JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As word spread that former Jacksonville Mayor Jake Godbold died at his home Thursda y, so too did the stories of his outspoken personality.
Friends and colleagues who spoke to News4Jax and posted on social media described Godbold as colorful and controversial, and one anecdote from his 2019 biography goes a long way to back that up.
In “Jake!”, a collection of stories about Godbold written by former Florida Times-Union journalist and friend Mike Tolbert, Tolbert recounts a 1984 interaction with now-President Donald Trump.
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
When speaking to a group, he’s never been hesitant to call out individuals who might be chatting while he is speaking. He even did it to Donald Trump (yes, that Donald Trump). It happened in 1984 on the occasion of a USFL football game in the Gator Bowl between Jacksonville’s Bulls and the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals. As was normal, before the game Jake had an overflow crowd of people in his box for a pre-game reception. Trump was in attendance, standing in the back of the room. When Jake got up to speak, the room got quiet…except for Trump who was talking to the person next to him. Godbold stopped, looked out at Trump and said, “Mr. Trump, this is not New York City. In Jacksonville when the Mayor speaks everybody listens.” The Donald stopped talking.
"Jake!", Mike Tolbert But the relationship with Trump wasn’t always contentious, as evidenced by another passage in the book.
One of the mayor’s favorite spots in northeast Florida was just up the road from Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach. The Crab Trap was the opposite of glitzy and beyond being rustic. Its diners sat at wooden tables with holes in the middle where they threw their oyster and crab shells. That’s where Godbold wanted to entertain the wealthy owners of the USFL. He took over the entire upstairs of the restaurant. “I had a limo for each owner with the flags of their team on them,” said Catlett. Trump and his first wife Ivana were attending the meeting. “They were delightful,” said Godbold. “We were concerned about this New York Yankee coming to town.” When the Trumps arrived at the Crab Trap, Catlett said, “I’ll never forget it. He’s got on a thousand-dollar suit and she’s dripping in diamonds.” Catlett thought they were doomed. But Godbold’s gut instinct was spot on. “Trump takes his coat off and she takes off all her jewelry. They were the last people to leave. We couldn’t get them to leave.”
"Jake!", Mike Tolbert To learn more about the fascinating life of Jacksonville’s transformative mayor, “Jake!” is available on Amazon .
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