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February 21-27, 2019
Mathis Report: Island Wing Co. moving into TGI Fridays space PAGE 4
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JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer City reaches deal on Landing
‘HERE’S WHAT Record & Observer I KNOW THAT WE MUST DO’ Record & Observer JACKSONVILLE
JACKSONVILLE
City Council must approve $18 million agreement to take possession of Downtown shopping center.
JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace says JACKSONVILLE becoming “a talent magnet” is the key to the region’s growth.
Record & Observer BY DAVID CAWTON ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced Wednesday that the city has come to an $18 million settlement agreement with Sleiman Enterprises Inc. that will give the city possession of the Jacksonville Landing. In a joint statement, Curry and Sleiman President Toney Sleiman announced they had come to an agreement “by which the Jacksonville Landing and the property at its location would see their best and highest use realized. Both parties agree that with the future of Jacksonville shining so bright, now is the time to forge this path forward.” The deal includes the city paying Sleiman subsidiary Jacksonville Landing Investments LLC
BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
O
ne of the most important economic incentives in recruiting jobs is who you bring to
the table. It’s not only who can provide a location for a new business, or which organization can assist with permitting or what group can arrange incentives. It’s much larger. It’s the workforce. “Become a talent magnet,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace insists for the region. “Talent is going to be key over the next five years of everything that we do.” On Oct. 1, Wallace took over as head of JAXUSA, the JAX Chamber’s economic development division, after serving as CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority since 2013. “Millennials and Gen Z are making lifestyle decisions, ‘this is where I want to live.’ And the companies are chasing them,” SEE WALLACE, PAGE 8
SEE LANDING, PAGE 8
File image Photo by Dede Smith
JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace took over the job Oct. 1 after serviing as CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority since 2013.
Cawton Report: JTA selling land for AC Skinner apartments PAGE 9 Basch Report: Shutdown delays Fidelity’s deal for Stewart PAGE 6 OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP
A deal with Sleiman Enterprises Inc. will give the city possession of the Jacksonville Landing.
LAW & THE COURTS
18 candidates apply for judicial seat Plus: Chili cook-off results. PAGES 10,11 VOLUME 1, NO. 38 • ONE SECTION
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
WHAT’S TRENDING
Page 2 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
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Chef Celestia Mobley, owner of Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, has started a new venture, Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge at 901 King St. in Riverside.
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RESTAURANTS Mobley launches Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge Chef Celestia Mobley has launched a new venture — Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge — in Riverside. Mobley has taken over the former Hamburger Mary’s Pub House at 901 King St. to open a soul food restaurant and lounge that will feature live jazz music throughout much of the week. Mobley, an accomplished restaurateur, started her career as executive chef at The Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro and went on to open her own restaurant, Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, which operates at 6765 Dunn Ave. in North Jacksonville. Jazzy’s, her latest family-owned venture, had a soft opening Tuesday with a limited menu and no beer, wine or liquor. A grand opening is expected in early March.
Canopy Road Cafe plans opening Feb. 25 Tallahassee-based Canopy Road Cafe plans its grand opening in South Jacksonville on Feb. 25. The 56-seat restaurant, which the company describes in a news release as a modern diner concept, is in the Shoppes of Bayard at 12525 Philips Highway. Canopy Road Cafe serves traditional breakfast and lunch fare.
Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily JACKSONVILLE Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County. Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Downtown Jacksonville and key business nodes throughout Jacksonville. To find a location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations. Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business. Realty-Builder is a monthly publication connecting Northeast Florida’s real estate professionals and homebuilders. Content focuses on timely news, information and trends affecting residential real estate sales and construction, as well as events and legal issues impacting the industry. Visit Realty-Builder.com to request your free copy.
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GE Appliances taking former Sears warehouse
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Vacant for almost a year, the former Sears warehouse in North Jacksonville that was considered to be the largest industrial building available for lease in the state now has a tenant. Pattillo Industrial Real Estate Vice President Peter Anderson said the 815,000-square-foot North Jacksonville warehouse will be leased to GE Appliances for a distribution center. Pattillo affiliate Stone Mountain Industrial Park Inc. owns the property. “Having the building is what brought the deal together,” Anderson said. He said GE Appliances already leases space in Jacksonville and will consolidate those operations into the larger building at 2969 Faye Road. The company will begin moving this summer, he said.
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Apollo buys majority stake in WFOX, WJAX Cox Enterprises Inc. on Friday announced an agreement with funds managed by Apollo Global Management LLC to buy a majority stake in its group of 14 television stations, including two in Jacksonville. Atlanta-based Cox owns Fox network affiliate WFOX TV-30 and also operates CBS affiliate WJAX TV-47 under a shared services agreement. WJAX is owned separately by a former Cox executive, but Cox provides programming, sales and other operations services. Cox said in a news release that Apollo plans to maintain the “management and operating structure Cox Media Group’s TV business has created.”
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Wanda Riley was promoted to Cushman & Wakefield’s managing principal for the Jacksonville and Orlando offices. Riley is responsible for strategic growth and business development for the Northeast and Central Florida markets. Riley oversees the region’s agency leasing, capital Riley markets, debt and equity, tenant representation, valuation and advisory, and asset services. The new roles are in addition to her role as statewide director of brokerage services and operations, which she has served since 2014. NAI Hallmark promoted Dane C. Hurst to director of Property Management. Hurst will oversee the property management staff and building engineers and
Hurst
continue to manage properties. Hurst joined NAI Hallmark as a property manager in 2015. Hurst previously served as director of research for Moody Appraisal Group. Holt Graves was promoted to the RS&H board of directors. Graves is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Graves RS&H. He fills the vacancy left by J. Ronald Ratliff, who retired in 2018. Odette Struys joined Memorial Hospital as associate vice president of communications and public relations. Struys formerly served as senior consultant with Atkins Global as public information officer at the Florida Department of Transportation. Struys previously directed national media relations for Nemours and managed marketing and communications for The Blood Alliance. Compiled by Scott Sailer
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Page 3
Florida leads nation in new solar jobs ECONOMIC TRENDS
But The Solar Foundation found that jobs in the industry fell 3.2 percent in 2018. JEA SOLAR FARMS
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Momentum for new solar energy projects may be slowing in some areas but it is an emerging force in Florida, which led the nation last year in new solar industry jobs. An annual jobs census released last week by The Solar Foundation found U.S. jobs in the industry fell by 3.2 percent in 2018 to 242,343, the second straight annual decline. However, the nonprofit group said Florida added 1,769 new solar jobs, a 21 percent jump that brought the state’s employment in the industry to 10,358. That puts Florida second in the nation in solar employment behind California, but it’s a distant second to California’s 76,838 jobs. The national slowdown in jobs came as “solar companies delayed many utility-scale projects in late 2017 while awaiting the outcome of a petition for new tariffs on solar panels and cells,” the foundation said in a news release. “These delays led to reduced capacity growth and fewer jobs in the first three quarters of 2018.” Despite its big lead in total solar employment, California lost jobs last year. “At the state level, policy challenges and a difficult business climate contributed to lower jobs numbers in some states with established solar markets,” the foundation said. “In other states, supportive policies and the rapidly declining cost of solar technologies helped drive an increase in employment in 2018.” Florida is a state that is seeing high-profile solar industry projects. That includes the new JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. solar panel plant at Cecil Commerce Center that is expected to employ 200 people when fully operational. Meanwhile, JEA has plans in the works to increase its solar capacity from 39 megawatts by the fall of this year to 289 megawatts by the end of 2022 as five new solar facilities come on line.
The JEA Old Plank Road solar facility. JEA is involved with 13 solar energy sites as part as an effort to diversify its power production.
