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Investors begin work on historic Federal Reserve Bank Building PAGE 4
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Ascension St. Vincent’s files plans for Arlington ER
JACKSONVILLE
It’s the health care provider’s first area free-standing emergency department.
JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Ascension St. Vincent’s submitted civil engineering plans to build its first free-standing emergency department at 9820 Hutchinson Park Drive in Arlington, the first of two under consideration by the health care system. “Although our plans are preliminary, we have identified a need for emergency care in Arlington and on Jacksonville’s Westside. We regularly evaluate our region’s health needs and will continue to identify opportunities to invest and grow,” said Ascension St. Vincent’s spokesman Kyle Sieg. Plans filed with the city show a 13,446-square-foot building on 1.61 acres along Hutchinson Park Drive, at Monument Road near Interstate 295. There’s a place for ambulance drop-off on one side, and a patient drop-off on the other end of the building. The parking lot has 54 spaces. EnVision Design & Engineering is the civil engineer on the project. Ascension St. Vincent’s built an urgent care center in 2018 on a 1.58-acre site at 858 Monument Road, adjacent to the ER property. The construction cost exceeded $3.2 million. The development is in Kendall Town Center, a Gate Lands Co. project. Gate sold the urgent care land to Ascension St. Vincent’s in 2017 for almost $1.38 million. The Westside location has not been identified.
Record & Observer Photos by Max Marbut
Students attend class at Florida Coastal School of Law. The law school, founded as a for-profit in 1996, is seeking not-for-profit status.
The Jacksonville law school and its journey to seeking not-for-profit status. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
T
wenty-three years after it was founded, Florida Coastal School of Law is seeking to change its corporate tax status from for-profit to notfor-profit. The school has filed with the American Bar Association an Application for Acquiescence in a Substantive Change in Program or Structure. The application was denied at its first review in August, but the school, with the
ABA’s approval, is submitting additional information for reconsideration, said Florida Coastal President Peter Goplerud. The intent is to change the perception of the school’s corporate structure. “Rightly or wrongly, there is a cloud over for-profit education. We think that some of our competitors use our tax status against us in student recruitment,” Goplerud said. “The time is right to send a positive message to our prospective students and SEE FLORIDA COASTAL, PAGE 12
Mendenhall Report: No retail with Vestcor’s LaVilla townhomes PAGE 3 Sailer Report: Expressway could bring jobs to Clay County PAGE 10 Jacksonville Area Legal Aid gets support from Bar, bench PAGE 15
Florida Coastal School of Law at 8787 Baypine Road in Baymeadows. The school, accredited by the American Bar Association, is part of The InfiLaw System.
MORE INSIDE
How Florida Coastal School of Law students have fared on the Bar exam compared with the state average. Page 13
KGARWOOD@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
THE BASCH REPORT
Fanatics hires new CFO amid reports of possible IPO Plus: Analyst concerns about CSX. PAGE 8 VOLUME 2, NO. 17 • ONE SECTION
WHAT’S TRENDING
Page 2 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Big news doesn’t break just on Thursday. Here’s a look at some of the top stories published over the past week online at JaxDailyRecord.com and in the Jacksonville Daily Record that you may have missed.
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An artist’s rendering of Saltwater Row in Neptune Beach along Atlantic Boulevard.
DEVELOPMENT
Saltwater Row planned for Neptune Beach A retail, entertainment and hotel development called Saltwater Row is planned for the former Kmart site along Atlantic Boulevard in Neptune Beach. The TriBridge Residential and TLM Realty Corp. development is east of Neptune Beach Plaza, anchored by Lucky’s Market, near Third Street. It’s not the first concept for the site.
Apartments previously proposed for the property met with neighborhood resistance. “Our goal is to transform a sluggish plaza into a dynamic shopping and entertainment destination with curated retail, restaurants and hotels, attracting locals and visitors alike,” said TriBridge Residential Principal of Development Katherine Mosley.
Construction permit for Bentley dealership The Bentley luxury car brand is on the way to Southside, off Interstate 95 and Butler Boulevard. The city issued a permit last week for AutoBuilders General Contracting Services to build the Bentley/Maserati Alfa Romeo dealership at a construction cost of almost $11 million.
The 40,987-square-foot dealership, with almost 7,800 square feet of exterior space, comprises showrooms and service facilities at 7137 Bonneval Road. Work has been underway. On June 20, the city approved the foundation permit.
Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit JACKSONVILLE 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, real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business.
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BUSINESS CALENDAR
OCT. 9 Gary Norcross at JAXUSA: Fidelity National Information Services Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Gary Norcross is scheduled to Norcross speak to the quarterly JAXUSA Partnership Luncheon on Oct. 9 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. Norcross will talk about the company’s acquisition of Worldpay, the growth of the regional fintech industry “and other upcoming announcements,” according to a JAX Chamber news release. Check-in starts at 11:30 a.m. followed by the program at noon. Tickets start at $50. For information, visit myjaxchamber.com.
OCT. 12 NFL Legends: JAX Chamber and PRI Productions will present the NFL Legends Community Gala on Oct. 12 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NFL in Jacksonville. The chamber worked with Touchdown Jacksonville!, a group of business leaders who led the community effort to bring the NFL to Jacksonville. The city was awarded an NFL franchise in 1993 and entered the league as an expansion team in 1995. The gala is 7-11 p.m. at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at jaxevents.com. Proceeds will benefit the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund. For information, visit myjaxchamber.com.
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Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 3
No retail included in Vestcor’s LaVilla plan
MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
THE TERMS
The DIA and the developer will share the profits from any townhome sold for more than the initial $250,000 price point. Vestcor Companies’ 88-unit townhome development in LaVilla will not include retail space. Officials from the Jacksonville-based housing developer told Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer before the board’s Sept. 18 vote approving a term sheet for the project that Vestcor would not add first-floor restaurants or shops. Boyer said at the DIA’s Aug. 7 meeting that Vestcor officials would re-examine their plans to see if the market in LaVilla would support retail at the site. A 5-2 vote Aug. 7 awarding Vestcor the project also produced a desire from board members that Vestcor consider adding retail space and make architectural design changes to its townhome designs that would honor the neighborhood’s architectural heritage. Board members made the
File image
A rendering of the townhomes Vestcor planned for the LaVilla community. Vestcor says it is changing the project design to add gabled roofs that will take away some of the modern look of the buildings.
request after a competing bid from JWB Real Estate and Corner Lot Development LLC collaboration Johnson Commons LLC included 9,500 square feet of retail space in addition to their 107-unit townhome proposal. Board members and Boyer said they thought the Johnson Commons proposal more closely aligned with the city and Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s LaVilla Master Plan, but the Vestcor bid overall scored higher. It was Vestcor’s level of experience, with six residential multifamily projects and 675 units under construction throughout Florida and in Downtown, that won over the DIA board.
Vestcor President Steve Moore told the board the company is making changes to Moore the townhome designs to honor LaVilla’s historic architecture. Boyer said Vestcor attorneys asked her to replace “shall” in the phrase “peaked roofs shall be added to facades facing Lee Street” with “may.” She was asked to remove other language referencing architectural nods to LaVilla heritage — a historic black neighborhood. Moore said the language change was not to push away
from Vestcor’s commitment to amend the townhome design. The Vestcor president said he “never liked the word ‘shall’ in a legal document.” “We are currently making changes as requested to add gabled roofs …. taking away some of the more modern look of the building,” Moore said. “Maybe a little more nod to the old shotgun-style houses that were there. That’s being done with, instead of storefront glass, maybe windows and those type of things,” he said. Vestcor will purchase cityowned property at Adams, Johnson, Lee and Forsyth streets and build two- and three-story townhomes, priced at $250,000.
