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The Basch Report: CSX says it plans to keep cutting jobs PAGE 6
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JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer JEA board of directors facing vacancies
REDEVELOPMENT JACKSONVILLE
SEEING POTENTIAL Record & Observer IN ARLINGTON JACKSONVILLE
Board Chair Alan Howard won’t seek reappointment; Husein Cumber resigns.
Record & Observer A Miami-area developer wants to
transform the Bethelite property,
BY DAVID CAWTON
site of the former Thunderbird
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Motor Hotel, but some
JACKSONVILLE
question the feasibility.
At least two seats on the JEA board of directors will need to be filled in the coming months. JEA board Chairman Alan Howard said Tuesday after a board meeting that he will not seek reappointment when his term ends Feb. 28. “This is a job that requires a great deal of time and attention to do it right and I’ve tried to do that for the last year-plus,” Howard Howard said after the board’s monthly meeting. “It’s really time for someone else to have their turn at the helm,” he said. He served on the board since 2016 and as chair since May 2017. Howard indicated that while he plans to step down as chair at the end of his term, he could remain on the board while Mayor Lenny Curry’s office fills his seat and up to two others. At the meeting, Howard announced that board member Husein Cumber resigned, citing a potential conflict of interest with the City Council election of his wife, LeAnna Cumber. Cumber did not attend the Tuesday board meeting. Curry also may need to fill the seat held by the Rev. Frederick Newbill, whose term also ends
Record & Observer THE SITE
This 18.7-acre site at 5865 Arlington Expressway was developed in 1964 and long served as the Thunderbird Motor Hotel and Thunderbird Dinner Theatre. It has been unused for more than a decade,
BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
T
hat run-down Bethelite property along the Arlington Expressway hasn’t been much to look at. But where passers-by have been seeing weeds, graffiti, broken glass, empty buildings, fallen fences and junk, its owner envisions potential. The South Florida ownership group of the 55-year-old vacant and deteriorating motel and conference center along the Arlington Expressway wants to redevelop the property into apartments, hotels, a restaurant and retail uses. The 18.7-acre site at 5865 Arlington Expressway was developed in 1964. It long served as the Thunderbird Motor Hotel and Thunderbird Dinner Theatre, catering to the new neighborhoods popular with young executives working Downtown. SEE ARLINGTON, PAGE 8
The Mathis Report: More growth coming to Gate Parkway PAGE 4 Cawton report: Ambassador Hotel to become a La Quinta PAGE 10 OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP
“We bought it like this. We are going to make the best of it.” DEVELOPER SHMUEL BONNARDEL
SEE JEA, PAGE 7
THE MARBUT REPORT
Shotgun-toting lawyers have blast Its all for good sport. PAGE 11 VOLUME VOLUME 1, 1, NO. NO. 34 27 • ONE SECTION
Page 2 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
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Jacksonville Daily Record, Jacksonville Record & Observer and Realty-Builder are a division of Observer Media Group Inc. 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. Photo by Monty Zickuhr
WHAT’S TRENDING
Crews remove the rubble from the site of the former City Hall Annex on Wednesday. The building was imploded Sunday.
DEVELOPMENT Old City Hall Annex Downtown imploded In less than 10 seconds, the 59-year-old City Hall Annex was reduced to rubble Sunday morning. “It belongs to the ages,” said former Mayor Tommy Hazouri, who served from 1987-91, one of seven mayors who inhabited the office on the 14th floor of the building. “We can implode the building, but not the history,” he said. At 8 a.m., explosives were detonated to implode the 15-story, 200,140-square-foot structure at 220 E. Bay St. The 2.39-acre site will be cleared for eventual redevelopment. The city said the implosion went according to plan. About a dozen windows in the Blackstone Building across the street were broken by debris.
PGA Tour wins permit for new headquarters The PGA Tour can build its estimated $75 million global home now that St. Johns County approved a building permit for construction of the 187,000-square-foot headquarters. The facility, at 5420 Palm Valley Road in Ponte Vedra Beach, is scheduled for completion in 2020. The building, designed by London-based architects Foster+Partners, will consolidate more than 750 employees from 17 buildings in and around TPC Sawgrass. The new facility can accommodate several hundred more.
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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JEA narrows sites for a new corporate HQ JEA’s board of directors will consider three development plans for a new corporate headquarters. The three proposals are: n Becoming the corporate anchor for Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s initial phase of development near TIAA Bank Field. n Redeveloping the public utility’s headquarters at 21 W. Church St. by partnering with Ryan Companies US Inc. n Relocating to the Downtown Southbank by converting what is now Kings Avenue Station with an office tower, a project led by Kings Avenue Station P3 LLC, whose managing member is Michael Balanky. The three finalists will make public presentations to the board at a special meeting Feb. 5. The board could select a group and start negotiations or it could push the decision to later in the month.
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The Homestead Restaurant files for bankruptcy
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The Homestead Restaurant LLC, the Jacksonville Beach restaurant that closed in October after six months in business, filed a petition for a Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. No reason for the closing was given in the petition filed Jan. 9 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida in Jacksonville. The petition said Homestead took in $909,526 in gross revenue but did not say how much money it lost. The restaurant listed $956,715 in liabilities and $91,117 in assets in the petition. The largest debt is $440,000 for “loans from owners for buildout and equipment” made by Halgard and Pamela Batoon. The original Homestead operated from 1947 to 2010 in a log cabin-style building at 1712 Beach Blvd. That building is now the home of restaurant TacoLu. Bo Johns, a former Homestead chef, decided to revive the restaurant at a new location at 1253 Penman Road. Johns was listed as a co-owner in news reports when the restaurant opened last year.
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OFFICIAL DESIGNATIONS
CORRECTION
A story Nov. 17 about City Council candidates for the March 19 unitary election has three corrections. At-Large Group 1 candidate Connell Crooms qualified as no party affiliation, not a Democrat. Alexander Watkins did not qualify for At-Large Group 4, so he will not run. Republican Greg Rachal will run in At-Large Group 3. His name was omitted. The total number of candidates remains at 51.
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 24, 2019 • Page 3
Area unemployment tops 3 percent Jacksonville area jobs 2018 In December, the five-county metropolitan Jacksonville area had total nonagricultural employment of 720,400, up 12,500 jobs from the year before. Here are the largest industry sectors.