Solar jobs down nationally, but up in Florida
3.2%
21%
Decline in U.S. solar jobs in 2018, the second straight annual decline
Percent increase in new solar jobs in Florida in 2018
242,343
10,358
U.S. jobs in the solar industry
Solar industry jobs in Florida.
Source: The Solar Foundation
Florida Power & Light Co., which has committed to buy solar panels from JinkoSolar, has 18 major solar plants operating in Florida. That includes a Putnam County plant and another plant that spans Putnam and Alachua counties. JinkoSolar’s incentives application approved last year by City Council said the average salary for employees would be $45,562. But most employees in the solar industry in Northeast
Florida make less than that. Manufacturing accounts for only 14 percent of solar industry jobs, according to the Solar Foundation study. Installation and project management accounts for 64 percent of the industry jobs. According to projections by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, solar photovoltaic installers earn a median wage of $15.22 an hour, less than Florida’s overall median wage of $16.07.
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JinkoSolar is building a solar panel factory in Jacksonville. Jobs there will pay an average salary of $45,562.
The Florida agency is projecting big growth in the sector, with solar installer jobs growing by 63.4 percent through 2026, compared with statewide job growth of 10.1 percent. Despite declines in nationwide solar employment in the past two years, the Solar Foundation paints an optimistic picture of the industry. It said industry jobs still grew by 70 percent from 2013 through 2018, compared with
national overall job growth of 9.13 percent. Based on the foundation’s survey, it is expecting solar industry jobs to increase by 7 percent this year. “With a backlog of utilityscale projects and new policy incentives in key states, the outlook for solar jobs is expected to improve in 2019,” it said. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
Page 4 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE MATHIS REPORT
Island Wing Co. taking over Tinseltown site
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Sports bar restaurant that doesn’t serve fried food is renovating the former TGI Fridays space in Southside. Island Wing Co. plans to take over the former TGI Fridays restaurant in the Tinseltown area of Deerwood Park and open it by football season, if not before. It will be a new concept for a sports bar restaurant. The wings, fries and all the traditional sports-bar fare is baked or grilled – not fried. “It is much healthier,” said franchisee Shane Powers, who said he plans several more locations in Northeast Florida. Island Wing’s menu includes chicken wings, tenders, burgers, tacos, chopped salads, sandwiches, appetizers, vegetarian nuggets and more. And the motto is “Get Baked,” meaning there are no fried foods. It includes a full-service bar, crafts on tap and dozens of TVs. Construction Solutions LLC of Tallahassee is the contractor for the alterations of the existing shell building at 4409 Southside Blvd. The restaurant, built in 1999, comprises about 7,700 square feet of interior space as well as unenclosed space. While the permit application indicates a $450,000 interior renovation cost, contractor Bill Moore with Construction Solutions said it would be more
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
Island Wing Co. plans to take over the former TGI Fridays space at 4409 Southside Blvd. Island Wing Co., whose motto is “Get Baked,” has locations in Gulf Shores and Mobile, Alabama, and in Destin and Tallahassee.
than that because he found the kitchen interior needs to be demolished and rebuilt. According to loopnet.com, the property offers 284 seats in the restaurant and a bar that seats 85. Moore, also Island Wing’s planning and construction director, estimated the restaurant would take at least five months to open. He said TGI Fridays closed last summer. Island Wing Co. says on islandwing.com that its Jacksonville location is coming soon, in the second quarter. TGI Fridays leased the building from the property owner and Island Wing will lease the site. Powers said he intends to build the next two locations, anticipated in Bartram Market and Beachwalk in St. Johns County. The first Island Wing opened in August 2012 in Auburn, Alabama, by a husband-and-wife team. The franchise company is based in Destin. Its website shows restaurants in Gulf Shores and Mobile, Alabama, and in Destin and Tallahassee. Stores are “coming soon” in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and three in Orlando. Powers said his restaurants employ 100 to 125, mostly part-time.
Island Wing Co.
Inside the Island Wing Co. restaurant in Tallahassee. Plans for Jacksonville include a full-service bar and dozens of televisions.
He said the Tinseltown project will be about $2 million while the Bartram Market and Beachwalk locations would cost at least $3.5 million to $4 million. Powers said he is the area developer and franchisee for Duval, St. Johns, Nassau and Clay counties. He said the first prototype store is in Tallahassee and that some customers doubt the food isn’t fried. “We’ve taken people in the back in the Tallahassee store to show there is no fryer,” he said. The Tallahassee menu shows appetizers; quesadillas;
flatbreads; tacos; sandwiches; burgers; greens, macaroni and cheese varieties; sides; a kid’s menu; entrees that include chicken, shrimp scampi, tilapia and “no fry stir fry,”; and, of course, wings and tenders with sauces and dips, with the hottest sauce called “scorpion.”
U.S. Trust moving within Bank of America Tower
U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management is building out on the 36th floor at the Bank of America Tower Downtown at 50 N. Laura St.
It appears to be moving from the 32nd floor, where SunTrust Banks Inc. will relocate from the nearby tower it occupies but that has been sold to VyStar Credit Union. The city approved a permit Jan. 25 for Marand Builders Inc. to renovate almost 2,000 square feet of space for U.S. Trust at a cost of $262,170. As for SunTrust, the city is reviewing plans for the bank to build-out 15,529 square feet of space, which is the bulk of the 32nd floor of the 42-story high-rise, at a cost of $1.01 million. The floor size is listed at
RESTAURANT NOTES
Mimi’s Cafe says it’s aware that Ida Claire is making plans for its space Mimi’s Cafe responded to questions about plans filed by Ida Claire, South of Ordinary, a Texas-based concept that proposes to convert the St. Johns Town Center restaurant. “As a privately held company, we don’t discuss lease agreements. We know that another company has shown interest in the space, but no decision has been made in regard to our future plans,” said the statement by Mimi’s Cafe, which is based in Dallas. Ida Claire, whose first location is in Dallas, is part of Front Burner Dining Group LLC. n Miraculous Delights LLC registered Cold Stone Creamery and Planet Smoothie with the state as a fictitious name. The address is 14035 Beach Blvd., No. 107, in the Palmetto Point center. n Starbucks Corp. paid for a business
license to operate Starbucks Coffee shop at 4761 Hodges Blvd. in the Windsor Commons shopping center. n Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
continues seeking permits to develop its Arlington location on 1.25 acres in Buck Business Park. Popeyes
File image
Dallas-base Ida Claire has plans to convert Mimi’s Cafe at 10209 Rivercoast Drive in St. Johns Town Center into its Southern-themed concept.
proposes a 2,265-square-foot restaurant at 9309 Merrill Road. The permit application with the St. Johns River Water Management District shows Popeyes next to the proposed RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. location. n Chick-fil-A continues its area renovations. The restaurant applied for a permit to renovate its almost 4,900-square-foot store at 9980 Southside Blvd., near The Avenues
mall, at a construction cost of $340,000. It previously filed plans to renovate restaurants at 4461 Southside Blvd. in Tinseltown; at 9398 Atlantic Blvd. in the Regency area; and at 14020 Lunar Drive in River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville. It’s part of a brand reimage. A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman said in May the Atlantabased chain plans to remodel two to three Jacksonville-area locations each year for the next five years as part of its long-term reinvestment strategy. It operates about 15 locations in Northeast Florida. n McDonald’s is remodeling its location inside the Walmart Supercenter at 6830 Normandy Blvd. at a cost of $50,000. n Keke’s Breakfast Café and Jana Japanese Steakhouse were approved for build-out in The Pavilion at Durbin Park. The $650,000 Keke’s build-out is for a 4,400-square-foot restaurant at 450 Durbin Pavilion Drive, Suite 106. The Jana project is a $226,611 buildout of 4,950 square feet at 480 Durbin Pavilion Drive, Suite 101.