The term sheet closely mirrors Vestcor’s proposal accepted by the board. The developer will buy the 3.93-acre property from the city for $100. Vestcor and the DIA will enter a profit-sharing agreement. The DIA will receive 75% of the sale amount over the $250,000 price point. On its end, Vestcor has agreed to make two $100,000 donations — one to develop Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park and the other to the LaVilla Heritage Trail project. The developer also will build and dedicate right-of-way and the street between the townhome complex and the park that will include on-street parking. The term sheet also states that Vestcor will make improvements to Johnson Street while leaving intact all other right-of-ways adjacent to the development. Vestcor will agree to pay a $500 per day penalty to the city if construction does not start within four months of final DDRB approval.
MMENDENHALL@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MIMENDENHALL (904) 356-2466
City Council approves $1.37 billion budget; property tax rate unchanged City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Lenny Curry’s $1.37 billion fiscal 2019-20 budget, which includes no tax increases and a $173.5 million capital improvement plan with $225,000 for a market analysis of The Jacksonville Landing property. The budget passed 18-1, with District 9 City Council member Garrett Dennis voting no. It is Curry’s first budget to not receive unanimous support. The budget takes effect Oct. 1. It includes $481.6 million for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, a $42.5 million increase from last year.
The largest single expense in the capital improvement plan is a $20 million line item to University of Florida Health for building and infrastructure improvements. The budget begins a three-year, $2.25 million plan in initial funding for the Landing. After the $225,000 in 2019-20, the CIP calls for two $1 million appropriations in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 plans designated for site preparation and pre-engineering and landscape work. A $1 million match for improvements to the Florida Theatre also was approved.
The budget also will provide $5 million for capital investment for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens; $1.5 million in capital investment for Mayport dock redevelopment; and more than $1 million for improvements for the Ritz Theatre and Museum ($570,000) and the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center ($440,000). The millage rate remains at $11.4419 per every $1,000 of taxable property value. The tax rate for the urban service districts 2-4 — the Beaches — was set at $8.1512 per $1,000 of taxable value, and the rate for the city
of Baldwin is $9.6312 per every $1,000 of taxable value. Although the tax rate will stay the same, some Duval County property owners could see an increase in their bill because of increasing property values. Jacksonville homeowners with a $150,000 home with a $50,000 state homestead exemption could expect to pay about $1,144 in city taxes. The rate does not affect the Duval County Public Schools tax rate or property taxes from any other government entity.
Is pleased to announce that
CHARLES HARDAGE has been named Of Counsel to the firm Mr. Hardage will continue his focus on commercial litigation, appeals and international commercial arbitration.
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THE MENDENHALL REPORT
DIA officials plan to complete negotiations with Vestcor by Oct. 15, according to the term sheet. City Council will then need to approve the term sheet as well as the land sale. Closing on the property is expected by Dec. 31, but the designs will have to be approved by the Downtown Development Review Board before the project can break ground.
Page 4 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
The Federal Reserve Bank Building at 424 N. Hogan St. in Downtown Jacksonville. The 18,570-square-foot building is near Sweet Pete’s and City Hall.
THE MATHIS REPORT
Investors start work on historic Federal Reserve Bank Building
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Ellen and Jim Wiss say apartments and commercial space are among the possibilities for the structure. Investors Ellen and Jim Wiss bought the historic Federal Reserve Bank Building Downtown about a year ago and are gutting the interior. They’re not sure what they will do with it but suggest apartments, perhaps commercial space, maybe more. What is for sure is they like Downtown and its historic buildings. “This isn’t it,” Jim Wiss said Tuesday of the purchase. “We want more.” With a track record of historic renovation in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Colorado, the couple moved to Jacksonville a decade ago and last year bought
the Federal Reserve Bank Building at 424 N. Hogan St. It most recently was used as a medical office. “It was seriously deteriorating so we are cleaning up some of the environmental issues and then we will continue to try and figure out what to do with it,” Wiss said. The building was developed in 1922. “We are real estate people and do a lot of historical rehabs and it’s a great building. It’s a terrific building and has a lot of interesting history,” Wiss said. For example, architect Henrietta Dozier designed the building with Atlanta architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, according to the Jacksonville Historical Society. Dozier earned an advanced degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899. She was one of three women in a class of 176 students and the only woman to graduate. Born in Fernandina Beach, she grew up in Atlanta where she ran her architecture practice for 13 years before moving it to Jacksonville in 1914, becoming “the City’s first and foremost woman architect.” Jim Wiss is the president and founder of Homkor Companies and Ellen Wiss is vice president of Homkor Companies and president of Homkor of Florida Inc.
Photos by Karen Brune Mathis
Investors Jim and Ellen Wiss paid $714,000 for the historic Federal Reserve Bank Building. While the project is their first historic rehab project in Jacksonville, they have done similar projects in other cities.
Through TBSOP LLC they paid $714,000 for the building. They bought it from physician Nak Yoon Paek and his wife, Keumsook Paek. The medical practice moved to Myrtle Avenue. Jim and Ellen Wiss are looking into what it will take to renovate the building at Hogan and Church streets, next to the historic Seminole Building that houses Sweet Pete’s candy store. Property records show the 18,570-square-foot building comprises three floors while Wiss, a marketing flyer and a building permit say it’s four. Jim Wiss said they’ve met with Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer for a preliminary conversation. “Jacksonville Branch Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta” is engraved on the front of the building. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jacksonville Branch has grown to occupy a much larger and highly secure building at 800 Water St.
The Hogan Street building will be their first historical rehab in Jacksonville. “Ellen and I are both interested in helping the community and we firmly believe strong downtowns make for strong cities,” he said. “That’s a great building, well worth saving.” He said the building includes adjacent parking, which is an advantage Downtown. Realco Recycling Co. Inc. is demolishing the interior, a project that Wiss estimates at two months. “It’s nothing more than removing the years and years of stuff that’s decayed,” he said. “It has a fantastic interior,” he said. “The bones are solid.” Wiss said the building’s thick walls mean “nothing is taking that thing away.” Among its projects, Homkor converted a 10-story historic Kansas City office building into apartments with firstfloor retail that Jim Wiss said is 98% leased. A historic shoe
factory in Boonville, Missouri, became senior housing. He said other conversions include hospitals turned into mixed-use. Once the old Federal Reserve Bank Building is gutted, the couple will focus on a plan layout that includes residential. “It’s something fun that we’ve done in the past,” said Ellen Wiss, an award-winning Jacksonville philanthropist who co-founded Read USA, a nonprofit that hosts elementary school book fairs in Title 1 schools and gives children free books to share with their families. She serves as its CEO. Jim Wiss said they continue to look for more Downtown opportunities, both acquisitions or land for new development. “We are definitely browsing,” he said. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
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Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 5
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Topgolf intends to open a miniature golf course at its Jacksonville venue in the Town Center area. It has three mini courses open, including this one in Chicago.