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jacksonville’s jobless rate edged higher in December despite an increase in employment, as more people entered the labor force looking for work. The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area (Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties) rose from 2.9 percent in November to 3.1 percent in December, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday. The area’s jobless rate had been below 3 percent for three consecutive months Loh b e f o r e D e c e m b e r. While the number of residents who were employed rose by about 1,700 in December, the size of the labor force rose by about 3,500 so the unemployment rate increased. People are only counted as in the labor force if they are working or actively looking for work. The state agency does not adjust its data for seasonal factors, including the normal Christmas season hiring that impacts the unemployment rate. The University of North Florida Local Economic Indicators Project said when it is seasonally adjusted, Jacksonville’s unemployment rate had a bigger jump from 2.91 percent in November to 3.42 percent in December. Despite the December increase, UNF economist Albert Loh said the trend throughout 2018 was declining unemployment. “It was an excellent year for the labor market and the outlook continued to be positive,” he said. Duval County’s unemployment rate rose from 3 percent in November to 3.2 percent in December, without seasonal adjustment. However, Loh said when it is adjusted, the county’s jobless rate actually declined by 0.13 percentage points to 3.13 percent. St. Johns County’s unem-
Change since December December Industry total 2017 Professional and business services 110,400
3,100
Education and health services
109,400
3,200
Leisure and hospitality
89,300
300
Retail trade
84,700
400
Government 79,700 1,700 Financial activities
69,900
1,700
Construction 47,500 2,900 Transportation, warehousing, utilities 37,600
100
Manufacturing 31,400 500 Wholesale trade
24,500
1,100
Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Bureau of Workforce Statistics and Economic Research
ployment rate rose by 0.2 points to 2.7 percent, without adjustment, but that was still the second-lowest rate in the state behind Monroe County’s 2.6 percent rate. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 3.3 percent in December, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said. The agency said nonfarm businesses in the Jacksonville metro area had a net gain of 12,500 jobs from December 2017 through December 2018, a 1.8 percent growth rate. The strongest growth, on a percentage basis, was in the
construction industry which added 2,900 jobs, or 6.5 percent, in the 12-month period. The education and health services sector added 3,200 jobs, a 3 percent gain, and professional and business services added 3,100 jobs, or 2.9 percent. The biggest job loss came in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which declined by 1,600, or 1.1 percent. With the holidays over, Loh said he will be closely watching the report on January’s labor market, which will not be released by the state until March. “January data will be revealing relative to whether many
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new workers are permanent or simply reflect last-minute Christmas hiring,” Loh said. Jacksonville’s job growth matched the national growth rate of 1.8 percent but lagged behind Florida’s statewide growth rate of 2.7. The Department of Economic Opportunity said every metropolitan area in the state added jobs in 2018 except Panama City, which lost 1,500 jobs in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Florida had a net gain of 231,200 jobs from December 2017 through December 2018, the agency said. A report last week by the
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Florida Chamber Foundation predicted the state will create 150,000 jobs this year. However, the foundation’s chief economist warned global conditions could impact growth. “When job creators see uncertainty in financial or international markets, they are less likely to invest,” Jerry Parrish said in a news release. The foundation urged business leaders at an economic outlook and jobs summit to focus on diversifying Florida’s economy to mitigate economic threats.
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Page 4 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE MATHIS REPORT
Here’s the latest on growth along Gate Parkway
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Wawa, Baer’s Furniture and more planned near Ikea store. Gate Parkway near Ikea is about to become busier with a Wawa gas station and convenience store, a Baer’s Furniture store and a self-storage facility. The property, at northwest Gate Parkway and Point Meadows Drive, is referred to as Gate Point Meadows in some documents. The location is south of St. Johns Town Center. Tampa-based Brightwork Real Estate is the developer of the 13.3-acre property, which is designed for five parcels. In addition to Baer’s, Wawa and the self-storage project, the other two parcels are expected to be a retail, quick-service restaurant or commercial building and a commercial or retail building. Brightwork bought the property for $7.7 million from the Skinner family and sold 4.12 acres to Baer’s Furniture Co. of Pompano Beach for $3.2 million. England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineering consultant. Here’s the latest: n Baer’s Furniture was issued a conditional capacity availability statement for its proposed 86,000-square-foot store, across from Ikea. It is expected to start construction this summer with completion by early 2020. Baer’s, with 16 locations statewide, describes itself as “Florida’s premium furniture and mattress store.” It sells furnishings for living room, dining, bedroom, home office and entertainment spaces. n Through BW Gate Point Meadows LLC, Brightwork applied for a conditional concurrency availability statement for a 104,100-square-foot self-storage structure on 2.26 acres. n Plans show a 6,119-square-foot Wawa gas station and convenience store with 16 fueling positions.
Historic Brewster Hospital renovation issued city permit North Florida Land Trust Inc. can renovate the historic Brewster Hospital building in LaVilla. The city issued a permit for Danis Construction LLC to renovate the two-story building at 843 W. Monroe St. at a cost of $540,000. The architect is Robbins Design Studio. The property comprises 5,466 square feet of interior space and 593 square feet of exterior space. The city agreed to lease the building to North Florida Land Trust. Property records show the two-story building was developed in 1885.
Special to Daily Record
The owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes in Southside is planning a second location in Mandarin.
FOOD & RESTAURANT NOTES
Nothing Bundt Cakes plans Mandarin store Four years after opening its first Nothing Bundt Cakes at Beach and Hodges boulevards in Southside, franchisee Cake 4 Partners Inc. intends to open its second location in Mandarin. Charles Waters, president of Cake 4 Partners, said he anticipates opening a Nothing Bundt Cakes in April in the Merchants Walk shopping center at 9925 San Jose Blvd. “Mandarin is a fantastic area and our product is a good fit,” he said. Waters is looking at St. Johns County for a third location. Another franchisee operates a store in Orange Park, he said. The city is reviewing a permit application for a $137,000 build-out of a 2,700-square-foot Nothing Bundt Cake store in Merchants Walk, a shopping center owned by Hakimian Holdings. Coastal Contracting of North Florida Inc. is listed as the contractor. Greg Landry Architect of Richardson, Texas, is the architect. Nothing Bundt Cakes is based in Addison, Texas, and franchises more than 260 bakeries across the country. The bakeries offer Bundt cakes – from bite-size to 10-inch sizes – in a choice of flavors and designs.
n Cantina Louie is in review at the St. Johns River Water Management District for a restaurant and retail space in Arlington at Monument Road and Interstate 295, near the Gate gas station and Ruby Tuesday restaurant. Jacksonville Beach-based ZT Holdings #06 LLC proposes a 10,810-squarefoot building on almost 1.9 acres. The structure comprises a 5,100-square-foot Cantina Louie restaurant and four adjacent retail spaces totaling 5,710 square feet.
n Marco’s Pizza applied for a certificate of use at 11406 San Jose Blvd. in the Mandarin Oaks Shopping Center, where Ticon Commercial Inc. intends to build the 1,555-square-foot, $208,000 project. Also, Marco’s Pizza opened Nov. 8 at 8738 Baymeadows Road W., Suite 112, in the Bay95 retail center.
n Contractor FCG Inc. of Ponte Vedra Beach announced it was awarded the $251,000 tenant build-out for Fuzzy’s Taco Shop at 8221 Southside Blvd. It is a 2,995-square-foot project.
n Zeus Pizza Grill & Buffet owner Erkan Enterprises LLC requests a certificate of use for its 4,300-square-foot San Marco restaurant at 1402 San Marco Blvd. It’s the former Kitchen on San Marco.
It has been vacant since the 1960s and has fallen into neglect. The Downtown Investment Authority is assisting the deal and the Downtown Development Review Board approved the plans.