n Burrito Gallery is building-out at Gateway Village at Town Center. The city issued a permit for Kaneco Construction LLC to build-out 3,100 square feet of space at 5016 Gate Parkway at a cost of $614,789. n Larry’s Giant Subs paid for a business license to do business in Murray Hill at 1050 Edgewood Ave. S. n Panera Bread applied to St. Johns County for a permit to build a 3,238-square-foot restaurant on 1.1 acres at southwest Crosswater Parkway and Village Lake Drive in Nocatee. n Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge applied for a certificate of use at 901 King St., where chef Celestia Mobley is opening a 151-seat restaurant in 3,800 square feet of space. n Riverchefs LLC, which does business as The Bread & Board, seeks a zoning exception for a liquor license to expand from serving beer and wine to adding spirits for on-premises consumption. Bread & Board opened in April 2017 at 1030 Oak St. in Riverside.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer almost 17,200 square feet. U.S. Trust now uses space on that floor. SunTrust will move a block north from the SunTrust Tower at 76 S. Laura St. It might not be SunTrust’s final home or name. SunTrust Banks Inc. and BB&T Corp. announced a merger Feb. 7. The companies said they will develop a new name for the merged bank, which will be based in Charlotte. SunTrust is based in Atlanta and BB&T is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. BB&T also has a major presence Downtown where its main local office is in the BB&T Tower at 200 W. Forsyth St. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data show that SunTrust has 24 branches in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, the fourth-largest branch network in the market, and BB&T is the eighth-largest with 14 offices. The combined bank will be the sixth-largest U.S. bank with $442 billion in assets, the companies said.
Norcal moving into Town Center One Norcal Mutual Insurance Co is moving into Town Center One at 5555 Gate Parkway. The company, which sells health care professional liability insurance, will lease about 6,000 square feet on the first floor. The city approved a permit for Brasfield & Gorrie LLC to buildout 5,214 square feet of space for Norcal at a cost of $653,639. Availity LLC, a health care IT company, anchors the building, developed by VanTrust Real Estate LLC.
Availity leases about 105,000 square feet of the 160,000-square-foot Town Center One, taking the entire third through fifth floors and part of the first. VanTrust Executive Vice President John Carey said about 12,000 square feet remains for lease in the building. Norcal now leases 9,700 square feet of space in the Quadrant at Southpoint I building at 4651 Salisbury Road. The city issued a certificate of use for Norcal in suite 150 at Town Center One. Norcal has no comment.
Cinemark at Durbin Park in permitting The St. Johns River Water Management District said it will grant a permit for development of the Cinemark theater at The Pavilion at Durbin Park. Cinemark Holdings Inc. said in October it plans to open a 12-screen movie theater there by the fall. The company said the theater will feature Cinemark’s XD auditorium technology, 4K digital projection and RealD 3D capability. All auditoriums will feature its “Luxury Loungers,” electricpowered, oversize recliners with footrests and cup holders. Plans show an 85,000-squarefoot complex with a 44,000-square-foot movie theater and six restaurant-retail buildings. The Pavilion at Durbin Park is under development in northern St. Johns County. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Page 5
DEVELOPMENT NOTES n Noah’s Event Venue, which intends to build a center at Southside Quarter in Jacksonville, applied to the St. Johns River Water Management District for development of a 7,000-square-foot event building with 84 parking spaces on 1.8 acres at 11545 Village Crossing Drive. Brandon Jensen, vice president of construction, said previously the location will open eight to 10 months after construction begins. Noahseventvenue.com states the center will open this year. The first available date to book the site is Jan. 1.
File image
The Crown Plaza Hotel near JIA is planning a $2.5 million interior renovation.
n Crowne Plaza Hotel proposes a $2.5 million interior renovation to the public area of the hotel at 14670 Duval Road. Pecan Tree Development LLC of Port Charlotte is the contractor.
San Marco at 1639 Atlantic Blvd. Plans show interior demolition and renovations for a firstfloor tenant and two spaces on the second floor for two tenants. As reported in December, Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery will lease 3,900 square feet, taking the first floor at 1639 Atlantic Blvd. by April.
n Pet Paradise wants to renovate some of the space it vacated at 5130 University Blvd. W. when it moved its headquarters to San Marco. It intends to renovate about 3,500 square feet for offices, training, vet services offices and its call center, which is relocating from Baymeadows. HW Building Construction LLC is the contractor for the $144,121 project. Real Estate Vice President Brian Franco said the company was “just making good use of our former HQ.”
n Magellan Transport Logistics applied for a certificate of use for 9,837 square feet of office space at 8505 Baycenter Road. Magellan is a transportation and supply chain company. n Del Webb applied to the city for a permit to build a new model sales center at eTown. Pulte Home Corp. wants to build a two-story, 4,767-square-foot center at 11246 Town View Drive at a cost of $180,000.
n A $100,000 shell renovation is in review for the two-story, 7,500-square-foot building in
RETAIL NOTES $1.14 million for Outparcel 2 at the property at Deerwood Park Boulevard and Gate Parkway.
n The city issued a concurrency reservation certificate for a 9,352-square-foot building on 1.51 acres at Gateway Village at Town Center along Gate Parkway. England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer. It’s an increase in size from the initially approved 9,000-square-foot building. Jacksonville Gateway Village LLC, led by Chris Morgan and Jim Loftin, paid almost
n More build-out was approved at The Pavilion at Durbin Park – a $359,000 build-out of 3,400 square feet for CareSpot Urgent Care at 70 Durbin Pavilion Drive, Suite 101.
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The Vesta Hospitality Fund II, LLC is an unregistered investment fund. Only verified accredited investors under Rule 506(c) of SEC Regulation D may participate. This promotional summary is not intended as a solicitation to purchase securities. Any such solicitation will be made only by Fund II’s Confidential Private Placement Memorandum, which contains material information regarding an investment in Fund II. Any investment in Fund II is speculative and there is no guarantee of any return. Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of this summary.
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Page 6 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE BASCH REPORT
Second snag slows Fidelity’s Stewart deal
MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“We knew it would take a long time. We’re a little frustrated and it’s tedious, but we’re not giving up. We’re going on. We’re going forward.” BILL FOLEY, FIDELITY CHAIRMAN
Jacksonville-based Fidelity says the merger of the two title companies was delayed by the federal government shutdown. Fidelity National Financial Inc. three weeks ago revealed one snag that’s slowing its acquisition of Stewart Information Services Corp.: a rejection of the merger application by a New York state regulator. But during its quarterly conference call with analysts last week, Jacksonville-based Fidelity said the merger of the two title insurance companies hit a second hurdle in January: the federal government shutdown. The Federal Trade Commission is continuing its antitrust review of the deal, which would increase Fidelity’s dominant share of the U.S. title insurance market to 42 percent. “Unfortunately, the FTC informed us that no work related to the regulatory review occurred during the recent roughly monthlong government shutdown,” Fidelity Chairman Bill Foley said during the Foley conference call. Fidelity and Stewart announced the $1.2 billion merger nearly a year ago, in March 2018. “We knew it would take a long time,” Foley said. “We’re a little frustrated and it’s tedious, but we’re not giving up. We’re going on. We’re going forward.” The New York State Department of Financial Services disapproved Fidelity’s application to buy Stewart’s New York title insurance subsidiary in January. Foley said he hopes the company can work out the state regulator’s concerns. “We can certainly sit down with them and talk about alternatives, which could include a number of different paths which I’d prefer not to go into because we’re still evaluating different alternatives,” he said. Fidelity already received 28 state approvals before the New York department rejected it, and Foley said it won’t stop the deal. “One state is not going to slow this thing down. It just isn’t going to happen,” he said. Fidelity reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of 63 cents a share, 3 cents higher than the previous year. However, the earnings were 5 cents lower than the consensus forecast of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Services.
