JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mayor of Jacksonville took questions from reporters Thursday regarding a video in which he appears with CFO Jimmy Patronis, calling on Elon Musk to bring his business to Florida, specifically Jacksonville.
Mayor Lenny Curry has been active on Twitter, tagging Elon Musk in tweets concerning bringing his businesses to the First Coast.
"We are positioned for @SpaceX in Jacksonville," retweeted Curry Wednesday night, along with a video next to Patronis.
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"Hey @elonmusk, Whether it’s your exciting @boringcompany, your uplifting @SpaceX, your non-exhausting @Tesla, Florida is the one place that will always accommodate your drive to innovate. DM me or @lennycurry for your personal tour to the land of opportunity. #FloridaIsForWinners," tweeted Patronis.
Curry was asked what his plan would be if Elon responded to the tweet expressing interest.
"You set up a phone call or a zoom, just like my days in business," Curry responded. "And I'll tell you, I know some people that may have access to Elon, and we're trying to work the back channels to make sure he sees the tweet."
Curry was also asked by reporters about some of his recent absences, including not being in attendance at the Jacksonville Memorial Day event and the city's Bicentennial Celebration.
He was also not in attendance for the vote by City Council on the Confederate monuments bill.
"I mean, you guys can look at my calendar, the last couple of weeks, I've had numerous press conferences, I've been involved with a number of events," he said. "I don't go to city council meetings. So that's not unusual. I don't believe I've ever sat through a city council meeting. It's their job to legislate on the executive branch. And this weekend, I was with my daughter."
Curry continued, "I mean, the idea that people are asking me what I was doing when I'm with my seventh grade daughter that has a special day. I'd pick that any day a week over anything else."
On the list of events for the Jacksonville Bicentennial, the opening ceremony included a reading of the original petition to name the city, as well as a reading of a Mayoral Proclamation.
The Jacksonville Historical Society, the organization who had a large part in planning the Bicentennial, says it received a notice well in advance from Mayor Curry that a prior family commitment would keep him from being there.
Per the Jacksonville Historical Society
"Yes, we received notice well in advance that a prior family commitment regretfully prevented the Mayor from attending the commemoration ceremony. Additionally, we are appreciative of the City of Jacksonville’s support of the Bicentennial festival and want to note the City was the first to fund the celebration with $100,000 more than a year ago when planning was first underway."