Magellan Transport HQ renovations are approved Tenant Contractors Inc. was issued a permit to renovate space at 8505 Baycenter Road for Magellan Transport Logistics Inc.’s headquarters. The permit shows a $720,326 renovation of 9,837 square feet on the first floor of the east wing. Plans show offices, a conference room, dining area, ship-
ping and receiving and team activities that include a fitness area. The permit specifies new restroom, office and break room space. Camelot Logistics Solutions LLC, led by Tom and Patty Piatak, bought the three-story, 47,000-square-foot property in January 2018 for almost $1.56 million. It comprises an east wing and a west wing. CEO Tom Piatak said previously that Magellan will take the first floor of the office building and the adjacent single-story structure comprising office, data center and warehouse space. Another tenant leased the other space. Camelot is the real estate holding company that bought
n Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is closer to opening at the Buck Business Park in Arlington. The city is reviewing a permit application for construction of a 2,265-square-foot restaurant on 1.25 acres at 9309 Merrill Road. The city also issued a concurrency reservation certificate for construction of the restaurant, which is east of the Southside Connector at the split of Merrill and Fort Caroline roads near the Buck & Buck Inc. real estate office at 9137 Merrill Road. n Dunkin’ Donuts wants to build a 2,350-square-foot store with two drive-thru lanes along Race Track Road in Bartram Park in St. Johns County.
n Jersey Mike’s Subs is building-out at 9711 Applecross Road in the Oakleaf area. Ticon Inc. is the contractor for the 1,020-square-foot project at a cost of $183,478 project.
the building for its operating company, Magellan Transport Logistics. Tom Piatak said in August that Magellan is remodeling 28,000 square feet of space at the building. The company now occupies about 6,500 square feet at 2511 St. Johns Bluff Road, No. 107, in Southside. Piatak launched Magellan as part of a private equity investment with Allied Capital and then bought the company in 2009.
Brooklyn Place retail center in construction review The Ferber Co. wants to start construction on Brooklyn Place, a two-building,
11,451-square-foot retail center at 10 and 50 Riverside Ave. Plans show a 4,408-squarefoot building and a threetenant, 7,043-square-foot building on 1.5 acres. The property is in the Brooklyn neighborhood next to Brooklyn Station on Riverside. No contractor is listed for the $1.75 million project. England-Thims & Miller Inc. is listed as the engineer, with FWH Architects Inc. as the architect. A previous project summary said the project will comprise restaurant and retail space. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 24, 2019 • Page 5
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 and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Jan. 14-18.
File image
Integra River Run, a 300-unit apartment community at 14050 Integra Drive near River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville, was sold for $54 million. It was built in 2017.
$54,000,000
$6,000,000
$4,500,000
$4,495,000
$2,100,000
14050 Integra Drive, Jacksonville, Duval County
4646 Moncrief Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
5929 Ramona Blvd., Jacksonville, Duval County
248 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park, Clay County
917 S. First St., No. 1202, Jacksonville Beach, Duval County
Type: Integra River Run apartments Size: 18.11 acres Buyer: EBSCO Integra River Run LLC Seller: Integra Riverside LLC
Type: Majestic Plaza Apartments Size: 2.58 acres Buyer: Rockwell One Properties LLC Seller: Majestic Plaza LLC Previous sale: $2,500,000 in 2017
Type: Diamond Inn Size: 2.48 acres Buyer: Lodge on Tara Blvd. LLC Seller: Gefiltefish 770 LLC
Type: Commercial retail Size: 4.8 acres Buyer: Autozone Stores LLC Seller: Blanding Orange Park LLC
Type: Marbella condominium Size: 4,435 square feet Buyer: James E. and Kimberley B. Graham Seller: Trustland Partners LLC
$2,040,000
$2,009,700
$1,700,000
$1,660,000
$1,357,883
817 Clay St., Jacksonville, Duval County
Royal Pines Drive Middleburg, Clay County
2890 University Blvd. W., Jacksonville, Duval County
3428 Silver Palm Drive, Jacksonville, Duval County
5634 Merrill Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Type: Goodyear Auto Service Size: 1.16 acres Buyer: Laurvell Florida LLC Seller: Brian E. Brooks and Landsprings LP Previous sale: $1,900,000
Type: 23 single-family lots in Greyhawk subdivision Size: Not available Buyer: Lennar Homes LLC Seller: Greyhawk Venture LLC
Type: Commercial Size: 2.05 acres Buyer: VyStar Credit Union Seller: 2890 University Blvd. W. Previous sale: $980,000 in 2006
Type: Single-family Size: 0.96 acres Buyer: Eugene and Eva Marie Roth Seller: Christine and Thomas A. Owen III Previous sale: $1,550,000 in 2017
Type: CVS Size: 1.81 acres Buyer: Alexander Fund XVI TH LLC Seller: SCP 2002E 6 LLC
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Page 6 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE BASCH REPORT
CSX says it plans to keep cutting jobs “Better service obviously requires less folks to run the railroad. Less assets come from better service and less people to maintain those assets and then certainly on the G&A side, as we have attrition opportunities, we’ll take those.” FRANK LONEGRO, CSX CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jacksonville-based company says the reductions are expected to be in line with its normal attrition rate of 6 to 7 percent. CSX Corp.’s 2018 job cuts exceeded management’s expectations, and company officials said last week they see plenty of room to cut further. As the Jacksonville-based railroad company reported year-end financial results, its official employment fell by 1,531 in 2018 to 22,475 at the end of the year, but that’s only part of the story. “With respect to our total workforce, which includes management and union employees as well as contractors and consultants, we exceeded our 2018 goal of 2,000 reductions,” Chief Financial Officer Frank Lonegro said during CSX’s conference call with analysts. “Looking forward to 2019, improved service and operating fluidity together with opportunistic streamlining in our support functions will drive significant year-overyear labor productivity,” he said. CSX officials did say they expect attrition to take care of its continued job Foote reduction, as opposed to layoffs. But they do see areas for cost-cutting. “Across the organization, operations, sales and marketing and all other functions, there are plenty of opportunities for improvement to keep us busy for years to come,” CEO James Foote said in the conference call. “Millions of unnecessary events in our business processes can be eliminated which will improve service to our customers and allow them to be more efficient,” he said. “We continue to make progress towards the efficiency goals set a little less than a year ago.” A year ago, CSX officials said they were targeting a total employment count of 21,000 in its operations that cover most of the eastern U.S. by the end of 2020. The company did not give any targets for 2019 but Lonegro said he expects this year’s reduction to be in line with CSX’s normal annual attrition rate of 6 to 7 percent. “Better service obviously requires less folks to run the railroad. Less assets come from better service and less people to maintain those assets and
22,475
CSX official employment at end of 2018 financial year
1,531
Number of jobs reduced
6.4%
Percentage of jobs reduced
then certainly on the G&A side, as we have attrition opportunities, we’ll take those,” he said. The drop in employment and other cost-cutting moves allowed CSX to significantly improve its operating ratio last year, a key metric for the company. CSX was hoping to get the ratio, which is operating expenses divided by revenue, down to 60 percent by 2020. However, it got there two years early, with the ratio falling below 60 percent in the second quarter of 2018 and ending at 60.3 percent for the full year, down from 67.4 percent in 2017. Foote said he expects more improvements in the operating ratio this year but he said the 60.3 percent ratio for 2018 was helped by real estate sales, which boosted revenue in 2018. So analysts shouldn’t expect the ratio to drop even lower this year. “I believe a good 2018 OR baseline to measure our improvement in 2019 is closer to 61, which adjusts for some of the better-than-expected benefits from real estate that occurred in 2018,” he said. CSX grew revenue by 7 percent to $12.25 billion in 2018, and Foote projected revenue to grow by a “low single digits” percentage this year. Foote said he expects “muted” growth in its intermodal business and “some moderation” in revenue growth from export coal shipments. However, he has a mostly positive outlook. “Over the past few days, I have spoken to a number of large customers across different industries. General
customer feedback has been positive and it’s consistent with the demand levels we are seeing today,” he said. “While it’s hard to ignore the volatility in the equity markets, I cannot call out any trend in our business today that would point to a significant slowdown in our business,” he said. “You really have to love being in the rail industry right now,” Foote said.