Topgolf Jacksonville adding mini golf course Topgolf Jacksonville is adding an experience for customers who prefer putters to irons and drivers. It intends to add a 12-hole miniature golf course outside and next to the building at 10531 Brightman Blvd. in the Town Center area. “We are always looking for ways to expand our entertainment offerings and allow guests to have fun,” said an email from the company. The company said the mini golf course will open by early next year. The city is reviewing civil engineering plans for the project. Prosser is the civil engineering consultant. The Topgolf entertainment center
opened in Jacksonville three years ago, operating a 65,000-square-foot building that includes 102 climatecontrolled hitting bays, a full-service scratch kitchen, three bars, a rooftop terrace, more than 200 TVs, and other games. The Dallas-based company said three of its venues have mini courses and it wants to add four more this fall and winter in Jacksonville; Tampa; Richmond, Virginia; and The Colony, Texas, near Dallas. Its website shows that Topgolf in Dallas, Chicago and Alexandria, Virginia, have miniature courses.
GATE POINT MEADOWS The stretch of Gate Parkway from Ikea at Interstate 295 heading north to Butler Boulevard is filling in, and the Gate Point Meadows center at northwest Gate Parkway and Point Meadows Drive is about to break ground on more than $14 million in projects. Tampa-based Brightwork Real Estate is the developer. Here’s the status: Baer’s Furniture: Who builds a furniture store a half-mile from Ikea? Baer’s Furniture Co. Baer’s applied for a permit to build a twostory, 84,242-square-foot store on 4 acres at 7760 Gate Parkway at a cost of $7.6 million. No contractor is specified. Pompano Beachbased and family-owned Baer’s Furniture intends to build on 4.01 acres. It will be its first store in the Jacksonville market. Baer’s, with 16 locations statewide, describes itself as “Florida’s premium furniture and mattress store.”
Wawa: One of Baer’s Furniture’s new neighbors will be Wawa. The city is reviewing a permit application at 7790 Gate Parkway for the Pennsylvania-based gas station and convenience store chain. The more than $1 million construction project comprises the 6,119-square-foot convenience store with a gas canopy and dumpster enclosure. It’s one of at least 30 locations the company wants to build in Northeast Florida. Ten will have opened by year-end. Self-storage: The city is reviewing a permit application for Gate Parkway Self-Storage at 7782 Gate Parkway. Oden Hardy Construction Inc. is the contractor for the $5.63 million construction job, shown as a three-story, 120,033-square-foot, climate-controlled self-storage facility on 2.29 acres.
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RETAIL NOTES High-profile demolitions: Keep watch for demolition as you drive along some high-traffic roads. In The Shoppes of Avondale, Realco Recycling Co. Inc. has a permit to tear down the 7,200-square-foot building in the middle of the center at 3562 St. Johns Ave. That’s where Southern Grounds & Co. will build a new structure for a coffee shop, art gallery and retail space. Across town at Beach and University boulevards, McDonald’s is coming down at 5801 Beach Blvd. That’s the center where Hallmark Partners is developing Boulevard Crossing, a new shopping center. Boulevard Crossing set to start: Retail construction is starting on Boulevard Crossing, the infill redevelopment at northwest Beach and University boulevards at the former Kmart site. McDonald’s Corp. is the first to build with a new 4,388-square-foot restaurant at a cost of $800,000. Stansell
Properties & Development LLC is the contractor. Heartland Dental investing $1.4M: Heartland Dental sees opportunity in growth areas and is investing almost $1.4 million in construction costs alone into three locations. It intends to lease the closed Regions Bank building in the Town Center area; a new building at Tamaya Market; and a St. Johns County space at 60 Shops Blvd. in the Shoppes of St. Johns Parkway. Heartland Dental intends to convert the bank at 4569 Town Center Parkway at a cost of $421,300; build-out in a new building at 12667 Beach Blvd. at a cost of $450,000; and build-out the St. Johns location at $499,831. Each is more than 3,000 square feet. Effingham, Illinois-based Heartland Dental provides administrative support services to dental practices and operates almost 20 locations in Northeast Florida.
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Page 6 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
HEALTH & BUSINESS
Fountains at St. Johns will mix medical, retail
KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
The development, to be completed by 2021, has signed 11 tenants. Cross Regions Real Estate’s Fountains at St. Johns, a mixed-use medical and retail development, will be “the first of its kind” in the area, said Cross Regions CEO David Ergisi. Fountains at St. Johns will sit on a 23-acre parcel at County Road 210 West and Interstate 95 in St. Johns County. The development will comprise 42,000 square feet of retail space and 40,000 square feet of medical and office space. Seven of the 14 buildings on the property will be developed in phase one, and the remaining seven will be built in phase two. Ergisi said phase one should be complete by mid-2020 and phase two before the end of 2021. Cross Regions broke ground on the project Saturday. Ergisi paid $4.34 million for the property through DAR
28139 VINTAGE LN. HILLIARD, FL 32046
Investments One LLC. He’s also buying 33 adjacent acres to develop Fountains North, which would be a similar concept to Fountains at St. Johns. Ergisi cited the rapid growth around the property. To the east and west, neighborhoods are popping up along County Road 210. Further east on 210 is Nocatee, one of the fastestgrowing master-planned communities in the country, according to RCLCO Real Estate Advisors. “We have thousands of people located on 210 and in Nocatee who will travel through this development each morning going to work and each evening going back home,” Ergisi said. The company has 11 confirmed tenants. Three are medical companies: Florida Eye Specialists, ENT Specialists of North Florida and Bartram Dental Center. Ergisi said there are plans to bring in an outpatient surgery center, urgent care facility, primary care center and other specialty providers to the development. Florida Eye Specialists, which operates eight locations in Duval, St. Johns and Putnam counties, will partner with ENT Specialists of North Florida. The two companies will buy a parcel in the development and construct their own building among the medical providers in the back of the development. Ergisi said there would “more than likely” be more
St. Augustine; Salsas Mexican Restaurant, with eight locations statewide; and Grumpy’s Restaurant, a breakfast and lunch spot in Orange Park — are signed. Ergisi said he specifically wanted restaurants established in the area that wanted to expand. He also tried each restaurant before deciding to lease them space. Lil’ Voyagers Academy, a preschool and child care facility for children ages 1-5, Nails So Happy salon and Valvoline round out the 11 confirmed tenants. Part of the “uniqueness” of the property is the connectedness of the 23-acre property, he said. All the retail space will be connected by covered walkways. Landscaping will include gazebos, rest areas, and – as the development’s name would suggest – fountains. Workers in the medical complex can visit restaurants and retail on their breaks, and visitors to the medical offices can combine their visit with a trip to the retail side as well. “We don’t want the typical retail,” Ergisi said. “We don’t want people to pull up, get out of their car, go dine or shop, get back in their car and drive away. We want people to come and stay. So in order to accomplish that, we have to come up with some creative ideas.”
Photo by Katie Garwood
Cross Regions Real Estate CEO David Ergisi is developing The Fountains at St. Johns at County Road 210 West and Interstate 95. The development includes retail and medical space.
than one outpatient surgery center in the development. “There is a lot of demand and interest in outpatient surgery centers,” Ergisi said. “So we want to capitalize on that and we want a surgery center specifically here at Fountains, so folks that live on 210 or Nocatee don’t have to go all the way to Jacksonville.” The medical buildings on the property will have visibility from I-95, making them
MLS# 994750
“extremely desirable,” Ergisi said. One of the main parts of Cross Regions’ business has been developing medical facilities. In July, the company bought 9 acres near UF Health North to develop a medical hub with some retail availability. Two national restaurant chains, Dunkin’ and Culver’s, will lease space. Three local chains – Green Papaya, a Thai restaurant with a location in
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 7
BY SCOTT SAILER • STAFF WRITER
Here are the top 10 commercial real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Sept. 16-20.
File image
Park Avenue Apartments at 8745 Palm Breeze Road sold for $42.65 million.
