FRIDAY January 18, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Lawsuit over Berkman II project dismissed
FORMER CITY HALL ANNEX IMPLOSION JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record ONE LAST LOOK BEFORE THE BOOM
Agreement lifts “cloud” over redevelopment so plan for city incentives can proceed, DIA CEO says. BY DAVID CAWTON STAFF WRITER
After being part of the Downtown skyline for nearly 60 years, the former City Hall Annex will soon be a memory.
Daily Record Daily Record
A lawsuit filed against the group seeking to redevelop the Berkman Plaza II property in Downtown Jacksonville was dismissed last month in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court. The complaint was filed by Cambridge Capital Group LLC, A&T Development Company LLC and Tallahassee attorney Tim Howard in July against developer Bob Ohde and his 500 East Bay Street LLC entity, along with Choate Construction Co. and MVJFL LLC. Cambridge Capital Group and Howard sought $1.1 million in damages tied to a previous agreement between those parties and Ohde’s group. Circuit Judge Virginia Norton dismissed the case with prejudice Dec. 20 after the sides came to a mediated agreement, the terms of which were not available. Ohde declined to comment on the agreement, saying his team was working on an official statement. The complaint claimed Ohde and his development group were in breach of contract, participated in unfair and deceptive trade practices, benefited from unjust enrichment and failed to pay the plaintiffs $1.1 million for funds they invested. Howard is a former business partner of Ohde who at one point was involved in the redevelopment project along East Bay Street. Howard was listed as the sole investor and majority owner’s representative of A&T Devel-
SEE BERKMAN II, PAGE 2
JACKSONVILLE
BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
JACKSONVILLE
If all goes according to schedule, one of Jacksonville’s most historic buildings will be reduced to a pile of rubble at 8 a.m. Sunday. That’s when the former City Hall Annex at 220 E. Bay St. is to be imploded to make way for anticipated public-private development. The 15-story, brick and glass structure has been part of the Northbank skyline since construction began in 1958. After the building opened for the city’s business in 1960, it was the office for thousands of city employees over the years, including seven mayors: Haydon Burns, Lou Ritter, Hans Tanzler, Jake Godbold, Tommy Hazouri, Ed Austin and John Delaney. It’s where the city set the goal to be known as “The Bold New City of the South,” where the consolidated county and city government convened for the first time and where negotiations were hammered out to bring the NFL to Jacksonville. When the dust settles after the implosion, the building will be gone, but not forgotten. The contents of a time capsule sealed by Burns and his contemporaries in October 1960, including letters, photos, government documents and a pack of Pall Mall cigarettes, is on display at the Main Library. The implosion will be broadcast live beginning at 6 a.m. Sunday by Jacksonville Daily Record news partner WJXT-TV.
Photo by Max Marbut
The former City Hall Annex at 220 E. Bay St. is scheduled to be imploded at 8 a.m. Sunday. For more photos of the annex, and the adjacent former Duval County Courthouse that also is being demolished, visit JaxDailyRecord.com
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Dalton Agency acquires Anode Jacksonville-based Dalton Agency said Thursday its acquisition of Nashville-based Anode, a digital marketing firm, is complete. It is the second Nashville-based company acquired since 2016 by the Dalton advertising, public relations and interactive marketing services firm. Anode specializes in technology-focused interactive marketing, offering clients augmented and virtual reality, touch and motion technology, and interactive web experiences. More at JaxDailyRecord.com
Dalton Agency CEO Jim Dalton
VOLUME 106, NO. 44 • ONE SECTION