JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A hologram of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan at the Jacksonville International Airport, the so-called “Holo-Donna” as it’s been dubbed by some local leaders, isn’t receiving any warm welcomes among Jacksonville City Council members.
In a Tuesday meeting, council members raised questions about how much it costs and whether it was properly funded.
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“You oughta send the damn thing back,” Council Finance Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) said.
Originally pitched as a $30,000 purchase, council auditors reported the price tag is closer to $75,000.
That includes additional costs for the machine’s custom wrap, installation, and the studio shoot for the greeting.
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Additionally, auditors said the hologram was purchased with dollars from the Business Inspection Fund, which is subject to state restrictions and is supposed to be reserved for permitting.
“Are we expecting Japanese developers to be at the airport looking for answers to permitting questions?” Councilmember Rory Diamond asked Deegan’s Chief of Staff Mike Weinstein.
The hologram machine does include the logo of the city’s “JaxEPICS” permitting platform, and the logo does occasionally appear on the screen.
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But the machine itself doesn’t seem to provide any additional information about the city’s permitting process.
Weinstein explained the airport greeting is just a test run for a larger project, which is expected to cost roughly $10 million overall.
“This was a first attempt at, what they have for all along, anticipated protoboxes being used for education and training,” Weinstein said.
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The mayor’s office added in a statement that education and training will eventually include, “Promotion of the Planning Department, permitting efforts, tourism, and more.”
But council members questioned why the test run wasn’t focused on those efforts.
“It takes six months to get a permit through Jacksonville right now and it’s getting longer. And they’re taking money, $75,000 out of money for that, to use it for this self-promotion for the mayor at the airport,” Diamond said. “It’s outrageous. People should be really mad about this.”
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As far as the mayor’s office is concerned, it’s not moving the hologram for at least six months.
That’s how long the current contract is set to last.
“We’ll continue to lead the way in promoting Jacksonville as a tech hub that is attracting leading companies in the industries of the future,” the mayor’s office said in an emailed statement.
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