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
Fidelity’s stock fell by 91 cents to $35.52 last Thursday after the earnings report.
FIS, Black Knight beat forecasts
Two Jacksonville-based companies spun off from Fidelity reported fourth-quarter earnings last week that beat analysts’ forecasts. Fidelity National Information Services Inc., or FIS, reported adjusted earnings of $1.60 a share, up from $1.24 in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 2 cents higher than Zacks’ consensus forecast. Black Knight Inc.’s adjusted earnings of 50 cents a share were 13 cents higher than the previous year and 3 cents above Zacks’ consensus forecast. Black Knight provides technology services to mortgage lenders and FIS provides other technology for financial institutions. During their conference calls, analysts asked both companies about the impact of the planned merger of SunTrust Banks Inc. and BB&T Corp. on their businesses. Norcross FIS Chief Executive Gary Norcross said the company modeled “a very consistent level of industry consolidation” into its 2019 forecasts. “It’s very hard to predict when these announcements are going to occur. It’s very hard to predict what the impact could be, both positive and negative,” he said. SunTrust and BB&T are clients of Black Knight and both have “a lot of focus on technology in general,” Black Knight CEO Anthony Jabbour said. “We think it fits well with our innovations that we brought to market and we’re
going to continue to bring to market and I think directionally where we’re heading is in the same line of direction as they are,” he said.
Rayonier AM misses forecasts Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of 19 cents a share, down from 50 cents in the fourth quarter of 2017. The earnings were 18 cents below the consensus forecast of analysts, Zacks said. Jacksonville-based Rayonier AM’s stock fell $1.22 to $13.75 last Thursday after the report. The maker of cellulose specialties products will provide an update on its outlook at an Investor Day presentation March 7 in New York.
Regency Centers remains optimistic about retail
Jacksonville-based shopping center developer Regency Centers Corp. continues to deal with retailers going out of business but during its conference call last week, CEO Hap Stein said there are plenty of well-run retailers remaining to fill up mall spaces. “There have been and always will continue to be tenant failures, and the key is to try to align yourself with the better best-in-class operators,” Stein said. “We feel good about our ability and good about tenant demand and our ability to maintain occupancy in the 95 to 96 percent range and average 3 percent-plus growth (in net operating income) over the long term,” he said. Regency’s portfolio of 425 properties across the country was 95.6 percent leased at year-end. The portfolio includes one
Sears and two Kmart locations but company officials are optimistic they can find new tenants to replace those stores that will pay higher rents. Sears Holdings Corp., parent of both Sears and Kmart, is reorganizing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws. Regency reported funds from operation (basically earnings excluding noncash charges) of 98 cents a share in the fourth quarter, up from 94 cents the previous year. Regency also said it is raising its quarterly cash dividend by 3 cents a share to 58.5 cents.
GEE Group earnings fall GEE Group Inc. last week reported income from operations of $19,000 for its first quarter ended Dec. 31, down from $1.5 million the previous year. The Jacksonville-based staffing services company said revenue fell 15 percent in the quarter to $38.5 million. The company said revenue fell in part because of a plan to close underperforming offices. Severe winter weather in some markets and the holidays falling in the middle of the week also impacted results, it said. “GEE’s strategy for the remainder of this fiscal year includes the selective addition of sales and delivery talent, in addition to beefing up our recruiting capabilities to help us continue to gain market share and increase GEE Group’s organic revenue growth and profitability,” CEO Derek Dewan said in a news release. “We plan to bolster our balance sheet and continue to evaluate and make strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business, which will be accretive to earnings while adding extensively to our service delivery network.”
NorthropSt. Augustine wins $16.9M contract The U.S. Department of Defense said last week Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded a $16.9 million contract modification by the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Systems Command for aircraft depot maintenance services. The Defense Department said 96 percent of the work on the contract will be done at Northrop’s St. Augustine facility, which is the largest corporate employer in St. Johns County with more than 1,000 workers. The work will be done on the F-5N/F aircraft.
Marker officially moves its HQ to Houston
Marker Therapeutics Inc., formerly known as TapImmune, officially relocated its headquarters from Jacksonville to Houston, the company said last week. The company, formed by a merger last year, previously announced it would move its main office to Texas because of a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine. TapImmune moved its headquarters from Seattle to Jacksonville in 2015 when it began trials of a breast cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic. Marker said in a news release last week that “certain personnel will continue to operate in proximity to major academic and clinical partners in the Jacksonville location.” The company, which has several cancer treatments in development, has had a minimal number of employees while headquartered in Jacksonville.
MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Page 7
REAL ESTATE
Top 10 sales of the week BY SCOTT SAILER • EDITORIAL RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Here are the top 10 real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Feb. 11-15.
File image
Creekwood Apartment Homes at 8343 Hogan Road sold for $11.2 million, 34 percent more than what it sold for in 2014.
$11,230,000
$6,083,000
$3,700,000
$3,060,000
$2,313,600
8343 Hogan Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Merchants Way and Argyle Forest Boulevard Jacksonville, Duval County
9866 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Collins Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Shearwater Parkway, St. Augustine, St. Johns County
Type: Creekwood Apartment Homes Size: 11.67 acres Buyer: Westside Creekwood Owner LLC Seller: Creekwood 5775 LLC Previous sale: $8,375,000 in 2014
Type: Undeveloped medical office Size: Not available Buyer: Baptist Health Properties Inc. Seller: AFI Associates Inc.
Type: Commercial retail Size: 5.73 acres Buyer: Rarre III LLC Seller: 9886 Baymeadows LLC Previous sale: $1,259,500 in 2002
Type: Timberland Size: Not available Buyer: Lennar Homes LLC and Rimrock Oakleaf LLC Seller: Oak Leaf SVF LLC
Type: 24 single-family lots in Shearwater Size: Not available Buyer: Toll Southeast LP Co. Inc. Seller: WFC Ashford Mills Owner VII LLC
$2,225,000
$1,900,000
$1,528,000
$1,528,000
$1,400,000
255 Deer Haven Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns County
4 Ocean Club Drive, Fernandina Beach, Nassau County
ETown Parkway, Jacksonville, Duval County
ETown Parkway, Jacksonville, Duval County
3267 Beauclerc Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Type: Single-family Size: 1.44 acres Buyer: Andrew and Michelle Harold Seller: Deane R. and Judith N. Beman
Type: Single-family Size: 0.43 acres Buyer: Robert and Michele Carvalho Seller: Amelia Range Views LLC Previous sale: $1,760,000 in 2011
Type: 16 single-family lots in Parcel E2 Phase One Size: Not available Buyer: Weekley Homes LLC Seller: DRP CND ICI LLC
Type: 16 single-family lots in Parcel E2 Phase One Size: Not available Buyer: JAX Construction Holdings LLC Seller: DRP CND ICI LLC
Type: Single-family Size: 3.12 acres Buyer: Diane and Victor Insetta Seller: Ellen H. and Robert I. Schnipper
2018
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Page 8 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Wallace
bringing in more jobs,” he said, which could attract more residents.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Wallace said last week at a meeting of CREW Jacksonville, a network that supports women’s advancement in the commercial real estate industry. He referred to the generation of workers who are under the age of 40. “Here’s what I know that we must do as a region. The war of talent, talent attraction, development and retention of talent, is going to allow us to win the battles about the attraction of companies to our area,” he said. “If we do not have the talent, we’re going to lose more of the economic development battles from company to company over the next five years, so that’s why the focus for us has to be on the workforce,” he said. Wallace presented a strategy and asked for the support of businesses and leaders in Northeast Florida, especially among the JAXUSA counties of Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns. He framed it in the context of Elevate Northeast Florida, the five-year regional plan that focuses on education, workforce partnerships, Smart transportation and innovation, global branding and targeted industries. Those industry targets, which have evolved over the decades, are advanced manufacturing; financial services; health and biomedical; advanced transportation and logistics, including the port; and information technology and innovation. Wallace outlined the areas that need action for effective economic development. TRANSPARENCY
“We must be much more transparent than we ever have been in economic development to make sure we do not continue to be called on the carpet for corporate welfare,” he said, emphasizing he doesn’t like the “corporate welfare” term. “We’re going to be as transparent as we possibly can in doing the work.”
