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Deliquency data offers good news about housing market PAGE 3
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Record & Observer HIGHER EDUCATION JACKSONVILLE
‘For sale’ sign posted at Regency Sears store
‘THIS IS A STARTUP’ Record & Observer The UNF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is open for business.
Bankrupt Sears Holding Corp. closed the location nearly three years ago.
JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
JACKSONVILLE
As Sears Holdings Corp. works through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, a “for sale” sign is posted at the closed Sears store at Regency Square Mall. The Avison Young commercial real estate services firm put up the sign on the property at 9501 Arlington Expressway in the Regency area of Arlington: “155,928 sf Vacant Store Former Sears.” Shown as the contacts are Miami-based Joshua Ladle, senior associate in Avison Young’s capital markets group consulting and advisory retail, and Brian C. de la Fe. According to Avison Young, it got the listing in December. The property has been closed for almost three years. Chicago-based Sears Holdings Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization Oct. 15 and has been marketing properties, although the closed Regency store has been for sale for years. Sears, Roebuck and Co. owns the store at the 52-year-old Arlington mall. The company built the two-story department store in 1981 to anchor the new west wing of Regency and closed the location July 17, 2016. Cushman & Wakefield has been exclusively listing the property for $4.5 million. It is assessed at $3.6 million by the Duval County Property Appraiser. Cushman & Wakefield said it cannot comment about the listing.
Record & Observer Photo by Max Marbut
Karen Bowling, director of the University of North Florida Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in the center’s coworking space on the fourth floor of The Barnett at 112 W. Adams St. Downtown.
BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
T
he University of North Florida has established a concept for higher education that’s intended to create new opportunities in Jack-
sonville. “Anyone who walks through these doors has the potential to build a business — and they’ll have the support here to do it,” said Karen Bowling, director of the UNF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The center has classroom, coworking and office space on two floors at The Barnett, Downtown at 112 W. Adams St. It is the university’s second urban learning resource center, joining the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art two blocks north along Laura Street. Currently there are two graduate-level classes meeting at the center each week. Bowling said the curriculum will be fully enrolled when the fall term begins. “This is a startup in and of itself,” she said.
The Mathis Report: Sysco looking at warehouse expansion PAGE 4 Basch Report: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care revenue surges PAGE 6 OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP
SEE UNF, PAGE 8
File image
The UNF center is inside The Barnett, the restored former Barnett National Bank Building.
SEE SEARS, PAGE 7
LAW & THE COURTS
Jaycees, city battle over bus bench ads PAGE 10 VOLUME 1, NO. 35 • ONE SECTION
WHAT’S TRENDING
Page 2 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
DEVELOPMENT JEA won’t pick new headquarters site until April The JEA board of directors will not select a new location for the company’s corporate headquarters until April. A corporate email sent to employees outlines a new schedule for the utility that pushes a final decision to the week of April 8, two months after it was scheduled to consider making a choice. “This additional time will allow for a public review period of the Public Information Package, sufficient time to vet each proposal and fully negotiate a Best and Final Offer in the best interest of JEA and the public, and accommodation of JEA’s Board scheduling needs,” the email states.
HOTELS Courtyard by Marriott planned south of UNF A Courtyard by Marriott is proposed along Kernan Boulevard, south of the University of North Florida, completing the Kernan West site the Skinner family has been selling for development. The city issued a conditional capacity availability statement that shows Impact Properties Inc. wants to develop a 121-room hotel on 2.23 acres at northwest Kernan and Butler boulevards. Impact Properties posted on its website that it anticipates a 2020 opening.
Derby House Diner planned for Five Points Derby House Diner is the new concept for the former Derby On Park space at 1068 Park St in Five Points. The restaurant, which has operated through many iterations since the 1940s, is now in the hands of Chad Munsey and Michael Schmidt, owners of The Bearded Pig in San Marco and the Rec Room, also in Five Points. Schmidt said they plan a mid-April opening. “The Derby was popular and a landmark because it had diner food and we are bringing that back,” Schmidt said.
Hall
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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. 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.
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Frank Peters was named executive director of the Pile Driving Contractors Association in Orange Park. Peters has more than 34 years of association management experience with the National Electrical Contractors Association and the Electrical Contractors Association in Chicago. Peters will succeed Steven Hall, who is retiring Feb. 1 after 14 years as executive director. Tim Cost, John Hirabayashi and Dawn Lockhart were reappointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jacksonville branch as directors. Their two-year term began Jan. 1. Cost is president of Jacksonville University. Hirabayashi is president and CEO of Community First Credit Union. Lockhart is director of strategic partnerships for the city of Jacksonville. Austin Kay and Eric Yi joined the NAI Hallmark brokerage. Kay was named vice president of retail. Yi is senior associate-retail specialist. Both previously were with Prime Realty Commercial Real Estate. Community First Credit Union named four branch managers. Jose Angulo was hired to manage the Riverside branch. Angulo most recently served as branch manager
of the Northrim Bank in Anchorage, Alaska. Andrea Crutchfield will manage the new Oakleaf branch. Crutchfield has more than 25 years of banking, finance and management positions with Wells Fargo Bank, the former Wachovia Bank and the former Barnett Bank. Marylynn “MJ” Rood will manage the Westside Jacksonville branch. Rood was branch manager for the Clay County branches of 121 Financial Credit Union. Katherine “Katy” Triay was promoted to manager of the Bartram branch where she was the former assistant branch manager. Rebecca Bray joined GAI Consultants Inc. as senior engineering manager in the infrastructure business unit. Bray was public works director for Nassau County. Crowley promoted three in its logistics group. Jose “Pache” Ayala was promoted to vice president of Caribbean logistics. Patrick Collins was promoted to vice president of terminal operations. Claudia Kattan de Jordan was promoted to vice president of Central America logistics.