American Outdoor Brands facility is closing June 30
After parent company American Outdoor Brands Corp. revealed plans to close the facility last year, Ultimate Survival Technologies LLC filed notice last week that it will close its Jacksonville operations June 30. The closing will impact 45 employees and 22 temporary workers employed by a thirdparty company, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing with the state. American Outdoor said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in August it would close the 100,625-square-foot facility at 7720 Philips Highway as it consolidates operations into a new logistics and customer service center in Missouri. The building is the former headquarters for Ultimate Survival Technologies, which produced survival and camping equipment before it was acquired by American Outdoor in 2016. Springfield, Massachusettsbased American Outdoor was formerly known as Smith & Wesson, but it changed its
name and acquired UST as part of a plan to expand beyond its iconic firearms brand. In its WARN notice, UST said affected employees will be let go beginning March 10 and all cuts will be completed by June 30, when the facility will be permanently closed. American Outdoor leases the facility, which was acquired by a California investor in December 2017 for $5.075 million, according to Duval County records.
mCig spins off subsidiary, Obitx Jacksonville-based mCig Inc. said in an SEC filing the spinoff of a subsidiary called Obitx Inc. into a separate public company has been completed. The spinoff was completed by distributing stock of Obitx to mCig shareholders. Obitx provides marketing and advertising software while mCig operates a number of businesses serving the legal cannabis markets. No public market for Obitx existed before the spinoff but the company said in SEC filings it intends to apply for listing in the OTC markets, where mCig trades under the ticker “MCIG.” Shares of mCig have traded mostly below 20 cents for most of the past month. MCig last week filed its quarterly report with the SEC showing sales of $1.18 million for the six months ended Oct. 31 and a net loss of $1.08 million in the first half of its fiscal year. Obitx filed an SEC report showing sales of $84,610 for the nine months ended Oct. 31
and a net loss of $690,702.
Tech company continues IPO effort More than a year after its initial SEC filing, a Jacksonville company called Webstar Technology Group Inc. filed an updated registration statement two weeks ago saying it is continuing its efforts at an initial public offering. Webstar is trying to sell between 3 million and 20 million shares of stock at $1 each directly to investors in a bestefforts offering, meaning it is not using an underwriter. The company, which is developing several technology applications, reported no revenue in the first nine months of 2018, according to the latest filing. The company has not applied for a stock exchange listing but said in the filing it plans to apply for listing on the OTCQB Marketplace under the ticker “WBST.” The filing comes at a time when several financial news outlets are reporting that the partial federal government shutdown could grind the IPO market to a halt because of a cutback in SEC staff to review filings. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that some companies are planning to get around that with a legal option that allows them to “pick a price” for their IPO and then begin trading at that price 20 days later. But because of market volatility, that’s a risky strategy, the newspaper said. IPOs are normally priced the day before trading begins. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 24, 2019 • Page 7
These are the largest commercial building permits by job cost issued Tuesday by the city of Jacksonville. APARTMENTS
SIGNS
Promotions, hirings and happenings for business people in Northeast Florida. Send items to ssailer@ jaxdailyrecord.com
Paradise Island Apartments, 8787 Southside Blvd., contractor is Henderson Pool Service Inc., two permits for refinishing swimming pools, $90,300. San Remo Apartments, 843 Alderman Road, contractor is NSL Construction Ltd. Co., four permits for railing replacement, $31,000.
Goodwill, Donations, 8738 Baymeadows Road E., No. 101, contractor is Harbinger LLC, two permits for wall signs, $49,876. Miller’s Ale House, 10334 Southside Blvd., contractor is General Sign Service Corp., four permits for wall and monument signs, $8,125. Nothing Bundt Cakes, 9925 San Jose Blvd., No. 3, contractor is Taylor Sign & Design Inc., three permits for wall signs, $7,200. Care Spot Urgent Care Baptist Health Florida, 5964 Normandy Blvd., contractor is General Sign Service Corp., two permits for wall signs, $5,000. BP, To Go, 9012 New Kings Road, contractor is Aluminum Plus LLC, four permits for canopy and wall signs, $2,000. BP, 5230 University Blvd. W., contractor is Aluminum Plus LLC, three permits for wall signs, $41,500. Corporate Suite Shoppe, 8200 Cypress Plaza Drive, No. 105, contractor is Harbinger LLC, wall sign, $1,452.
The NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association Northeast Florida Chapter announced its 2019 board of directors: President Nelson Bradshaw, BBVA Compass; President-elect Trey Wilson, with Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow; Vice President of Public Affairs David Smith, Danis Construction; and Treasurer Laura Gonzales, TD Bank. Other board members are: David Hillegas, Cushman & Wakefield, developing leaders; Julie BohnHoward, Cushman & Wakefield, and Teresa Durand-Stuebben, Work/ Build, directors and past presidents; and directors at large Josh Edwards of Crocker Partners, Dan Tatsch of Hillwood Investment Properties, Bill Spinner of Jax Green Industrial, and Vince McCormack with Perdue Office Interiors.
INDUSTRIAL Swisher International Inc., 2527 Walnut St., contractor is A1A Solar Contracting Inc., install solar panels, $109,077. Atlantic Self Storage, 13255 Normandy Blvd., No. 400, contractor is Florida Metal Building Services LLC, 5,400 square feet, repair, $39,000. OFFICE, BANK, PROFESSIONAL Orthodontic Specialists of Florida, 7751 Baymeadows Road E., contractor is Adams Interior Contractors Inc., 2,104 square feet, tenant build-out, $239,938. CoolRoom LLC, 9823 Tapestry Park Circle, No. 6, contractor is Platinum Construction Southeast Inc., 1,474 square feet, tenant build-out, $91,949. RESTAURANTS
King
Stewart
Crowley Marine Corp. promoted Tiffany King and Jeannie Stewart to vice president to co-lead its People Services group. King is responsible for human resources, employee health and compensation. Stewart is responsible for educational and personnel development, talent acquisition and travel. King joined Crowley in 2007 and served as director of human resources since 2016. Stewart was senior director of talent acquisition, travel and office services. Ameris Bank promoted Doug Strange to chief credit officer, responsible for daily credit culture functions of acquisition, underwriting, approval and monitoring. Strange recently was senior credit officer where he improved Strange customer service. Strange will work in the bank’s Jacksonville and the Moultrie, Georgia, offices. Compiled by Scott Sailer
Hawkers Asian Street Fare, 1001 Park St., contractor is TWT Restaurant Design Construction & Development Co., renovation and expansion, $415,518.