DUVAL
DUVAL
ST. JOHNS
DUVAL
DUVAL
$42,650,000
$6,100,000
$4,495,000
$3,000,000
$2,551,050
8745 Palm Breeze Road, Jacksonville
8985 Lone Star Road, Jacksonville
Shearwater Parkway, St. Augustine
16190 Butch Baine Drive and Paso Fino Drive, Jacksonville
11 locations, Jacksonville
Type: Park Avenue Apartments Size: 28.33 acres Buyer: Southside Blvd Borrower LLC Seller: G&I IX Paradise Island Phase I Owner LLC
Type: Institutional Size: 15.83 acres Buyer: Regency Charter Property LLC Seller: Impact Church of Jacksonville Inc.
Type: 62 single-family lots in Shearwater Phase 2C Size: Not available Buyer: Lennar Homes LLC Seller: WFC Ashford Mills Owner VII LLC
Type: Timberland Size: Not available Buyer: Louis L. Huntley Enterprises Inc. Seller: Casa De Campo Inc.
DUVAL
DUVAL
ST. JOHNS
DUVAL
DUVAL
$2,100,000
$975,000
$954,000
$904,000
$899,000
840 Edgewood Ave. S., Jacksonville
1218 Hickman Road, Jacksonville
Sandstone Drive, St. Augustine
8244-8254 Rigel Road, Jacksonville
2091 Saffles St., Caesar and Mayport roads, Jacksonville
Type: Mixed-use Size: 3.69 acres Buyer: VC Murray Hill LLC Seller: EWE Warehouse Investments XIII LLC Previous sale: $1,300,000 in 2002
Type: Creekside Apartments Size: 1.31 acres Buyer: Creekside RLF LLC Seller: Creekside Apartments Jacksonville LLC Previous sale: $640,000 in 2011
Type: 15 single-family lots in Treaty Oaks Phase 2 Unit 1 Size: Not available Buyer: Maronda Homes Inc. of Florida Seller: Richmond American Homes of Florida
Type: Townhomes Size: 0.26 acres Buyer: EPH 2 Assets LLC Seller: Dream Finders Homes LLC
Type: 11 single-family homes Size: 2.27 acres Buyer: CPI Amherst SFR Program Owners LLC Seller: MUPR3 Assets LLC
Type: Undeveloped residential Size: Not available Buyer: Calypso Moorings LLC Seller: Glen Lewis and Orlando Lucas
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Page 8 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE BASCH REPORT
Fanatics hires Nike exec as new CFO
MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Michener Chandlee’s hiring comes amid reports company is considering an IPO. Fanatics Inc. hired a longtime Nike Inc. executive as chief financial officer last week amid speculation about the sports merchandise giant heading for an initial public offering. Michener Chandlee joined Fanatics as CFO after spending 18 years with Nike. He will work from the company’s West Coast headquarters in San Mateo in the Silicon Valley region of California. Fanatics, which began as a retail store in the Orange Park Mall in 1995, has its East Coast headquarters at 8100 Nations Way in the Baymeadows area of Jacksonville. The company was founded by brothers Alan and Mitchell Trager with the store called Football Fanatics, which opened a second location in The Avenues mall in 1997. Fanatics early on saw the potential for selling merchandise online. It grew over two decades into a dominant company in the sports merchandise industry through exclusive licensing arrangements with numerous professional and college teams and leagues. Although the company is privately owned and doesn’t disclose finances, its annual revenue is believed to exceed $2 billion, leading to speculation that it is headed toward an IPO. A story last week by CNBC on Chandlee’s hiring said Fanatics is valued at $4.5 billion. At the end of 2018, many financial news websites, including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and MarketWatch, cited Fanatics on lists of big companies that could go public
Fanatics
New Fanatics Chief Financial Officer Michener Chandlee will work out of the company’s West Coast headquarters in California.
this year. Fanatics is part of a holding company called Kynetic, which is headquartered near Philadelphia. The Tragers sold Fanatics in 2011 to GSI Commerce Inc. for $277 million. Just two weeks after that deal was completed, GSI agreed to a $2.4 billion buyout by eBay Inc. As part of the eBay deal, Fanatics and two other GSI businesses were spun off into Kynetic, which was formed by GSI Chief Executive Michael Rubin. Rubin ranks No. 271 on Forbes magazine’s list of richest Americans with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion. According to CNBC, a Fanatics spokesperson responded to questions about a potential IPO by saying it is focused on building the company. Whether the company goes public or not, Fanatics continues to grow. Its news release about Chandlee’s hiring said he is joining at an “opportune” time with several initiatives coming, including a deal to manufacture and distribute Nike NFL and MLB fan gear sold across all retail channels starting in 2020. “They’ve unlocked endless opportunities to reinvent the licensed sports industry and fan experience for the ondemand economy,” Chandlee said in the release. “As Fanatics continues to rapidly scale into a leading global, vertical, customerfocused brand, Mich brings an ideal skill set and experience base to lead and scale our finance organization ahead,” Fanatics CEO Doug Mack said in the release.
“He understands the economics of the sports apparel industry and the power of product, brand, technology and channel innovation – which are key as he guides our financial future.” Chandlee succeeds Lauren Cooks Levitan, who left Fanatics last week to join San Francisco-based Faire, a company that helps local retailers find wholesale merchandise. Levitan had been chief financial officer at Fanatics for four years, working at the West Coast office.
Analyst cuts CSX earnings forecast on freight volume
Jacksonville-based CSX Corp. is one of the first big U.S. companies to report earnings every quarter, and the railroad company’s performance often is taken as a harbinger of the overall economy’s outlook. According to at least one analyst, CSX’s third-quarter report three weeks from now may raise concerns about the economy. UBS analyst Thomas Wadewitz lowered his earnings forecast for CSX and other major railroads because of signs of lower freight volume. “Softness in rail volumes has been broad-based, affecting industrial-related segments like metals and forest products, consumer segments like intermodal, and also coal and grain,” Wadewitz said in his report. He said the two major Eastern U.S. railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern Corp., have been most affected by the volume softness. Wadewitz slightly lowered
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Moody’s Investors Service upgraded its debt rating outlook on Jacksonville-based Regency Centers L.P. last week from “stable” to “positive.” The limited partnership is the operating partnership of publicly traded shopping center developer Regency Centers Corp. “The positive rating outlook reflects the high likelihood that Regency Center’s prudent approach to managing its portfolio performance and its capital structure would help maintain leverage ratios at about current levels, even in the prevailing retail environment,” Moody’s said in a news release. Moody’s said that retailer bankruptcies and store closings will continue to “strain” the performance of shopping centers. While that raises concerns, Regency’s “track record with releasing the vacant spaces has been commendable,” it said. Regency last month announced Hap Stein is retiring as CEO and will be succeeded by President Lisa Palmer, which gives confidence to Moody’s. “Regency Centers’ longtime CEO has decided to retire from executive leadership at the end
Ameris Bancorp raises dividend Ameris Bancorp last week said its board of directors voted to increase the quarterly dividend on its common stocks from 10 cents a share to 15 cents. The banking company, which has its executive offices in Jacksonville, grew with the July 1 acquisition of Fidelity Southern Corp. Ameris recently filed financial statements showing what its pro forma results would have been if it had owned Fidelity Southern all year. Ameris reported earnings of $1.66 a share in the first half of 2019, but the addition of Fidelity Southern would have reduced earnings to 92 cents. Ameris is expecting earnings to grow next year as cost savings are fully realized after integrating operations of the two banking companies. The addition of Fidelity Southern would have raised the company’s total assets from $11.9 billion to $17.1 billion as of June 30, according to the pro forma statements.
