FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 17, 2006
CONTACT: Ryan Banfill (850) 222-1996
Jacksonville, Fla. - Official records show that the Department of the Interior, not the Department of Defense, owned the 642-acre Clay County parcel known as the "NAS Cecil Field piece of Clay County." After losing four consecutive legal motions to block Jacksonville voters from deciding the issue, the revelation was another blow to the City's arguments that conveying the property to the Navy is "impossible."
"I think the City made an honest mistake," said Ken Underwood, co-founder of Vote Jacksonville. "While charts created for court testimony and the Base Realignment and Closure Commission showed Cecil Field property extending into Clay County, the reality is that the DoD's property stopped at the Duval County line."
These findings mean that Clay County does not control the future of Cecil Field, because its property was not part of Cecil Field proper when the former base was turned over to Jacksonville.
In order to relocate the Master Jet Base to Cecil Field, Jacksonville must return the property to the Navy.
"This explains a lot," Underwood added. "We had heard that the BRAC Commissioners didn't believe that Cecil Field extended into Clay County, and they were correct. Now, there's no question that Jacksonville voters control the destiny of Cecil Field."
Voters will decide on Nov. 7 whether to force city leaders to turn over Cecil Field's title to the Department of Defense.
"This is especially good news since the Clay County Commission voted in a resolution just last week to keep the property restricted for recreational use. This means the property will continue to serve as a buffer zone for the citizens of Clay County when the master jet base is re-located," Underwood concluded.
"We'll never know if the City made an honest mistake, or if it was an intentional act," said Dave Van Saun, co-founder of Vote Jacksonville and former Commanding Officer of NS Mayport. "But, we do know that another obstacle has been removed, and now the decision to return the Navy to Cecil Field clearly rests in the hands of Jacksonville voters."
More than 38,000 Jacksonville voters signed petitions to trigger a Nov. 7 referendum on returning Cecil Field to the Navy.
Returning the Navy to Cecil Field will create more than 31,000 well-paying jobs and boost the area's economy by $2.6 billion a year.
For more information on the referendum effort to return the Navy to Cecil Field and increase economic opportunity in Jacksonville, visit www.VoteJacksonville.com.
Pd. Pol. Adv. paid for by VoteJacksonville.com, 14286 Beach Blvd Ste 19 #224, Jacksonville, FL 32250
Ryan Banfill
Senior Account Manager
Ron Sachs Communications
(850) 222-1996
(850) 224-2882 fax
james@ronsachs.com