonville’s pension solution. It’ll take their support if his plan of extending a half-cent sales tax to pay down $2.7 billion in unfunded liability is to work. So far, he said, he’s not hearing they won’t. “We were pleasantly surprised,” Curry said Thursday. “No one sat Curry across from me and said ‘this is a bad idea, no way, no how.’” Most liked what they heard, he said. They were encouraged by the idea “we’re doing something big and transformational.” Not saying no isn’t exactly saying yes, though. At least not yet. Many of those meetings, at least 16 of them, were with House and Senate members from Northeast Florida. Curry said
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consecutive weekdays