Shoe Carnival shuffles managers Shoe Carnival Inc. announced last week a realignment of its top management, including CEO Cliff Sifford giving up his role as president and becoming vice chairman of the board. Former Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver is chairman of the board. His family is the largest shareholder of the Evansville, Indiana-based footwear chain with 34% of the stock. Mark Worden, executive vice president and chief strategy and marketing officer, was promoted to president. Worden also was appointed to the newly created position of chief customer officer, focusing on all customer-facing activities including store operations and e-commerce activities. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
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of the year, but the succession plan announced by the company includes many experienced Regency Centers executive managers ensuring a seamless transition to the new management team,” it said.
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his third-quarter forecast for CSX but he reduced his 2020 forecast from $4.74 a share to $4.40. Wall Street already has noticed the trend, with “modest” declines in stock prices, he said. CSX, trading at $72.39 at the time of his report, was down 10% from its peak price. “We note, however, that even with volumes down year over year for much of 2019, the rail stocks remain at higher levels than they were in 2018. We attribute the resilience in U.S. rail stocks to cost reduction taking place under PSR, which was absent in prior cycles of weaker volume,” he said. PSR, or precision scheduling railroading, is a system implemented by late CSX Chief Executive Hunter Harrison to improve efficiency. As CSX improved its efficiency under Harrison’s successor, Jim Foote, other major railroads also are implementing PSR.
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 9
Did you know? Women’s Council has the most extensive network presence in the National Association of Realtors and they are the largest percent of RPAC donations of any NAR network or council.
www.WCRJax.org
September Member Spotlight
INDUSTRY LUNCHEON
Linda McInnis, McInnis Realty, Inc.
A little known or unknown fact (past or present) about yourself. I love my “spiritual walk” with the Lord and the service I perform at my church. Additionally, my advocacy style extends to my friends, associates and community. Even though I have worked in several industries or professions, being a Real Estate Broker has been my dream occupation. Over the past 35 years, I have been an agent, Broker and Broker/Owner. There is never a dull moment! Every day offers some form of unexpected event, but most fulfilling is to see my customer’s joy when they close on the sale or purchase of a home. Very often my customers have become lifelong friends that are spread across the entire country. Early in our marriage, Charles traveled away from home extensively; so, to keep myself active after work, I volunteered, learned to make “Cabbage Patch Dolls,” developed a skill weaving baskets and learned how to bake and decorate cakes. Currently, not doing much with the dolls, baskets and cakes!
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 11:15am – 1:00pm
*New Location – Deerwood Country Club
SPEAKERS:
Kristin Keen, founder of Rethreaded will be speaking about their mission and how they are helping people and how we can help them. Rethreaded’s mission is to renew hope, reignite dreams and release potential for survivors of human trafficking locally and globally through business.
Linda McInnis McInnis Realty, Inc.
What is your passion in the office? Outside the office? My passion in the office is a drive for structure and organization to ensure the nest results from the business and to make sure my customers are receiving the best representation, to meet their real estate needs. In addition to being recognized for a number of achievements, I have chaired or served on several industry related boards or associations or; including FAR, NEFAR and NEFMLS committees. Outside the office, I have made volunteering an important part of my life. For me, volunteering is more than a hobby or something to do, it’s a lifelong commitment. I believe that love is an action and not just words or an empty promise. I have been acting on my passion through my church and the community. I believe that anyone has the ability to volunteer; no matter their profession, age or situation. I see volunteering not as an obligation, but an enriching and natural part of experiencing life. And despite my busy schedule; balancing my family life, spiritual life, career and service is not as difficult as it might seem. In the past, I have served as my church’s coordinator for the Salvation Army’s “Bell Ringing” initiative; which raised record setting funds each year. Additionally, I served as my church’s Board of Directors; advising them through several land acquisitions and building projects. Throughout my life and career; my vision has been about building relationships, service and professional development. How has the Women’s Council of Realtors benefited you personally and professionally? That’s easy; the people I meet and the key personal and business relationships I gain through Women’s Council of Realtors has been instrumental in expanding my sphere of influence; all of which that enhances both my personal and professional development. The WCR offers limitless opportunities for networking with associates from the local, state and national levels.
2019 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 29
TBD
OCTOBER 16
Strutt your Mutt
Bourbon Tasting
Industry Luncheon
8:00 a.m.
TBD
11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Deerwood Country Club
OCTOBER 24
Halloween Social
NOVEMBER 6-10
National Association of Realtors
5:00-7:00 a.m. | Location TBD
San Francisco conference
Industry Event Reservations MUST BE MADE by the Friday before the event due to final count needed for the venue.
Visit www.wcrjax.org to register.
Tiea Vincent and Diane Cook, Realtor members, will be speaking about their recent trip to Dubai through the Florida Realtors. The process they went through to go and the experience they had on their trip.
Or contact Paula Givler at (904) 233-3562.
facebook.com/ groups/wcrjax/
If you wish to receive updated text messages from the Women’s Council of Realtors please text
“WCRJAX” to 662-200-4303
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Page 10 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE SAILER REPORT
Expressway expected to bring jobs to Clay
SCOTT SAILER STAFF WRITER
Ed Lehman, director of the Clay County Planning and Zoning Division, says bedroom communities alone cannot pay the cost of public services. Long a bedroom community to Jacksonville, the First Coast Expressway under construction in Clay County will attract significant business development to Green Cove Springs, predicts Ed Lehman, director of the Clay County Planning and Zoning Division. The First Coast Expressway will connect Interstate 10 in Duval County with I-95 in St. Johns County. The toll road is scheduled for completion in 2030. For now, Lehman said residential growth is expected to continue. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research projects that Clay’s 2018 population of 212,034 will grow by almost 4% to 220,200 in 2020 and another 28% to 281,770 by 2040. That growth is coming as Clay is the No. 1 commuting county in the state, Lehman said. In 2015, 54% of the county’s residents worked outside of Clay. The 2018 “Commuting Trends in Florida” report from the Florida Department of Transportation ranked Clay with the highest average commute time in the state, at 36.3 minutes. Lehman said that people are attracted to Clay County for its highly rated school district. Addison Davis, superintendent of schools for Clay County District Schools, said Clay County has an “A” district grade from the Florida Department of Education and ranks No. 8 in the state.
Special to Daily Record
Ed Lehman, director of the Clay County Planning and Zoning Division, said achieving a balanced economy has been a challenge in terms of attracting jobs and the workforce to fill them.