STORES, MERCANTILE Walmart, 13227 City Square Drive, contractor is FMGI Inc., renovation, $1.09 million. Liberty Center, 5117 J. Turner Butler Blvd., contractor is Coastal Contracting of North Florida Inc., 5,862 square feet, new building, $380,730.
JEA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Feb. 28. Newbill said Tuesday he has not decided whether he wanted to continue serving. “I honestly don’t know right now,” he said. Newbill said he has not had any recent conversations about the appointment with the mayor. Curry appoints JEA board members and the City Council approves them. The process can take up to two months. The seven-member board provides oversight for the country’s eighthlargest municipally owned electric, water and wastewater utility company. It hires, fires and provides guidance for JEA’s executive leadership team. Howard is a founder and shareholder of the Milam Howard Nicandri Gillam & Renner law firm in Downtown Jacksonville. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate and project finance and securities matters. JEA faced several challenges under Howard’s leadership. The utility worked through two hurricanes, the resignation of former CEO Paul McElroy, a debate about the pros and cons of potentially selling JEA to
Newbill
Cumber
a private operator, and the national search and eventual selection of Aaron Zahn to become the utility’s next chief executive. Howard said Tuesday he wasn’t prepared to reflect on his time at JEA, saying that those conversations would need to wait until his term expired. Cumber’s resignation comes after LeAnna Cumber won the race to serve the District 5 council seat after no other candidates qualified to run for that position in the March 19 unitary election. Her term begins July 1. Former Mayor Alvin Brown appointed Husein Cumber to the JEA board in February 2014. Curry appointed him to another term in February that was set to expire in 2022. In a letter sent Tuesday to Curry, Howard, council President Aaron Bowman, General Counsel Jason Gabriel and Curry’s Chief of Staff Brian Hughes, Cumber said that his wife’s
Liberty Center, 5105 J. Turner Butler Blvd., contractor is Coastal Contracting of North Florida Inc., 5,625 square feet, new building, $364,750. VidaCann, 5298 Sunbeam Road, No. 3, contractor is Target Contractors Inc., 1,770 square feet, tenant buildout, $81,402. UTILITIES Sprint, 9000 Southside Blvd., contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $70,036. Sprint, 9090 Hogan Road, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $70,036. Sprint, 6634 Blanding Blvd., contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $70,036. T-Mobile, 2550 Mayport Road, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $65,000. T-Mobile, 4520 Edgewood Drive, contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $65,000. T-Mobile, 1431 Douglas St., contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $65,000. T-Mobile, 730 Palmetto St., contractor is New-Tech Construction Corp. cell tower upgrade, $65,000.
DEVELOPMENT TODAY
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Compiled by Scott Sailer
election “may cause some perceived and/ or unintended conflicts.” “Therefore, in an abundance of caution, and to allow LeAnna to fulfill her obligations to District 5’s constituents without constraints, I am resigning from the JEA Board of Directors immediately.” “I applaud Mr. Cumber,” Howard said after the meeting. “I think it was an act of high integrity to anticipate and really cut off any potential allegations, conflict of interest or undue influence,” he said. Cumber served as a member of the board’s Finance & Audit Committee, Government, Legal and Real Estate Affairs Committee, and the Compensation Committee. Hughes said Tuesday that Curry will evaluate potential candidates as he does whenever there are vacancies on the board. As for the rest of the board, Kelly Flanagan and Camille Lee-Johnson’s terms runs through February 2020. April Green is on the board until February 2021 and John Campion will serve through 2022. DCAWTON@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @DAVIDCAWTON (904) 356-2466
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Page 8 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Arlington: Plans to improve blighted area CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Its heyday passed. The property was sold several times and has been unused for more than a decade. “As you know, it’s a mess. It’s really, really bad out there,” said District 1 City Council member Joyce Morgan. Yet Morgan sees potential, too, calling the location the gateway from Downtown to the Beaches as well as the southern ground zero for the Renew Arlington community redevelopment area. “We want a solid commitment. We want Morgan someone who feels the way we do about it and wants to put down something that is substantial,” she said. At-large Group 2 City Council member John Crescimbeni, who has represented the area for a total of almost 20 years, calls the expressway property “an important piece of Arlington’s past and future.” “It will take a bold, courageous developer with the financial resources to do something that has happened in other parts of the community,” he said, such as the resurgence of the Brooklyn area near Downtown. The geography is what attracts the developer. “It is up-and-coming. We really believe in this location,” developer Shmuel Bonnardel said of the area, which is east of University Boulevard and the Town & Country Shopping Center. The site is 3 miles across the Mathews Bridge and St. Johns River from the Downtown Northbank and urban core. And it’s a straight 13-mile shot to the Beaches. THE PROPERTY: ‘LOT OF CODE ENFORCEMENT’
Since it was the Thunderbird, the 11-building, 277-room property also served as a Ramada Inn Conference Center. It has been sold several times, including to Bethelite Inc., affiliated with Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. The site is referred to as the Bethelite property because the monument sign is still on it. Records show the property is assessed at $1.1 million with the 2019 year in progress. The property is in rough shape. From Aug. 29 through Sept. 12, the city Municipal Code Compliance Division issued 14 notices of violations, including notices of condemnation whose remedy was to demolish unsafe structures. The unsafe structures violations included fire and windstorm
Photo by Karen Brune Mathis
Shmuel Bonnardel’s group paid $493,900 for a two-story, almost 29,000-square-foot office building at 6501 Arlington Expressway. He said his group plans to establish a local base there.
hazards; an accumulation of junk and debris; electrical and plumbing violations; and others. In general, the condemned structures are “unfit for human habitation,” have “parts in danger of falling” and are “standing vacant, open, and unguarded,” the notices say. The city says most of the cases are pending, awaiting research or action. Some citations have been issued. The city abated some of the violations. City records show nuisance liens were filed Dec. 3 and Jan. 15 totaling almost $45,000. There’s “a lot of code enforcement going on out there,” Morgan said. THE PLANS: ‘WE’RE NOT RUSHING’
Since mid-2018, redevelopment plans have been surfacing. Homestead-based accountant Debora Gilbert-Lytle traded emails in June and July with city Office of Economic Development Redevelopment Manager Karen Nasrallah. Those emails, copied to Bonnardel, concerned potential redevelopment of the site and included a design and presentation package of “the preliminary future of the property” and a rough draft of the property site plan. The building layout referred to a Best Western and a Marriott hotel along with a restaurant, bar-lounge and meeting and banquet room; a spa, beauty and fitness building; arcade; car rental
A HOTEL TO START South Florida developer Shmuel Bonnardel said his initial redevelopment of the Arlington property would start with a hotel, for example a Best Western or Holiday Inn.