AFFORDABLE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING
“We can no longer not engage in the conversation about affordable and workforce housing, being on the sidelines. ‘That’s their job.’ No, that is our job if we want to
POVERTY
“There are still people that are left behind,” Wallace said. “We have to create opportunities for those individuals to gain meaningful, gainful employment; get the skills that they need to participate in this thriving, robust Northeast Florida region economy.” That includes education, safe housing, safety, and child and family care.
Photo by Dede Smith
survive as economic development specialists.” PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Workers need to be able to reach their jobs and other destinations without relying on cars. Wallace also said the Downtown Bay Street innovation corridor to launch a system of driverless cars is an example of pursuing ways to meet the needs of the future workforce.
EDUCATION
Employers and educators in the K-12 system throughout the seven counties must work together. “It is the employers that are going to tell us exactly what skills that they need for a labor force,” he said.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Some competing Florida cities boast high university enrollment. The University of Central Florida in Orlando has 65,000 students and the University of South Florida in Tampa has 44,000 students. The University of North Florida in Jacksonville, by comparison, has 16,000 students. Wallace said he isn’t advocating for UNF to reach the level of UCF. “What I’m saying is that everyone in this room must work with our regional University of North Florida to help them in every way possible to gain more students and create that talent pipeline that I know we’re going to need to continue to serve the companies that are here as well as the companies that we seek to attract into Northeast Florida,” he said.
CAREER PATHWAYS
Not every student, Wallace
said, will attend a four-year institution for a bachelor’s degree. “We have to have meaningful pathways for them to have gainful employment, including apprenticeships.” He noted that homes, offices and factories can’t be built without plumbers and electricians, for example. “That’s how you have a sustainable, robust economy and region,” he said. INNOVATION
AIR SERVICE
Young entrepreneurs create businesses and need the coworking and university space to do so. When they succeed, they hire local students. “More than likely, they’re going to stay here and they’re going to hire the people at UNF, Jacksonville University, Florida State College at Jacksonville and St. Johns River State College,” he said. “Homegrown talent is huge and as important as us going out and trying to bring in corporate headquarters.” Although, he said, “I know how we’re judged so I have to make sure that we still go after the corporate headquarters as well.”
BUILDINGS
Office prospects are seeking at least 50,000 square feet of space and industrial prospects are “not looking for anything less than 274,000 square feet of space,” on average, he said. “We can definitely absorb what is actually being produced.”
POPULATION
The population is growing in all the JAXUSA partner counties except Putnam, he said. From 2016-17, he said, 17 Florida counties lost population and Putnam was one of them. “Hopefully we can work with them in terms of
Landing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
$15 million to buy out a 2003 lease agreement that is scheduled to run through 2056. The city also agreed to pay $1.5 million for terminating tenant leases, relocation costs and other expenses. Legislation approving the agreement will be introduced to Jacksonville City Council. Legislation also will include $1.5 million to demolish the buildings so the city can proceed with future development. “For years, Jacksonville Landing Investments and Sleiman Enterprises have contributed immeasurably to development and job creation in and around Jacksonville,” said Curry in the statement “The Landing has been a fixture in the community much like the Sleiman organization, who stepped in at a time when the property’s future was in doubt upon the exit of the original developer. On behalf of the citi-
Photo from Curry’s Twitter
Sleiman Enterprises Inc. President Toney Sleiman, owner of the Jacksonville Landing, and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry reached a deal on the future of the Downtown shopping center Wednesday.
zens of Jacksonville, I appreciate their willingness to work with me so that Jacksonville can consider an alternate path forward for the location of the Landing,” Curry said. Sleiman added that Curry “is having success in Jacksonville and Downtown.” “The JLI team and the entire Sleiman organization want to see that success continue and we are ready to see this process come to a mutu-
EXISTING BUSINESS
It’s critical to support the businesses already operating in the area, considering they will be the employers who retain jobs during a recession and create new ones during the recovery. “That’s why we visit them, talk to them, understand what their needs are,” he said. “What are your talent needs? How can we help you? How can we link you to the right entities to help you? This is going to be really important as we move forward over the next five years,” he said.
JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said the region will lose out on economic development if it doesn’t develop, attract and retain talented workers.
ally agreed conclusion,” he said. Through Jacksonville Landing Investments Inc., Sleiman bought the three Landing buildings that comprise the 32-yearold mall for $5.7 million in 2003 from Rouse-Jacksonville Inc., the original developer. The city owns the land at 2 Independent Drive W. and leases the property to JLI. The sides have been engaged in two lawsuits since 2015 over
Cathy Chambers, JAXUSA senior vice president of strategy and business development, said air service is important. “I know we’re working hard to expand service all the time and trying to be more aggressive,” she said.
WHERE JACKSONVILLE RANKS
JAXUSA Partnership works with economic development teams and business recruitment and retention in the seven counties, which Wallace said have a population of 1.7 million. Wallace said the state’s next 5 million people are predicted to include many for Northeast Florida: More than 278,000 more residents for Duval; 128,000 for St. Johns; 73,000 into Clay; 43,000 into Flagler; 26,000 into Nassau; 4,400 for Putnam; and 3,300 for Baker. “Economic development is going to be critical because people are going to be looking for employment opportunities,” he said. In terms of who is moving to the area, Wallace said the “wealth migration” from 1992-2016 to Duval came from Connecticut, Virginia and from South and Central Florida. Those leaving Duval moved to St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Baker
the operation and maintenance of the mall and over who controls an adjacent parking lot. In 2015 the city sued JLI for failing to close on a $4.7 million purchase and sale agreement for what is referred to as the East Parcel, a surface level parking lot next to the Landing. As of Wednesday, a two-day nonjury trial in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court was scheduled for July 29-30. According to a copy of the settlement, “for avoidance of doubt, this Agreement does not address JLI’s claims for repayment of amounts paid by it to the City in contemplation of JLI’s possible acquisition of that property known as the East Parcel.” The settlement mainly addresses concerns revolving around a 2017 lawsuit initiated by the JLI. The ownership group sued the city for failing to maintain the surrounding property, including docks and bulkheads that were damaged during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and again by Hurricane Irma in 2017. That case also is active, accord-
JAXUSA Partnership n Division of JAX Chamber n 7 counties: Baker, Clay,
Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns n 1.7 million population n 14 staff n 130 private-sector investors n $3.3 million budget
Elevate Northeast Florida n Education and workforce partnerships n Smart region – Bay Street innovation corridor n Global brand and awareness
Target industries n Advanced manufacturing n Financial services n Health and biomedical n Advanced transportation
and logistics n Information technology and innovation
Northeast Florida n No. 3 industry diversification in the state n 10.7 percent population growth 2010-17 n 38.6 median age n 20.73 percent bachelor’s degrees 2017 n $54,772 median household income
Economic competition n Charlotte, North Carolina n Nashville, Tennessee n Orlando n Raleigh, North Carolina n Tampa
counties and to Texas. The moves within the region shows “that we’re all tied together and that is why we have to work together from a regional standpoint.” KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
ing to the 4th Circuit. The city began eviction procedures in 2017, arguing that it was the Landing ownership that has failed to maintain the property as a “world class facility.” The city sent JLI a letter in 2018 informing the group it had terminated the 2003 lease agreement and in January returned a $107,000 annual rent check from JLI. While development ideas have been introduced by the city and Sleiman over the past 15 years, nothing has materialized. Last year the mayor’s office released a rendering of how the property could look if the Landing were to be demolished. It showed a large riverfront park and a pair of mixed-use towers toward the back of the property. Meanwhile, the mall continues to lose restaurant and retail tenants with business owners citing the lack of foot traffic and concerns about safety. DCAWTON@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @DAVIDCAWTON (904) 356-2466
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Page 9
JTA preparing to sell land for apartments
