JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan described her recent trip to London as a focused effort to strengthen business relationships and attract investment to Northeast Florida.
The city delegation met with more than 75 companies during the visit, marking a record turnout and underscoring the trip’s ambition.
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“We had the largest contingent of Jacksonville people we’ve ever had over there. We had CEOs and other business leaders. More than 80 of them made the trip over this year,” Deegan said.
The outreach builds on relationships cultivated over more than a decade. “All of these relationships began materializing when we started these trips 12 years ago,” she noted.
Deegan highlighted a promising near-term opportunity with a company considering a quick decision to establish operations in Jacksonville.
“One of which wants to move very fast. That’s thinking about coming here to build something that we can’t really talk about yet, but it would be an enormous get if we were able to make that happen,” she said.
The mayor emphasized Jacksonville’s role as a practical gateway for U.K. firms entering the U.S. market. “They want to know how to do business in the US. We want to be that gateway for them,” Deegan explained.
Deegan also described initiatives to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Jacksonville.
“We want that tech innovation. We want people to want to come here to innovate. It’s all part of being that small business capital that we want to be,” she said.
While the trip coincided with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ games in London, Deegan said the business outreach is distinct from the team’s overseas play.
“That was the catalyst that brought us over to London when the Jaguars started to play over there. So we really do have the Jaguars and Shad Khan to thank for connecting us to all kinds of business over there,” she said.
The mayor concluded that the international exposure has helped put Jacksonville on the map.
“People know more about our city,” she said.
To watch the full interview with Mayor Donna Deegan and the conversation with Jacksonville University President Tim Cost on his transition to chancellor of the university, tune in to This Week in Jacksonville on Sunday morning at 9.