Daily Record Financial News &
Friday, October 16, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 240 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
$7M boost for UNF program
By David Chapman Staff Writer
pay for it.” The honors program has almost 600 students. Boosting it to a college will increase the school’s profile, Michelman said, and eventually it should have 650-700 students. In addition to study-abroad scholarships, about $80,000 each year will go toward Hicks Fellows. Those juniors and seniors will participate in undergraduate research with faculty, travel to conferences, work on special projects and other activities usually reserved for graduate students. “It’s going to take it to a com-
pletely different level,” Delaney said of the gift. The transformation from a program to a college also is a key recruiting tool, Delaney said. The school is third in the state in admission standards, he said, and this year’s fall freshman class had an average GPA of 4.02 and a 1218 SAT score. Delaney said the Hicks Honors College will allow UNF to recruit even more highprofile students. Delaney said David Hicks “always wanted to see a little Amherst in UNF.” UNF continued on Page A-4
Project supervisor Kenny Gau, right, checks a delivery for the 24-hour HabiJax “blitz-build” as workers unload materials. HabiJax and the Northeast Florida Builders Association partnered to build a home in 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shifts Wednesday and Thursday.
A home in 24 hours
“
HabiJax, NEFBA ‘barn raise’ in New Town By Carole Hawkins Staff Writer
Wielding his cellphone, NEFBA President Rick Morales kept production rolling.
Public
The elements of a home under construction were familiar — a frame rising from a graded lot, taped drywall, tubs of primer on the porch. But, everything was happening faster and all at once. Pockets of workers moved in anthill choreography, unloading lumber, laying roof shingles and stabbing caulk guns at siding, windows and doors. Nearby, project managers, cellphones stuck to their ears, gestured in conversation. Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville and the Northeast Florida Builders Association partnered to build a house in 24 hours in New Town, working Wednesday and Thursday from sunup to sundown. The purpose was to raise awareness about
legal notices begin on page
A-10
Ann and David Hicks
St. Johns lands spec office site for $8.5M
Photos by Carole Hawkins
University of North Florida President John Delaney says the school has long wanted to boost its honors program. It now has the resources to take that step in a big way. Longtime supporters Ann and David Hicks donated $7 million to UNF to establish Hicks Honors College, the sixth academic college at the university. It’s the largest gift in the school’s history and will be put to good use in many ways, said Delaney.
Starting next semester, UNF will begin offering more sophisticated academic offerings. Eventually, a 200-room honors-only dorm will be constructed. Scholarships totaling about $180,000 a year will send 60 students abroad for a semester, a summer or an entire term. That’s a critically important part of higher learning for undergraduate students who excel, said Jeff Michelman, UNF honors program director. “They have the ability to do it,” he said of the students. ”But not everyone has the ability to
File photo
Hicks Honors College will raise university’s profile
“
It’s been exciting and fun. But oh my God, it’s been a logistical nightmare. Rick Morales, NEFBA president
options for affordable housing in Jacksonville. It’s the third year in a row the organizations have partnered on a “blitz-build.” Past projects were building 25 and 50 homes over six days. “It’s like a barn-raising on steroids,” said Roger Cortie, HabiJax chief operating officer. “The scope is a little bit smaller, but actually it ends up being harder than a larger build.” NEFBA President Rick Morales has done HabiJax continued on Page A-3
Published
for
As Raja Saoud prepared for the ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday for his family company’s $8.5 million speculative office building in Nocatee, he drew attention to the adjacent building site. That will be next. It likely will be built as soon as the new 62,751-square-foot structure is completed, expected in July, and leased. “We have several prospects right now,” said Lou Nutter, senior vice president of CBRE Inc. in Jacksonville, the real estate group handling leasing and management for the property. Saoud said the three-story building is attractive for professionals, such as lawyers, medical offices and companies. “God willing, we’ll be building pad No. 3 over there very soon,” Saoud said. The new building signals more than just construction. It is believed to be the first speculative Class A multitenant office building developed in Northeast Florida since 2008 at Flagler Center in Jacksonville, Nutter said. That’s when the recession led to a lot of vacant office space, which has been recovering in higher-demand areas. However, building costs have risen, forcing owners of new structures to charge higher rents. Nutter said that works best these days in limited markets, such as Nocatee and, if land was available, at the Beaches. Further, it’s in St. Johns County, where Nocatee straddles the county line with Duval. Nocatee is the 14,000-acre development ranked last year as the nation’s third best-selling master-planned community. The building’s address will be Ponte Vedra, he said, which is attractive to tenants who want to be associated with the established St. Johns County resort and residential area. The site is at northwest Nocatee and Mathis continued on Page A-2
26,770
consecutive weekdays