The county needs to attract high-paying jobs, encourage more people to work within the county and raise the tax base, Lehman said. Nonresidential uses generally provide more money in taxes and have a lesser burden on some public services and facilities, such as recreation and schools. Bedroom communities alone cannot pay the cost of public services, he said. Achieving a balanced economy has been a challenge for the county in terms of attracting jobs and the workforce to fill them, he said. Key industries in Clay are education, health care and life sciences, aviation and defense, manufacturing, logistics and distribution, information technology, and business support services. Funding infrastructure
leave nothing to
improvements, particularly for roadways, also is a challenge for the Clay County Commission, Lehman said. The commission plans to add a $60 fee to property taxes to improve and maintain drainage facilities and services within the unincorporated area. Starting Monday, the county will increase road impact fees 70% for new residential and commercial development to fund improvements. As the road impact fees are raised, the county plans to eliminate the concurrency program of paying for a proportionate share of the cost of a transportation improvement to affected roads. All new development in the county will pay the same rate depending on use type. To promote nonresidential development, the county plans to pay the difference out of the
chance.
fal l
county’s general fund, he said. Lehman said the county’s guide for growth, the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, was approved and his next focus is to update the land development codes. The county has three land development codes for Clay County, the Lake Asbury Park Master Plan and the Branan Field Master Plan. Lake Asbury and Branan Field, both in northeast Clay, were created in the mid-2000s. The First Coast Expressway will pass through those areas. Plans for the Saratoga Springs Development of Regional Impact in Lake Asbury and the Governors Park DRI, approved in the mid2000s, were shelved during the recession and are waiting for the completion of the First Coast Expressway to allow
nonresidential development. Governors Park can build up to 1,000 dwelling units before the expressway is built. The first of the expressway’s three legs is complete from I-10 to Blanding Boulevard. The second leg of the expressway, under construction in Clay from Blanding Boulevard to the Shands Bridge, is anticipated to be completed by fall 2026. The expressway is fully funded and expected to be completed by 2030. The expressway should relieve the I-295 loop and U.S. 17 of significant truck traffic while opening the areas for more housing and employment development, Lehman said. SSAILER@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 11
BY SCOTT SAILER • STAFF WRITER
Here are the top 10 single-family residential real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Sept. 16-20.
CLAY
$1,100,000
$830,000
4435 Royal Tern Court, Jacksonville Beach
2843 Doctors Lake Drive, Orange Park
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.6 acres House size: 4,288 square feet Buyer: James A. and Jill M. Firth and The Firth Family Joint Revocable Living Trust Seller: Lisa A. Betros-Waller and Keith M. Waller Previous sale: $440,000 in 2009
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.84 acres House size: 4,942 square feet Buyer: James M. and Chon Gill Seller: Katherine Salas and Michael J. Vernacchio Previous sale: $288,000 in 1994 ST. JOHNS
$815,000
DUVAL
$865,000
DUVAL
230 Davis St., Neptune Beach
$1,370,000 1144 East Coast Drive, Atlantic Beach Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.17 acres House size: 4,190 square feet Buyer: The Fem B. Robert Living Trust Seller: Stephen R. and Zula Tokarz Previous sale: $1,250,000 in 2017
About the property: Two-story, fourbedroom, 3½-bath home two blocks from the ocean. Features open floor plan, marble countertops, two balconies and a three-car detached garage.
412 Clearwater Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.12 acres House size: 2,686 square feet Buyer: Jay D. Khadpe and Naya Lyons-Khadpe Seller: 221 Oleander LLC
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.34 acres House size: 3,864 square feet Buyer: Patricia O. and Philip R. Keenan Seller: Meghan B. and Michael A. DeVoe Previous sale: $719,900 in 2017
ST. JOHNS
ST. JOHNS
$862,500
$799,500
ST. JOHNS
ST. JOHNS
DUVAL
$1,300,000
$1,200,000
$1,175,000
191 Surfside Ave., St. Augustine
159 Sea Hammock Way, Ponte Vedra Beach
14352 Cottage Lake Road, Jacksonville
10 E St., St. Augustine
4901 Atlantic View, St. Augustine
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.94 acres House size: 3,998 square feet Buyer: Ross P. and Christine F. Rodgers Seller: Kevin W. and Kathryn N. Toomy Previous sale: $995,000 in 2013
Type: Sea Hammock Condominiums Condominium size: 2,400 square feet Buyer: Michael R. Jones Declaration of Trust and Cathy H. Jones Declaration of Trust Seller: Donald C. and Susan M. Fort Previous sale: $937,000 in 2002
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.35 acres House size: 3,535 square feet Buyer: Christopher R. and Mary K. Listau Seller: Fiona M. Burgin Previous sale: $869,000 in 2015
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.12 acres House size: 3,704 square feet Buyer: Michael D. and Joni W. Gaines Seller: Leonard and JoAnn M. Lyons Previous sale: $460,000 in 2011
Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.16 acres House size: 3,129 square feet Buyer: Gerald Nelson IRA and Nancy J. Bloch IRA Seller: Robert W. and Sandra L. Marvin Previous sale: $172,000 in 2010
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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Top 10 home sales of week
DUVAL
Page 12 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Florida Coastal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
to our alumni and move forward in a way that will provide even more opportunity for success,” he said. The proposed change in tax status would not change the school’s business model, however. “As a matter of good business, every law school in the country has to make a profit or they can’t survive. I was dean of three other law schools before I came to Florida Coastal. At each university, the law school was essentially required to make a surplus to turn over to the university,” he said.
Florida Coastal was founded in 1996, the end of a two-year quest by law professor Donald Lively. He said his experience teaching law at traditional institutions led to the belief that there were qualified people who wanted to become attorneys, but were denied the opportunity. “I thought there was Lively a need that was not being filled by traditional institutions. I wanted to create an alternative model with a greater focus on practice readiness and diversity within the profession,” Lively said. “They were looking to change the color of the legal profession,” said Richard Danford, president of the Jacksonville Urban League and one of Florida Coastal’s board members in 1996. Lively began presenting the idea to colleges and universities, but was unsuccessful in finding a home that had both interest and resources. After two years of searching, he was contacted by the founders of the for-profit Walden University. They understood what he had in mind and were the primary source of capital to establish the law school, Lively said. “They proposed the idea of for-profit. Until then, it hadn’t crossed my mind,” he said. Lively and his backers chose Jacksonville because they saw it as a “city on the rise,” he said. Florida Coastal was licensed by the state in 1995. Its first students began classes the next year. The school was provisionally approved by the ABA in 1999 and fully accredited in 2002. “The first time we went up for accreditation, we got it. It was a
THE INFILAW YEARS
Florida Coastal was purchased in 2004 by Sterling Partners, a holding company. It subsequently founded The InfiLaw System, that in addition to owning Florida Coastal, established two more for-profit schools, Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix and Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina. Over the years, enrollment grew at all three schools, reaching a peak at Florida Coastal in fall 2011, when 1,755 students were taking classes. The percentage of graduates from each school who passed the Bar exam increased during the first several years. In the six Bar exams from July 2005 through February 2008, Florida Coastal students bettered the state average five times. A decade later, Bar passage rates at the other two schools declined significantly, with Arizona Summit hitting a low of 19.7% in July 2016. The low passage rates got the ABA’s attention and Charlotte and Arizona Summit were placed under sanctions. The school in Charlotte closed in August 2017 and Arizona Summit is closing early next year at the end of the spring semester. Florida Coastal hit its lowest Bar pass rate – 25% - in February 2017. In October, the ABA notified the school it was “significantly out of compliance” with accreditation standards. That led to increasing the minimum academic standards for admission to Florida Coastal and an overhaul of the curriculum, including adding Bar exam preparation courses to the requirement for graduation. Bar passage rates improved and in May, the ABA lifted its sanctions and declared that “Florida Coastal School of Law remains an approved law school.”
FLORIDA COASTAL’S FUTURE
In the most recent Bar exam in July, 71% of Florida Coastal graduates — 22 of 31 — passed the exam, compared to the state average of 73.9% When former Dean Scott DeVito resigned in August, Dean of Academics Jennifer Reiber became Florida Coastal’s interim dean. “It wasn’t raising the incoming credentials that has impacted the recent Bar exams. It is the academic support and rigor of our
Photo by Max Marbut
Florida Coastal School of Law President Peter Goplerud and Jennifer Reiber, interim dean, are working on a proposal to change the school’s tax status from for-profit to not-for-profit.