Property along AC Skinner Parkway planned for 370-unit community. Jacksonville Transportation Authority is preparing to sell 17.51 acres for apartment development in South Jacksonville. The city calculated a $349,959 mobility fee for what will be a 370-unit apartment community between Butler Boulevard and AC Skinner Parkway, near Southside Boulevard. JTA plans to sell the property to Texas-based PG Investco LLC., a subsidiary of Presidium Group, which is partnering locally with Killashee Investments LLC. Plans include five four-story apartment buildings and five two-story carriage-house buildings along with a leasing and amenities building. Connelly & Wicker Inc. is the project engineer with Dix.Hite + Partners providing landscape architect services. Dwell Design Studio is the architect. Plans submitted to the city show five apartment buildings along AC Skinner Parkway with the carriage houses, with two units each, closer to Butler Boulevard. About 52,000 square feet is set aside for active recreation space and could include a dog park with a pet-washing station, a pool and other amenities. The proposal includes parking for 556 vehicles. Killashee partner Mark Farrell previously said the group has a contract to purchase the site. The JTA board of directors gave CEO Nathaniel Ford the OK to proceed with a $7.58 million purchase and sale agreement with the development groups in March 2018. Construction is expected to
Renew Arlington CRA
Catalyst Character Area Merrill Commercial Character Area Arlington Road Character Area University Commercial Character Area University Village Character Area
Community Redevelopment Areas are special funding districts created to spur economic development in blighted areas. Revenue generated from increased property values within the CRA would go toward economic development, housing, infrastructure and other projects that benefit the area. The Renew Arlington CRA comprises five character areas. The character areas feature distinct design guidelines and performance standards.
last 20 months. City Council members approved legislation to rezone the property in August to planned unit development to allow for multifamily residential construction.
and 952 acres for the Westlake Solar Center in West Jacksonville. In Northwest Jacksonville, the company has 601 acres set aside for the Forest Trail Solar Center.
JEA planning next solar farm in West Jacksonville
Arlington zoning overlay to council
JEA seeks a zoning exception for 1,849 acres in West Jacksonville for a solar farm. The property is zoned as a planned unit development. The exception would allow JEA to add the “essential services” category of uses, so it can proceed with a photovoltaic solar energy farm. JEA paid $18.8 million for the West Jacksonville site to develop the Deep Creek Solar Center. The utility is developing at least 13 solar sites in the Jacksonville-area, including five in West and Northwest Jacksonville. In addition to the Deep Creek site, JEA also has 400 acres to build a Beaver Street Solar Center, 400 acres for a Cecil Commerce Solar Center
Jacksonville City Council members soon will review a zoning overlay for the Renew Arlington Community Redevelopment Area. The Renew Arlington CRA board approved the measure Feb. 12 that overhauls design standards for parts of the Arlington neighborhood. The zoning overlay now heads to the Planning Commission, followed by public hearings at the council Land Use and Zoning Committee before a full vote by lawmakers in March. Two other measures that fund and provide guidance for a façade and property improvement grant program did not receive votes because of time restraints. Those issues need only the approval of the CRA board,
which is expected to hold a special meeting to review those changes before May. The zoning overlay is the result of nearly four years of work by the seven-member CRA advisory board, local business owners, residents, council members and the city Public Works Department. It includes hard deadlines for property owners to meet new landscaping, fencing and signage requirements; establishes five “character areas” within the CRA boundaries; and lists general design guidelines intended to make commercial corridors more pedestrianfriendly and economically viable. The CRA boundaries include 1,302 properties along three corridors in Arlington: University Boulevard from the Arlington Expressway to Fort Caroline Road; Merrill Road from University Boulevard to Interstate 295; and a section of Arlington Road from University Boulevard to Rogero Road. The character areas comprise the University Village, University Commercial, Merrill Commercial, Arlington Road and Catalyst districts that feature
DCAWTON@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @DAVIDCAWTON (904) 356-2466
DEVELOPMENT TODAY These are the largest commercial building permits by job cost issued Tuesday by the city of Jacksonville. AMUSEMENT RECREATION Alta Lakes, 3108 Alta Lakes Blvd, contractor is K&G Construction Co. Inc., new building foundation, $30,000. OFFICE, BANK, PROFESSIONAL The Haskell Co., 111 Riverside Ave., contractor is The Haskell Co., upgrade HVAC system, $1,897,615. Touchton Building LLC, 9722 Touchton Road, Prestige Properties of Jacksonville Inc., 2,850 square feet, tenant build-out, $126,000. Clear Channel Outdoor, 7380 Philips Highway, No. 1000, contractor is Heathrow Construction Corp., alteration, $78,870. ROOFING Manning Building Supplies Inc., 10900
Philips Highway, contractor is Armored Metal Works Inc., replace metal roof, $154,036. Lion’s Head Apartments, 4950 Richard St., contractor is Al Davis Roofing Co. Inc., two permits for roof replacement, $76,125. Lil’ Champ Food Stores Inc., 3051 Monument Road, contractor is Guy’s Diversified Inc., roof replacement, $20,000. Inspire to Rise Inc., 5927 Old Timuquana Road, contractor is The Neill Co. LLC, roof replacement, $17,000. SIGNS McDonald’s, 5451 Roosevelt Blvd., contractor is Peak Professional Contractors LLC, four permits for menu boards, $48,750. VIO Med Spa, 13820 Old St. Augustine Road, No. 401, contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., wall sign, $2,350. Marietta Dental, Dentist, 8209 W. Beaver St., contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., ground sign, $2,300. Synergy Lifestyle Center, 5737 Barnhill Drive, No. 200, contractor is Taylor Sign &
Design Inc., wall sign, $2,100. STORES, MERCANTILE Dollar General, 14619 Yellow Bluff Road, contractor is Concept Construction, 9,316 square feet, two permits for new building and trash enclosure, $309,763. UTILITIES Sprint, 4851 Collins Road, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp., cell tower equipment upgrade, $65,000. Sprint, 8000 Peyton Place, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp., cell tower equipment upgrade, $65,000. Sprint, 2953 Powers Ave., contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp., cell tower equipment upgrade, $65,000. T-Mobile, 10996 Fort Caroline Road, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp., cell tower equipment upgrade, $65,000. Compiled by Scott Sailer
BUSINESS IN BRIEF Champion Brands to distribute Tabula Rasa beer: Jacksonville-based beverage wholesaler Champion Brands will distribute Tabula Rasa Brewing craft beer in Northeast Florida. Tabula Rasa Brewing, owned by the Peterson family, opened in 2018 in the Railyard District next to McCoys Creek at 2385 Corbett St., the former Mixon Studios. Compiled by Scott Sailer
THE CAWTON REPORT
DAVID CAWTON STAFF WRITER
distinct design guidelines and performance standards. Matt Tuohy chairs the CRA advisory board and is director of aeronautics for the Jacksonville University Davis College of Business. Tuohy told council members Feb. 12 that the board worked through several revisions to present a final draft. He acknowledged that some community members still were not satisfied. “However, just because suggestions weren’t accepted, doesn’t mean their voices weren’t heard,” Tuohy said. Those concerns revolve around deadlines property owners must meet regarding landscaping, fencing and signage. Property owner Bill Cesery told the panel that renovations to his Lake Lucina Shopping Center along Merrill Road would cost more than $100,000 if the overlay is adopted as is. To offset those costs, the CRA board is expected to approve a façade grant program with proposed initial funding of $225,000, although that amount could increase. For most projects, the grant is a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000 for each property owner. To address landscaping, signage and fencing improvements, the city is increasing that amount to $20,000 during the first two years of the program. Per state law, 95 percent of the revenue generated from the increase in property taxes within the CRA boundaries is used to fund programs and projects identified in the CRA development plan. Officials estimate about $59 million in additional funding could be generated to improve roadways, bury utilities and improve stormwater infrastructure by the time the CRA sunsets in 2035. During the 2016-17 and 2017-18 fiscal years, properties within the city’s CRA boundaries generated about $891,000 in ad valorem taxes. That figure is expected to be about $755,215 for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Page 10 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
18 HOPEFULS FOR JUDGE SEAT BY MAX MARBUT • ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A
ttorneys, magistrates, a sitting circuit judge, a sitting county judge and a professor have submitted their names to the 4th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission for consideration to succeed Circuit Judge John Skinner. The commission will interview the applicants beginning at 8:30 a.m. March 5 in the chief judge’s conference room at the Duval County Courthouse. The interviews are open to the public. On March 5, the commission will submit up to six nominees to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who may select one of the nominees within 60 days or request that the commission submit additional candidates.
