Florida biz columnist resigns to become mayor’s PR director

The business columnist at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., has resigned to become the communications director of the mayor-elect of the city.

Abel Harding, a blogger and a former bank executive in the Jacksonville area, was named a business columnist for the Florida Times-Union in October 2009. He wrote weekly columns and a daily blog on business issues facing Northeast Florida.

Before entering journalism, Harding was a commercial lender at IronStone Bank, and an assistant vice president at AmSouth Bank and SouthTrust Bank.

Harding is a graduate of Southern Illinois University

The news was reported Thursday by Mike Marino of the Times-Union.