LAW SCHOOLS COMPARED
Grade point averages and median scores for firstyear students on the Law School Admission Test at Florida’s law schools for 2018: School University of Florida
163
3.72
Florida State University
160
3.63
University of Miami
158
3.43
Florida International University
156
3.63
Stetson University
155
3.36
Florida Coastal School of Law 150
3.14
Nova Southeastern University
150
3.11
Ave Maria School of Law
150
3.05
St. Thomas University
148
3.10
Barry University
148
3.02
Florida A&M University
146
3.09
program and the faculty. Students have to perform, so we’ve given them a longer runway,” she said. Reiber said that transitioning to not-for-profit status will open opportunities for the school that are not available to for-profit institutions, such as grants for faculty research. Being a not-for-profit also would allow the school to establish an endowment. Goplerud said that if the change is approved, Florida Coastal no longer would be owned by InfiLaw and the company no longer would provide administrative support functions, such as information technology and human resources.
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The percentage of minority students awarded Juris Doctor degrees in 2018: St. Thomas University
83.3%
Florida A&M University
71.8%
Florida International University
66.7%
Nova Southeastern University
52.1%
Barry University
49.5%
University of Miami 43.2% Florida Coastal School of Law
37.6%
University of Florida 31.8% Ave Maria School of Law
31.4%
Stetson University 30.8% Florida State University
29.0%
Source: American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, 2018 disclosures
Florida Coastal would be an independent law school run by an independent board and would be better positioned to possibly affiliate with a not-for-profit university partner. The school’s enrollment for the current semester is 184 students. The cost of resident tuition and living expenses at Florida Coastal is $46,156 per semester compared to $29,462 per semester at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. “The mission of Florida Coastal will remain to serve the underserved. The two major state university law schools are exclusive in terms of who they take. That
leaves a significant number of people who can succeed in law school who can’t get into (the University of ) Florida or Florida State (University). That’s the segment of the prospective student market that we focus on,” Goplerud said. The ABA is scheduled to review Florida Coastal’s application for status change again in November. “I think Coastal is doing well. It has good leadership and I hope everything works out well for the school,” said Lively. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
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bit of a journey, but we got to the destination,” Lively said.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 13
100%
Florida Coastal School of Law vs. the state average 80%
60%
State pass percentage
Florida Coastal
Here’s how Florida Coastal students have fared on the Bar examination since 2000 compared with the state pass rate. The Bar exam is taken twice a year in February and July.
40%
20% 2000
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
2019
A year-by-year look at Florida Coastal results Year
Took Percent State Bar passed pass %
Year
Took Percent State Bar passed pass %
Feb. ’00
148
43.9%
71.3%
Feb. ’05
41 65.9% 71.1%
July ’00
56
53.6%
79.2%
July ’05
83
81.9%
58
77.6% 73.2% 75.4%
July ’11
Feb. ’01
60
51.7%
79.0%
Feb. ’06
July ’01
37
56.8%
81.0%
July ’06
142
Feb. ’02
47 55.3% 74.9%
Feb. ’07
67
July ’02
67
77.6% 78.2%
July ’07
167
Feb. ’03
43 69.8% 76.8%
Feb. ’08
61
July ’03
62
75.8% 75.8%
July ’08
192
Feb. ’04
48 79.2% 75.3%
Feb. ’09
59
Jul. ’04
84
July ’09
230
73.8% 74.1%
70.5% 75.1%
Year Feb. ’10
64
July ’10
226
Year
Took Percent State Bar passed pass %
60.9% 72.2%
Feb. ’15
22
72.7% 64.3%
78.8%
79.2%
July ’15
188
80.3% 68.9%
Feb. ’11 60 81.7% 79.5%
Feb. 16
49
32.9% 58.4%
74.8% 80.1%
July ’16
160
51.9% 68.2%
59 76.3% 76.2%
Feb. ’17
48
25% 57.7%
75.2% 80.2%
July ’17
132
47.7% 71.3%
58 79.3% 80.2%
Feb. ’18
29
62.1% 57.9%
70.1% 70.9%
Feb. ’12
84.4%
July ’12
80.4%
Took Percent State Bar passed pass %
240 274
85.2% 76.4%
Feb. ’13
82.3%
82.5%
July ’13
310
67.4% 77.2%
July ’18
104
62.5% 67.2%
66.1% 70.7%
Feb. 14
45
62.2% 72.9%
Feb. ’19
22
54.5% 57.9%
July 14
198
81.8% 71.8%
July ’19
31
71% 73.9%
83%
80%
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DEVELOPMENT TODAY
Page 14 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
These are the largest commercial building permits by job cost issued Tuesday by the city of Jacksonville. APARTMENTS Lofts at Baymeadows, 8050 Baymeadows Circle W., contractor is Mathers Construction Services LLC, interior renovation, $100,000. Santarone
RESTAURANTS Brooklyn Place, 10 Riverside Ave., contractor is Bay to Bay Properties LLC, 4,408 square feet, new shell building, $750,000.
Kappele
Hill
Crowe
Pflueger
Caez
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Promotions, hirings and happenings for business people in Northeast Florida. Send items to ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com
SIGNS Ameris Bank, 10611 Deerwood Park Blvd., contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., four permits for wall signs, $8,400. Verizon, 13534 Beach Blvd., No. 1, contractor is General Sign Service Corp., three permits for wall signs, $6,000. Prose, 9625 San Jose Blvd., contractor is Novalux Signs Inc., two permits for wall signs, $4,800. Panera Bread Drive Thru, 13740 Old St. Augustine Road, contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., ground sign, $2,460. Delicias Ice Cream & Coffee, 10771 Beach Blvd., No. 403, contractor is Novalux Signs Inc., wall sign, $2,100. Florida RC Outlet, 4616 Sub Chaser Court, No. 11, contractor is Novalux Signs Inc., wall sign, $2,100. Corner Lot Development Co., 1611 Atlantic Blvd., contractor is Shimp Sign & Design Inc., wall sign, $1,800. Kairos Food Juice Smoothies & Coffee, 13423 Beach Blvd., No. 204, contractor is Novalux Signs Inc., wall sign, $1,600. Woodforest National Bank, 9890 Hutchinson Park Drive, contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., wall sign, $1,000. Woodforest National Bank, 7075 Collins Road, contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., wall sign, $1,000. Woodforest National Bank, 6767 103rd St., contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., wall sign, $1,000. STORES, MERCANTILE Brooklyn Place, 50 Riverside Ave., contractor is Bay to Bay Properties LLC, 7,043 square feet, two permits for new shell building and dumpster enclosure, $1 million. Petland Inc., 13740 Beach Blvd., No. 415, contractor is Piper Homes LLC, interior renovation, $78,046. Compiled by Scott Sailer
Jacksonville-based Stellar promoted Mike Santarone to CEO and Brian Kappele to president and chief operating officer. Santarone joined Stellar as a field engineer in 1986, was made division vice president of the Food & Beverage group in 2000, was promoted to executive vice president in 2005 and became Stellar’s third president in 2012. Kappele began his career at the company as an intern in its Food & Beverage division in 1997 and after graduation became an on-site assistant project manager. He was promoted to division vice president in 2011 and became executive vice president in 2017. Stellar is a design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Alexandria Hill and Daniel Vallencourt and reappointed Chereese Stewart to the Clay County Development Authority for four-year terms. The Clay County Development Authority was established by the Florida Legislature in 1957 to promote economic development in Clay County. Hill, of Fleming Island, is the general counsel for Agincourt Industries, which operates Maple Street Biscuit Company restaurants. Vallencourt, of Green Cove Springs, is the vice president of Vallencourt Construction and owns Clay Theatre Events LLC. Stewart, of Jacksonville, is the director of economic and development services for the Clay County Board of County Commissioners. Remer Lane III joined Heritage Capital Group as a principal to focus on merger and acquisition transactions, as well as financial and strategic advisory services, especially food and agriculture.