Janet L. Abel
Melina E. Buncome
Circuit director, state Office of Criminal Conflict & Civil Regional Counsel
4th Circuit assistant public defender
Age: 43 Education: University of Dayton School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2001 Bio: Abel began her career as an assistant public defender in 2001 in Jacksonville. After private practice from 2006 to 2008, she joined the state Office of Regional Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel where she practices criminal law, including death penalty cases.
Galen Douglas Bauer Partner, Spohrer Dodd Age: 40 Education: Florida Coastal School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2005 Bio: Bauer was a clerk at the Spohrer firm while in law school, then joined the firm as an associate. He was named a partner in 2009 and primarily practices personal injury and wrongful death litigation. He is board-certified in aviation law and serves on The Florida Bar Aviation Law Certification Committee.
Brooke Brady
4th Circuit general magistrate and hearing officer Age: 42 Education: Stetson University College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2001 Bio: Brady began her career as an assistant state attorney in Clearwater. She then moved to Jacksonville, where she was in private practice for two years before joining the State Attorney’s Office. Brady was appointed general magistrate in 2017.
Age: 53 Education: Nova Southeastern University Law School, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1994 Bio: Buncome is a former assistant public defender in the 17th Judicial Circuit and was in private practice before becoming an assistant public defender in Jacksonville in 1997. She currently is the Circuit Court Division chief.
Luis Bustamante Assistant state attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit Age: 49 Education: Florida State University College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1993 Bio: Luis Bustamante manages the state attorney’s office in Bradford County. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, and a 40-year resident of Florida, he is a registered lobbyist before the Legislature on behalf of the Office of State Attorney.
Kevin Carlisle Owner, Carlisle Law Firm Age: 38 Education: Florida Coastal School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2010 Bio: Carlisle began his career as an assistant public defender in the 14th Judicial Circuit in Panama City. In September 2013, he came to Jacksonville and joined the Office of Criminal Conflict & Regional Counsel. In July 2017, he opened his private practice
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Meredith Charbula
Lucy Ann Wiggins Hoover
Alphonse B. Perkins
Duval County Judge
Visiting professor at the University of North Florida
4th Circuit assistant public defender
Age: Redacted on application Education: University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D.; University of Arkansas School of Law, LL.M;, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1987 Bio: Wiggins Hoover is a former supervisory special agent with the FBI Office of General Counsel and former district director for U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho. She has been a visiting professor at the University of North Florida since 2017.
Age: 58 Education: University of Kansas School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1990 Bio: Perkins began his career as a certified legal intern at the 4th Circuit Public Defender’s Office while in law school and became an assistant public defender after he was admitted to the Bar. He has tried more than 400 criminal cases.
Michael Fackler
James E. Kallaher
Shareholder at Milam, Howard, Nicandri, Gillam & Renner
Managing partner, Kallaher, DeLuca & Naughton
Court counsel for the 4th Judicial Circuit
Age: 47 Education: University of Florida Levin College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2002 Bio: Fackler began his law career in 2002 as a clerk for U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger. He then was an associate attorney at the McGuireWoods firm from 2004 until 2007, when he joined Milam Howard as an associate. He became a shareholder there in 2016.
Age: Redacted on application Education: Florida Coastal School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2001 Bio: From 1989 to 1997, Kallaher was a U.S. Navy flight instructor and was honorably discharged from the reserves in 2013 with the rank of commander. He was an assistant state attorney in the 4th Judicial Circuit from 2001 to 2003 before going into private practice. Kallaher, an Orange Park resident, specializes in insurance defense commercial litigation and construction defect litigation.
Age: 61 Education: Florida State University College of Law, J.D.; The Judge Advocate General’s School, LL.M; admitted to The Florida Bar in 1987 Bio: Charbula was appointed to the bench in the Duval County Court in November 2017. She is a former 4th Circuit assistant state attorney, a former assistant attorney general for the state of Florida and an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Army.
Charles M. Greene Circuit judge, 17th Judicial Circuit Age: 62 Education: Nova Southeastern Law School, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1983 Bio: Greene is a circuit judge in Broward County, elected in 1990 and subsequently re-elected without opposition. He previously was an assistant state attorney in Fort Lauderdale, in private practice and the legal adviser to the Boca Raton Police Department.
Margaret Gibbs Gulliford 4th Circuit assistant state attorney Age: 32 Education: Stetson University College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2012 Bio: Gulliford is a former associate claims counsel at Fidelity National Financial and currently is an assistant state attorney in the Special Victims Unit.
Robin E. Lanigan 4th Circuit general magistrate and hearing officer Age: 49 Education: Florida Coastal School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 2000 Bio: Lanigan was in private practice specializing in family law until she was appointed general magistrate in October 2016. She hears cases involving dissolution of marriage, child support, custody, paternity, adoptions, Baker Act and Marchman Act proceedings.
Stacey L. Myers Mortgage loan originator, Cardinal Financial Co. Age: 54 Education: University of Florida Levin College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1990 Bio: Myers began her career as an assistant state attorney in Jacksonville, then in 1994 joined the faculty of the University of Florida Levin College of Law while working at the state attorney’s office in Gainesville. She went into private practice in 1997, then in May 2016 became a licensed mortgage loan originator.
Julie K. Taylor Age: 47 Education: Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1996 Bio: Taylor is a former assistant public defender, private practice attorney and assistant state attorney. In her role as court counsel, she assists the chief judge, circuit judges and county judges with the administration of court-related functions such as researching and writing administrative orders and advising the court on contract and human resources matters.
David G. Tucker Regional Counsel. Northeast Region, Florida Department of Children and Families Age: 56 Education: University of Florida Levin College of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1987 Bio: Since he was admitted to the Bar, Tucker has spent most of his career with state agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Senate and currently, the Department of Children and Families. He became regional counsel at DCF in 2009 and was certified in 2013 by The Florida Bar board of governors in state and federal government and administrative practice. Tucker also serves as a hearing officer on payroll matters, leave disputes, child care licensing and background screening issues.