agency; tennis courts and miniature golf; swimming pool; and more. Bonnardel said in an interview that his group envisions starting the redevelopment with the hotel, which is the first phase, and then apartments, another hotel with a conference center and some retail space that would include restaurants. “We’re finalizing the details on exactly what that would look like,” he said by email. But it will start small. The group submitted plans to the city in Dec. 31 for the Phase 1 renovation to convert two buildings on the east end of the site into a 68-unit motel and a lobby building. His group applied for a permit to renovate the one-story lobby building and a two-story building with 68 rooms comprising what appear to be 16 king rooms and 52 double rooms. It is shown at a $425,000 renovation cost. Bonnardel described it as a basic hotel “on the simple side.” Plans show that renovations include new bathrooms, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and renovations to the surrounding areas to include parking, landscaping and lighting. Bonnardel said his group was meeting with a few companies to determine the hotel brand, including “Holiday Inn and a few other ones.” When that first phase is completed, his group is considering installing activities such as batting cages, miniature golf, arcades and go-karts. He expects plans for the entire site to be finalized in the next several months for submission to the city and to determine rezoning
requirements. Bonnardel said the project investment could range from $40 million to more than $100 million, depending on the final plans. He said when his group learns from the city what it can develop, it will negotiate with lenders. “We are not rushing. We want to make it work.” He said he would prefer to renovate the existing buildings rather than demolish and rebuild, but variables like permitting and the “sports resort” will affect that. Bonnardel said the city’s reaction to the first permit will determine how best to proceed. “We are going to do whatever we can to open the existing building and give a really nice feel to the place,” he said. He said he hired a full-time project manager. THE OWNER: ‘WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT’
The property is more than twice as old as the 26-year-old Bonnardel, who also goes by Samuel. While younger than most developers, Bonnardel leads 770 Inn and Suites LLC, which acquired the property in June 2017 for $3 million and has been determining its use. The group is based in Aventura, near Miami, and he is the managing partner. Bonnardel knows the property has challenges. “We bought it like this. We are going to make the best of it,” he said. Bonnardel said he is working with code enforcement and that his group has hired a crew to maintain the property. He said that the only way to resolve some of the violations is to apply for a building permit to bring them into compliance.
Bonnardel said he was in contact with the city about the violations and his team painted over the graffiti, repaired the fence and boarded up windows, although more were subsequently broken. Electrical and plumbing work will depend on getting permits. He expects to speak with an attorney about options for the nuisance liens. He hopes soon to have a full project name and said his group will form an umbrella identity and establish offices in a nearby building it purchased Dec. 4. Through 650 NE 122 ST LLC, Bonnardel, as manager, paid $493,900 for a two-story, almost 29,000-square-foot office building at 6501 Arlington Expressway. His group owns one of two buildings at that address and he said he will establish a local base there. A “leasing now” banner with his phone number stretches across the side facing the Arlington Expressway. He also owns other Jacksonville properties. Bonnardel said his group, whose hotel and development properties are in South Florida, Atlanta, Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut, bought two Jacksonville hotels and has a contract to buy another that he declined to identify. He said his group restored and stabilized 474 units in Michigan and sold off 169 units, now operating 305 units. It built a combined 85 units and did multiple hotel restorations, he said. Bonnardel said his group bought America’s Best Inn at Interstate 95 and Baymeadows Road and the Diamond Inn on the Westside. Records show he bought the America’s Best Inn in August.
Special to the Daily Record
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 24, 2019 • Page 9
The Diamond Inn was acquired in 2016 and sold on Jan. 8 for $4.5 million. Asked Monday if he had access to the financial resources needed to complete the first phase and the entire deal at the Bethelite property, Bonnardel responded, “Yes, of course.” THE CITY: ‘BE MINDFUL’ OF THE AREA
The Bethelite property anchors the southern part of the Renew Arlington boundary. The CRA runs from the Arlington Expressway north past Jacksonville University and east along Merrill Road from JU almost to the Southside Connector. Bethelite and the adjacent Town & Country Shopping Center are in what the CRA’s zoning overlay calls the “catalyst character area.” “Anything they can do to improve the appearance of that property would attract other people” to the CRA, said Renew Arlington advisory board Chair Matt Tuohy, director of the JU School of Aviation at the Davis College of Business. The importance of the site was relayed by Nasrallah in a June 25 email to Gilbert-Lytle. “Be mindful that your project is within the boundary of an area of redevelopment that (is) under the spotlight by the Mayor, City Council and the President of JU. Along with the residents of Arlington, they are very passionate about the future of Arlington.” Crescimbeni said Arlington has the three most important assets in real estate – “Location, location, location. It’s a skip to the airport, it’s a skip to the beach and it’s less than a skip Downtown,” he said. He envisions the Thunderbird and the Town & Country site as
File image
“It will take a bold, courageous developer with the financial resources to do something that has happened in other parts of the community.” JOHN CRESCIMBENI, AT-LARGE GROUP 2 CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, WHO REPRESENTS THE AREA
potentially similar to the resurgence of the Brooklyn area near Downtown. Morgan envisions a boutique hotel, restaurants, upscale apartments and a small grocery store to serve the neighborhood. How that happens remains to be seen. But Crescimbeni is not supportive of retaining any of the existing buildings on the Arlington Expressway Bethelite property. “Windows are broken out, doors are off. It is in total disre-
pair,” he said. Morgan said Bonnardel met Aug. 8 at JU with Renew Arlington organizers that included her, Nasrallah and university President Tim Cost. At the time, she said Bonnardel was not sure what he wanted to do with the site. “We gave him some ideas,” Morgan said. “We really wanted to do some mixed-use development and we were hoping that is what he wanted to do.” Her concern is that one development – the initial hotel – on
land “that really needs to be cleared” will attract vandals. Bonnardel was invited to address the Renew Arlington advisory board that day but said he had a flight to Atlanta immediately after the meeting at JU. Crescimbeni said if Bonnardel seeks rezoning or any assistance through Renew Arlington, “the buck stops with the council as the CRA.” The council sits as the community redevelopment agency, while the advisory board reviews projects and makes recommen-
dations. Morgan said the CRA’s focus is “the whole picture.” “That is why we really want to make sure they were developing the kinds of things that would really intensify and spur more development in that area,” she said. Crescimbeni said while he is optimistic overall about the location and its potential, he’s not as confident in the project’s success given the “piecemeal approach” of starting with one building rather than first creating a comprehensive plan. “I have concerns about the ability to do the first step not to mention the entire plan,” he said. Crescimbeni said he wants to meet with Bonnardel. Morgan said Bonnardel was looking at another partner to bring into the project. She said Renew Arlington representatives spoke with him about the incentives available for “bigger picture” plans. Bonnardel said Wednesday he “absolutely” is interested in seeing what assistance is available. Cost said that he met briefly with Bonnardel, “but I’m not aware of his plans or his capability to execute on them.” At some point, the Renew Arlington advisory board will review the plans. Morgan said she continues to look at the possibilities for the site. “Hopefully we will be able to move it in a good direction once he solidifies exactly what he wants to do,” she said. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