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Remer has 35 years of leadership and management experience, including agribusiness work with Savannah Foods & Industries and McKeany-Flavell. Dr. Scott Brietzke, a pediatric otolaryngologist, joined Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville and Nemours Children’s Specialty Care. Brietzke was a pediatric otolaryngologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida and specializes in cochlear implants and sleep medicine. Ootolaryngologists, often called ENTs, specialize in treating the ear, nose and throat. We Insure Group hired two executives: Peter Crowe joined as chief revenue officer. Crowe was executive vice president with Re/Max and Motto Mortgage. Chris Pflueger joined as chief development officer. Pflueger led franchise sales teams at Re/Max and Motto Mortgage. Jorge Caez joined Crowley Shipping as director of chartering operations for petroleum transportation. Caez was director of charting and scheduling for The Vane Brothers Co. in Pennsylvania. Lindsey Gast, president of GastHouse Public Relations in St. Johns County, was selected as one of Junior Chamber International USA’s Ten Outstanding Young Americans for her achievements in business.
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Compiled by Scott Sailer
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, September 26, 2019 • Page 15
Special to the Daily Record
The 2019 Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Kathy Para Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award recipients, from left, Thomas Ross, Daniel Nunn, Robert Ellis, Angela Michelle Viltro, Richard Stockton, James Poindexter, Logan McEwen, Anne Marie Gennusa, Tad Delegal III and Brandon Beardsley. Not pictured: Jeffrey Haynie.
Bar and bench support Jacksonville Area Legal Aid LAW & THE COURTS
From left, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid CEO and President Jim Kowalski, attorneys James Poindexter and Tad Delegal and JALA Pro Bono Director Missy Davenport at the premiere of “Twelve Angry Men” at Theatre Jacksonville. The opening night performance raised more than $2,000 for JALA programs.
Pro bono service recognized at annual awards ceremony. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
September was a busy month for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, with the annual Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Awards on Sept. 18 and the Sept. 13 opening night performance of Theatre Jacksonville’s production of “Twelve Angry Men” benefiting JALA, the largest civil legal aid provider in Northeast Florida.
Retired 4th Circuit Judge Hugh Carithers received the Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Award. Carithers, who was administrative judge of the Family Division, also was chair of the circuit’s Pro Bono Committee. “Because of Judge Carithers’ efforts, more low-income residents of our community have had their voices heard in court and had advocates by their sides,” said Kathy Para, the former JALA pro bono director who served at legal aid during Carithers’ term on the bench before she retired.
Joel Settembrini, Jr.
Retired 4th Circuit Judge Hugh Carithers, left, accepted Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s 2019 Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Award from Circuit Judge Jack Schemer.
In addition, 11 attorneys were recognized for pro bono service, each receiving the Kathy Para Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award. Many of this year’s recipients were volunteer attorneys at JALA’s Eviction Self Defense Clinic, counseling people who had disputes with their landlords, said JALA Pro Bono Director Missy Davenport. The Delegal & Poindexter law firm is the sponsor for Theatre Jacksonville’s production of “Twelve Angry Men,” on stage at Theatre Jacksonville in San Marco through Sunday.
The firm donated the box office receipts from the opening night performance – more than $2,000 – to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. “We invited the community to help support JALA,” said partner James Poindexter, a member of Theatre Jacksonville’s board of directors. Visit jaxlegalaid.org to learn more about civil legal aid services available in Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
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Page 16 • Thursday, September 26, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE MARBUT REPORT
Driver receives the JBA’s Professionalism Award Share your legal news Attorneys and law firms are invited to send news and notes to Max Marbut, associate editor – legal affairs, at mmarbut@ jaxdailyrecord.com.
MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
He’s incoming chair-elect of the JAX Chamber, a JU trustee and a board member of the JTA.
the event will be donated to the JWLA Kathy Para Student Internship at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
Hardage joins Bishop & Mills
The Jacksonville Bar Association began its 2019-20 membership year Tuesday with lunch at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Riverfront that included an award and a presentation by the assistant state attorney who helped prosecute one of Jacksonville’s most high-profile cases. G. Ray Driver Jr., a founding partner at Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow, received the association’s Professionalism Award, presented by Duval County Judge Gary Flower, past chair of the JBA Professionalism & Mentoring Committee. Driver was JBA president in 2012-13, is incoming chairelect of the JAX Chamber and is a member of the Jacksonville University board of trustees and the Jacksonville Trans-
Photo by Max Marbut
From left, Jacksonville Bar Association President Elizabeth Ferguson, JBA Professionalism Award recipient G. Ray Driver Jr. and Duval County Judge Gary Flower, who presented the award to Driver.
portation Authority board of directors. Established in 2010, the annual award recognizes an association member who maintains a high level of professional demeanor; possesses integrity, honesty and civility; exhibits fairness; and shows consideration and cooperation. Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi recounted the prosecution of Gloria Williams for the 1998 kidnapping from University Hospital of newborn Kamiyah Mobley hours after her mother, Shanara Mobley, gave birth. Mizrahi said when he heard the initial news report of the crime, he was a young assistant
state attorney who was assigned to drug and burglary cases. He had no idea that more than 20 years later, he would help convict Williams of kidnapping Mobley, forging documents to create a new identity for the infant and raising the child in South Carolina as her daughter. “It was a cold, calculated, premeditated crime that went on for 18 years,” Mizrahi said. DNA evidence collected from the baby at birth proved that Shanara Mobley was her mother, Mizrahi said, and Williams was sentenced in June 2018 to 18 years in state prison. “Shanara Mobley cannot have the relationship she could have had with Kamiyah
because they lost 18 years. But I think it’s important that Kamiyah knows that she has someone in her life that will always be there,” Mizrahi said.
JWLA and Beaches Bar meeting at Monahan Jewelers
The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and the Jacksonville Beaches Bar Association are having an “After 5 Collaboration” 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 3 at Monahan Jewelers in Atlantic Beach. Appetizers and beverages will be provided, along with a 20% discount on purchases. Ten percent of sales during
Charles Hardage joined the Jacksonville office of Bishop & Mills as of counsel. A dispute resolution attorney with a background in federal litigation, cross-border disputes and international commercial arbitration, he will work with Chinese law firms as Bishop & Mills explores expansion of its global services. Hardage graduated from Georgetown Law Center and Hardage received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Attending our Open House can be
a life-changing moment.
Join us for an Open House and learn how The Bolles School has transformed the lives of literally thousands of students over many decades. You’ll enjoy meeting some of our current students when you attend a daytime event. Ponte Vedra Campus October 10, 9-11 a.m. November 19, 6-8 p.m.
Whitehurst Campus November 5, 9-11 a.m. December 3, 6-8 p.m.
Bartram Campus November 6, 6 p.m. November 7, 9 a.m.
San Jose Campus October 25, 8 a.m. November 15, 8 a.m.
Discover the possibilities at Bolles. To see all upcoming Open House dates, visit www.Bolles.org or call us at (904) 256-5030. #ThisIsBolles
The Bolles School is a college preparatory day and boarding school for students in Pre-K through Grade 12.