Great thread. I've been documenting a lot of this since I moved to Jax in 2003. I'm glad Simms compiled a lot of it. It's interesting to read the commentary about this place from those living outside of the city. I just finished putting together my first book called "Reclaiming Jacksonville", that's scheduled to be released by History Press this weekend. I had so much information, it made sense to put a document together that would share what had been stored in the archives of Metro Jacksonville.
It's basically a story of 12 historically significant abandoned structures that still stand today, documenting their history, the people behind them and their impact on the city, combined with photography of what they looked like in their heyday and what are now. I have about 150 pics and the publisher used less than half. I'll throw them up on the site either tonight or tomorrow. If you like urban grit, you'll enjoy them. It really gives you a different impression of the city and although a lot of damage has been done, you can see that it still has a lot of potential.
As for Jax's economy, it's pretty diverse and quite different from most of Florida, which is tourism driven. Manufacturing isn't what it used to be but other industries like logistics, railroads, the port, etc. are still economic engines. The Navy remains the largest employer and although most of the headquarters are gone, banking and insurance are still economic drivers as well.
As far as downtown goes, Simms has pretty much summed it up with the before and after picks. Downtown still struggles but the only entity to blame is city leadership itself. I'm hopeful that the new mayoral administration will be different from those of the past.
Also, regarding the pre-consolidated city's population decline, it's really no different from most cities that had decent density before WWII. It's down about 50% since 1950 but that loss is hidden by the city and county merging in 1968.
Simms is also right about the urban core neighborhoods. They're actually the reason I relocated here from Central Florida. Great architecture, people, weather, and lots of potential considering the they are built for twice the density and the city continues to grow. All the officials really need to do is simply get out the way, stop demolishing historic building fabric and let the free market take control.