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Page 10 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE CAWTON REPORT
City Council approves Ambassador Hotel deal
DAVID CAWTON ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Group is redeveloping property into a La Quinta Inn and adding a neighboring apartment community. City Council approved an agreement Tuesday that will result in the redevelopment of the old Ambassador Hotel in Downtown Jacksonville into a La Quinta Inn and Suites along with 220 apartments. Council members voted unanimously to approve an economic development deal with Axis Hotels LLC that includes $6.4 million in city-backed financial incentives. Through Axis Hotels LLC, Augustine Development Group plans to convert the historic structure at 420 N. Julia St. into a 127-room La Quinta and build 220 apartments and a parking structure on an adjacent vacant lot. Augustine Development Group President Bryan Greiner said the group secured a deal a few months ago to bring the La Quinta flag to Downtown Jacksonville. Axis Hotels purchased 1.5 acres of property that comprise the block bordered by Duval, Julia, Church and Pearl Streets in July for $5.4 million. To make room for the apartments, a former bank building at 404 N. Julia St. will be demolished. That structure was built in 1926, but unlike the Ambassador, it is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Greiner said his group will begin demolition of the bank building within two months. Interior work has begun in the Ambassador Hotel. “We’ve been under construction for the past 60 days,” Greiner said. “We started demolition in November, began the asbestos remediation and we’re planning on continuing that for another 30 days or so,” he said. Greiner said the interior was in poor condition when the group took control of the property. “But the structure of the building is very sound,” said Greiner. “It was very well built so we’ll keep all the existing
brick and clean up the exterior.” “It’s going to be beautiful when it’s all finished.” Greiner said the multifamily portion of the project will be developed with The Vestcor Companies. “They’re very well known in the community, have done some really highprofile projects and we’re very pleased to have them as a partner,” he said. When completed, the 220 apartments will include one- and two-bedroom units, offering amenities including a pool and fitness center. He said project construction would take about 14 months. The incentives package approved Tuesday includes a $1.5 million Redevelopment Completion Grant from the Downtown Historic Preservation and Revitalization Trust Fund that will be applied toward the estimated $15 million cost to redevelop the Ambassador Hotel. That grant will not be made until the hotel receives a certificate of occupancy. To help offset the cost of the apartments and a parking structure, the city is providing a $4.9 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant to be paid over 15 years. The grant is an annual rebate of 75 percent of the ad valorem taxes generated by the estimated $38 million construction project.
City Council to present budget priorities Discussions about next year’s city budget won’t begin until later this summer after the spring elections are settled and a new City Council is installed. Legislation introduced Tuesday outlines several priorities council President Aaron Bowman wants integrated into the 2019-20 budget. The mayor would have a list of priorities from council members before a budget is crafted. It’s a throwback to how past councils Bowman approached budget discussions. The mayor’s office submits its budget about mid-July, and the council Finance Committee spends most of August going line-by-line through each department’s proposed spending. The change in 2019 is part of Bowman’s strategic vision he wants carried out by councils. Through resolution 2019-62, he wants to address four areas of the budget. Those priorities include increased investment in public safety and crime prevention; more funding for parks,
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The Ambassador Hotel building at 420 N. Julia St. is being redeveloped in a deal that includes $6.4 million in city financial incentives.
recreation and community services; money to address homelessness and to encourage affordable housing; and increased spending on infrastructure and transportation needs. Council wants the mayor’s office to “investigate the efficacy” of citywide after-school, mentoring, summer and parenting skills programs, as well as extracurricular activities in schools and programs for ex-offenders and other assistance geared towards adults. Council is requesting the mayor place $1 million into a “Designated Contingency for Crime Prevention” to be appropriated by council based on recommendations received from a Task Force on Safety and Crime Reduction. The second priority, “Quality of Life,” is aimed at increasing funding for the city’s Public Works and the Parks, Recreation and Community Services departments. Council wants to increase the Parks department’s budget for maintenance, upgrades and repairs for existing parks from $2 million to $3 million while also providing an additional $125,000 to hire more security guards at public parks. For Public Works, council wants to boost the department’s litter pickup budget to $1.5 million from about $857,000. The next issue centers on homelessness in and around Downtown. Bowman said it was one of his top priorities after his election as council president last summer. Council is seeking an $86,000 budget increase for existing programs the city
invests in at Sulzbacher Center on East Adams Street and for the Mental Health Resource Center’s Link and Quest programs. Council also is seeking a $200,000 budget for the city’s Neighborhoods Department to secure residential properties for the city in declining areas that are “upside down” in value against outstanding city liens. Another $69,500 would be used to hire an outside firm to assess the city’s current zoning code “in light of future affordable housing needs and goals, and to make recommendations for changes in the code that will enhance affordable housing efforts and programs.” Finally, council wants to establish a $357,000 fund to clear titles on cityowned residential properties before they are donated to nonprofits and community housing organizations that seek to renovated old properties in targeted neighborhoods. The last priority on the list deals with transportation and infrastructure throughout Duval County. Bowman wants to increase funding for pedestrian safety; provide $2.5 million to repair and replace bulkheads along the St. Johns River and other waterways; and find funding for improved traffic flow Downtown. The legislation will go through standing committees before the full council votes on the bill around mid-March. DCAWTON@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @DAVIDCAWTON (904) 356-2466
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Thursday, January 24, 2019 • Page 11
Lawyers drawing a bead on sporting clays THE MARBUT REPORT
MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Jacksonville Bar Association’s inaugural tournament is Feb. 1. The inaugural Jacksonville Bar Association Sporting Clays Shoot is Feb. 1 at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. A portion of proceeds from the event, sponsored by the Milam, Howard, Nicandri, Gillam & Renner law firm, will benefit Three Rivers Legal Services. Members of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association will be entering the competition. To familiarize themselves with the shooting experience, potential entrants met at the competition venue for an afternoon of instruction from David Dobson, director and head coach of the varsity shooting team at Jacksonville University. “I had never picked up a gun and I had a blast – pun totally intended,” said Jennifer Mansfield, a partner at Holland & Knight. “I always thought skeetshooting would be an interesting thing to do, but I never had the opportunity. I like the challenge of hitting a moving target,” she said. Visit jaxbar.org for details about the tournament.
Funeral for Lansing Roy is Saturday Lansing Roy, 78, founder of the bankruptcy law firm Lansing Roy PA, died Monday. He was a fixture of the Northeast Florida legal community who devoted his nearly 50-year career to bankruptcy law representing debtors. He served as Roy a trustee, former president and board member of the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association. A funeral mass is 9 a.m.
