Jake Godbold, former mayor of Jacksonville, FL (1979-1987), helped to bring life to the city by trying to create a sense of community. In doing so he helped to clean up the pollution problems that the city faced as well as bringing in a National Football team (the Jacksonville Jaguars), creating the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, and establishing the Jacksonville Landing to bring the city together.
Jake Godbold
While driving on Interstate 95 North Jonathan, Rebecca and I came to an area of town we did not recognize. As we turned left onto Golffair Boulevard, we noticed the area consisted of neighbor hoods, gas stations, ABC Liquors and a place we had never seen or heard before, Gateway Chemicals.
Gateway Chemicals is a company that sells janitorial supplies, and also the current office for former Jacksonville Mayor Jake Godbold. Godbold was an old-fashioned, grey-haired, vintage dressed, elderly man who acts like he hasn’t aged a bit. Interviewing Jake Godbold was quite an experience and one I would never forget. As he sat down in the mahogany colored leather chair I asked Godbold a few questions about his past. Jake Godbold was the mayor of Jacksonville in 1979 to 1987. “Jacksonville,” Godbold proudly announced when asked what city he was born in. Godbold believes Jacksonville one of the best cities in the country.
He believed it so much, that he was one of a few people who initiated the idea of having an NFL football team in Jacksonville. Godbold explains that while watching a Huston Oilers game, he witnessed white and black people coming together in happiness. He agreed that Jacksonville could do the same.
Godbold also brought the Jazz Festival to Jacksonville. He described while he was at the annual shrimp festival in Fernandina Beach, thousands of out of town guest would fill the tiny streets of the local town. He thought to himself, Hey, I can bring that to Jacksonville, and he did. First the festival was off Seminole road in Atlantic Beach, but later moved to Jacksonville Beach because of the large crowd.
Godbold proudly admitted to still being in touch with many of the mayors that came after him and helped to create a better Jacksonville. These men call themselves the M.O.B. or Mayors Old Buddies. According to Godbold the previous mayors all still get together and talk about the goings on in Jacksonville and what they each observe.
By: Mary Blank, Rebecca Pappas, John Santana