Leatrice Williams Walton 4th Circuit magistrate and child support hearing officer Age: 64 Education: Howard University School of Law, admitted to The Florida Bar in 1986 Bio: Williams Walton was in private practice for one year in Washington, D.C., until moving to Jacksonville and becoming a staff attorney at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in 1984. She was appointed magistrate in 1999.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, February 21, 2019 • Page 11
YLS tops chili cook-off fundraising goal BEST OVERALL 1. Moseley Prichard Parrish Knight & Jones 2. Gunster 3. Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A
CROWD FAVORITE Spohrer Dodd
fter the
MOST SPIRITED 1. Kubicki Draper 2. Pozo-Diaz & Pozo P.A. 3. Lewis, Longman & Walker (tie) 3. McGlinchey Stafford (tie)
votes were counted and the awards
presented Saturday afternoon, the big winner at the 10th annual Jacksonville Bar
Special to the Daily Record
From left, Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association President Jamie Karpman, Gail Dawson, Angie Miller and Special Events Committee Co-chair Lynn Salvatore at the association’s booth at the 10th annual Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Charity Chili Cook-Off. The association won the “Meatiest Chii” award and placed third in the “Best Overall” category.
Association Charity Chili Cook-Off was the Jacksonville office of the nonprofit Best Buddies of
BEST FIXINS’ 1. Coker Law 2. Gunster 3. Public Defender’s Office (tie) 3. Taylor Day (tie) MOST ORIGINAL 1. Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association 2. Coker Law 3. Pozo-Diaz & Pozo (tie) 3. Spohrer Dodd (tie)
Florida. With more than $15,000 donated by the law firms and voluntary Bar associations that entered the cooking competition and contributions from event sponsors and the public, Best Buddies will be able to establish programs at two schools to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The contest was judged by a panel of county, federal and state judges – and the “Crowd Favorite” selected by popular vote of the public.
MEATIEST 1. Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association 2. Adams & Reese 3. Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association
Special to the Daily Record
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
BEST CORNBREAD 1. Law Offices of Ron Sholes 2. Moseley Prichard Parrish Knight & Jones 3. Bedell Firm
The Spohrer Dodd team was the “Crowd Favorite” award winner at the 10th annual Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Charity Chili Cook-Off. From left, Sarah Shedlarski; Keith Maynard; Jay Howanitz and his son, Dutch; Nancy O’Grady; Steve Browning; and Helen Westbrook.
SPICIEST 1. Fisher Tousey Leas & Ball 2. Rogers Towers 3. Taylor Day
Gunster adds two associate attorneys
Photo provided by Ed Fernandez
The Fletcher High School Mock Trial Team, from left, attorney coach Jay Howell, attorney coach Toni Wortherly, teacher coach Audrey Moore and students Emma Hamilton, Cory Gann, Amy Kurtz, Reid Manabat, Susana McIntosh and Ryan Laubach with attorney coach Amber Rumancik.
Fletcher High wins 4th Circuit mock trial competition A team of future lawyers from Fletcher High School won the 4th Circuit Florida High School Mock Trial Competition on Feb. 8 at the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse. The team from Fletcher competed against teams from The Bolles School, Clay County Forensics Home School League, Mandarin High School and Stanton College Preparatory School. The competition was judged by the district and magis-
trate judges of the U.S. District Court and argued to a jury of Jacksonville Division law clerks and attorneys from the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. The Fletcher team will represent the 4th Circuit at the state competition March 14-16 at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando. The competition is a program of the Florida Law Related Education Association.
Gunster added two associate attorneys, Pierce Giboney and Anne Coxe Mesrobian, who will be in the business litigation practice in the Jacksonville office. Before law school, Giboney was a manager for CSX Transportation. He received his J.D. Giboney from the University of Florida and his bachelor’s in civil engineering technology from Georgia Southern University. Mesrobian will focus her practice Mesrobian on litigation and construction-related matters. She previously was an associate for Cleary Gottlieb in New York where she practiced litigation and international arbitration, with a focus on government investigations and enforcement actions. Mesrobian received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her undergraduate degree from Davidson College.
THE MARBUT REPORT
CHILI COOKOFF WINNERS
Page 12 • Thursday, February 21, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Changing jobs is part of a lawyer’s career BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
One aspect of an attorney’s career is mobility. A law degree and a Bar card is a marketable commodity. Except for a new lawyer who follows in someone’s footsteps and joins the family firm, an attorney’s first professional address after law school probably won’t be the last. Helping a lawyer find her or his next job, helping law firms recruit associates and partners and helping corporations hire in-house counsel is what Tiffany Henson does as attorney search director at Parker + Lynch Legal. She was the presenter at the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association February CLE luncheon last week at The River Club. Henson is a 2008 graduate of Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law who began her career as an assistant public defender in Orlando. She went into private practice in 2012 and then changed her career to recruiter when she joined Parker + Lynch in 2017. Henson focused her remarks on what attorneys should con-
Photo by Max Marbut
Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association President Jamie Karpman, left, and Tiffany Henson, attorney search director at Parker + Lynch Legal.
sider when they’ve decided it’s the right time to make a move. While most facets of seeking a new job in law are consistent with those of other professions, Henson said the real work begins in the legal field after a successful interview, when the prospective employer makes an offer and it’s time to begin
negotiating. “Try to get them to throw a number at you,” Henson said. If that doesn’t happen, have an idea of the average salary at the specific firm and similar firms to establish a starting point, she said. An emerging law-firm trend is for employers to offer non-
traditional benefits in addition to salary. “Firms and corporations are looking for creative ways to recruit and retain talent,” Henson said. That can include office snacks, catered lunch on Fridays, a chair allowance and generous, or even unlimited,
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Marital/ Family Law
ANNUAL SPEAKERS FORUM
“Running Toward Chaos” SPEND AN EVENING WITH:
personal time off. “It’s about work-life balance. Vacation time can be as important as money,” said Henson. She encourages attorneys to make the effort to explore new opportunities and develop their careers. “The worst professional regret is not landing your dream job,” Henson said. Trial attorney David Dunlap of Dunlap, Ravis & Miller addressed the group about the American Board of Trial Advocates Jacksonville chapter. A member of the organization’s board of directors, he said ABOTA has about 100 members in Jacksonville dedicated to the preservation of the civil jury trial system, judicial independence, civility and professionalism. Half of the members are defense attorneys and half are plaintiff’s attorneys, which “gives us a good balance,” he said. Dunlap pointed out that the chapter’s president-elect, Corrine Hodak, is in the minority in terms of the chapter’s gender balance, so the board is reaching out to the legal community to invite women trial lawyers to consider joining ABOTA. “They are serious about increasing their diversity, so we should be serious about helping them do that,” said JWLA President Jamie Karpman.
It is our belief that family law matters are especially sensitive and emotionally consuming for clients. We are responsive to clients and return telephone calls in a timely and prompt manner because your concerns are our priority. Our family law team strives to provide the best service and advice based on forty (40) years of experience with family law cases. We believe that professionalism, together with hard work, will produce the desired results expected by clients.
Dr. Natalie Stavas Inspirational Boston Marathon Hero, Humanitarian & Award-Winning Physician
Dr. Stavas approached the finish line of her 5th Boston marathon. Just blocks away she heard explosions... and she ran toward them.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28
DoubleTree by Hilton 1201 Riverplace Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207 5:30 PM VIP RECEPTION/MEET & GREET • 6:30 PM DINNER & SPEAKER
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Corporate Table $600 • VIP Reception & Dinner $100 Dinner & Speaker $60
Practice areas: • Divorce • Custody • Prenuptial Agreements • Modification Proceedings
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LAW & THE COURTS
Tiffany Henson, search director at Parker + Lynch Legal, offers insights into interviewing, pay negotiation.
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