Special to the Daily Record
The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association’s sporting clays class, from left, Jennifer Mansfield, Leslie Wickes, Emily Nunez, K.C. Padget, Duval County Judge Michelle Kalil, Patty Dodson, Matthew Posgay, Brittany Ford and Jeanne Miller.
LEGAL BRIEFS n Holland & Knight elected Jason Havens a partner in the business section in Jacksonville. He is a board-certified Estate Planning Law Specialist in Tennessee and is board-certified by The Florida Bar in trusts and estates law.
n Susan Mack was elected as a partner at Adams and Reese in Jacksonville. She represents life, health and property/casualty insurers; and brokers, general agents and administrators on insurance regulatory and other legal issues.
Havens
n Lexie Miller joined the Department of
Children and Families/Children’s Legal Services in Jacksonville after serving in a similar capacity in Pensacola. She received a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of North Florida in 2013 and a J.D. in 2016 from Florida State University College of Law.
n Sheryl Ellis joined McConnaughhay,
Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern in Jacksonville in the firm’s workers’ compensation defense practice. She is a 2012 graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law.
Saturday at San Sebastian Catholic Church, 1112 Florida 16 in St. Augustine. The viewing is 5:30 p.m. Friday at Craig Funeral Home, 1475 Old Dixie Highway in St. Augustine. In lieu of flowers, the family
n Caitlin Beyl joined McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern in Jacksonville as a partner. A 2011 graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law, she focuses on workers’ compensation defense and reimbursement dispute litigation.
Beyl
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Attorneys and law firms are invited to send news and notes to Max Marbut, associate editor – legal affairs, at mmarbut@ jaxdailyrecord.com.
requests donations to Promise to Kate, a nonprofit established to fund research for myotonic dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy. For more information or to make a donation, visit promisetokate.org.
Rep. Rutherford to speak to the Federalist Society U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Feb. 15 meeting of the Jackson-
ville Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society. The program begins at noon in Rutherford The Lounge near the Laura Street entrance of the Main Library Downtown. Rutherford’s topic will be border security, said Adam Brandon, chapter president. The public is welcome. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, including lunch.
FCSL alumni gathering Feb. 7 More than 6,000 students have attended Florida Coastal School of Law and about 2,100 alumni are in Northeast Florida. They are invited to a happy hour cash bar gathering at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Bellwether restaurant Downtown on Forsyth Street in the CenterState Bank building. The contact for the event is Smith Hulsey & Busey attorney Kayla Haines at khaines@ smithhulsey.com. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
North Florida Green Chamber debuts Organization is led by former estate planning attorney. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The North Florida Chapter of the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce debuted last week at a reception at the Museum of Science & History. The North Florida Green Chamber is a regional networking organization for businesses,
community agencies and nonprofits that emphasize green and sustainable business practices. The organization is led by executive director Christina Kelcourse, a Florida Coastal School of Law graduate who began practicing elder and estate law and estate planning in 2006. The organization is governed by a six-member board of directors, including attorney Kelly Karstaedt, a partner at Karstaedt & Stanko. Kelcourse said she discovered her interest in environmental sustainability through her practice.
“Right out of law school, I was managing millions of dollars for people who wanted to invest in green companies,” said Kelcourse, who left law practice in favor of environmental advocacy. The goal for the North Florida chapter is to educate business owners about the advantages of “being green” and promote those practices. “We also want to develop a strong following of consumers who want to support sustainable businesses,” she said. For more information, visit NorthFloridaGreenChamber.org.
Special to the Daily Record
From left, North Florida Green Chamber of Commerce and Florida Green Building Coalition board member Mary Tappouni, North Florida Green Chamber Executive Director Christina Kelcourse, Michelle Thatcher, CEO of the U.S. Green Chamber and Florida Green Building Coalition Executive Director C.J. Davila.
Page 12 • Thursday, January 24, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
LegalFuel.com offers expertise and advice 24/7 The Florida Bar president says website that offers business as well as legal help is “a model for other states.” BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
There’s a lot that must be learned in three years of law school to prepare for the Bar exam. The reality is the demanding curriculum doesn’t allow teaching the other side of establishing and sustaining a career as an attorney: The fact that it’s a business. The Florida Bar President Michelle Suskauer said that while she was traveling the state before she was elected, the need for business as well as legal skill was made clear by the attorneys she met. The need is even more evident for those starting their practices on their own or by establishing firms with other new attorneys, Suskauer said. “And 76 percent of our members are solo or in small firms,” she added.
To help bridge the gap between having a Bar card and being able to establish and sustain a small business, the website LegalFuel. com was developed by the Young Lawyers Division and launched in July by The Florida Bar. Described as the Bar’s “Practice Resource Center,” it’s a digital collection of instruction available 24/7. Topics include finance, marketing, practice management and technology. Content is available as written articles and essays as well as podcasts and video presentations. “Law school teaches us how to think like lawyers, how to ask the right questions and how to research,” said Suzanne Hollifield Clark, discovery counsel at eDiscovery CoCounsel PLLC in Jacksonville. Admitted to the Bar in 2002, she’s a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law who also has a bachelor’s in business administration and finance. “But a law firm is a small business, and you don’t learn how to do that in law school. I have a business degree and I didn’t learn that,” Clark said. She uses LegalFuel.com for insight and advice and said she
About legalfuel.com n Launched: July 23
File image
The Florida Bar President Michelle Suskauer said LegalFuel.com helps attorneys establish and maintain their business.
finds it useful and easy to use. “The best resource is having the framework for what I need to do without having to figure it out for myself. It makes access to experts easy. And it’s from The Florida Bar, so I know it’s valuable and reliable,” Clark said. Suskauer said one of the most popular features of LegalFuel. com is the free continuing legal education content that qualifies for credit toward the annual CLE requirement. In the six months since the site debuted, members have applied for nearly 2,400 hours of CLE credit, according to The Florida Bar. Also available are more than 100 standard forms and document templates that can be used as is or adapted to meet specific needs.
Special to the Daily Record
Suzanne Hollifield Clark, discovery counsel at eDiscovery CoCounsel PLLC in Jacksonville, said the website is a valuable and reliable service.
Another popular resource is “Lawyers Advising Lawyers,” sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division. Clark compared it to being able to walk down the hall in a law office and ask a more experienced colleague a question. “It’s like a virtual office with human expertise. Everything you could want, it’s there for you,” she said. More content is added regularly to increase the archived material and usage has grown to about 60,000 page views per month. “I think it’s a model for other states,” Suskauer said.
n Page views per month: 60,000 n Of 1,771 users who responded to a survey, 90 percent said they found what they were looking for and found the website helpful. n Members have reported nearly 2,400 free CLE hours. n CLE topics most often reported: 10 Ways to Avoid Bar Discipline; Cybersecurity for the Everyday Lawyer; How to Grow Your Practice and Career with Social Media; and Earn More, Stress Less and Be Awesome. Source: The Florida Bar
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
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