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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 31, 2019 • Page 3
Deliquency data good news for housing Jacksonville housing at a glance Homes available for sale at the end of 2018 for Jacksonville area families earning the median annual income:
29,413
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As 2018 ended, many analysts were predicting a downturn in the housing market in the new year. While that may yet happen, Jacksonville-based Black Knight Inc. last week reported some good news for housing: Only 3.88 percent of U.S. mortgage loans were delinquent at the end of December, the lowest year-end percentage since Black Knight began compiling data in 2000. Delinquent loans are classified as loans more than 30 days past due but not in foreclosure. Black Knight, which provides processing services for almost two-thirds of all U.S. first mortgage loans, said only 0.52 percent of loans were in active foreclosure, the lowest yearend figure since 2005. Florida had the best improvement in delinquent loans in the last half of 2018. While the state’s level of noncurrent loans was above the national percentage at 4.94 percent, the level dropped by 12.37 percent in the last six months of the year, Black Knight said. While that data on delinquencies and foreclosures may be encouraging, other firms were reporting data indicating downward trends in the housing markets. Online real estate brokerage firm Redfin last week said the supply of homes for sale across the country is increasing, but fewer of those homes are affordable for families making the median income. Redfin analyzed data on median income and homes on the market in 49 metro areas and determined the percentage of homes for sale that are affordable dropped in every one. “Over the last few years builders have focused on luxury homes, and there hasn’t been enough construction of affordable starter homes,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fair-
Number of affordable homes for sale
8.5%
“Over the last few years builders have focused on luxury homes, and there hasn’t been enough construction of affordable starter homes.” DARYL FAIRWEATHER, REDFIN CHIEF ECONOMIST
Percentage change of affordable homes from 2017
72%
Share of homes for sale that are affordable
6.72
Average years Jacksonville homeowners stay in their homes
54.6
Average age of owner-occupied resident
$205,100 Median home value
Source: Redfin
weather said in a news release. However, there was a bright side for the Jacksonville market. The share of homes for sale that were affordable in the Jacksonville area dropped from 76 percent in 2017 to 72 percent last year, Redfin said. But there has been a big increase in the number of homes put on the market in Northeast Florida, so the overall number of affordable homes for sale in the area rose
by 8.5 percent last year. Only Hartford, Connecticut, with an 18.8 percent increase, had a bigger jump in the number of affordable homes for sale. A study last week from online loan marketplace LendingTree offers one reason why more homes are up for sale in Jacksonville. LendingTree looked at the 50 largest U.S. cities and found Jacksonville homeowners stay
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in their house for an average of 6.72 years, the sixth shortest average tenure in the country. Weather seems to be a factor. “Hot and sunny places have the shortest tenures. The three cities with the shortest tenures — Las Vegas, Phoenix and Austin — are all in warm-weather areas. This reflects high migration rates to those cities,” LendingTree said in a news release. Meanwhile, the three cities
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Jacksonville-based Black Knight Inc. reports only 3.88 percent of U.S. mortgage loans were delinquent at the end of December.
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Page 4 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE MATHIS REPORT
Sysco considering expanding its warehouse center
RETAIL NOTES
associates, operates about 330 distribution facilities in North America and Europe and serves more than 500,000 customer locations. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the company generated sales of more than $58 billion. KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Food-service company could increase its North Jacksonville space by almost 60 percent. Global food-service company Sysco Corp. is exploring plans to expand its Northwest Jacksonville distribution center by 116,537 square feet. It is considering plans to expand the existing 195,724-square-foot warehouse center to almost 312,300 square feet, an increase of almost 60 percent. The city issued a mobility fee calculation certificate Jan. 23 for the project, planned on 16.33 acres at 3100 Hilton St. It calculated a fee of $41,165 to mitigate the project’s traffic impact. Jacksonville-based Stellar, a construction management, design-build and general contracting company, is the agent. Sysco did not return a call for comment. Sysco International Food Group Inc. intends to add dry warehouse and office space, a freezer-cooler, dock and concrete truck apron, plans show. The International Food Group is the export specialty division of Houston-based Sysco. The ifoodgroup.com site says IFG provides product selection and services to more than 700 customers in more than 80 countries. It distributes food and nonfood items. It says it operates with more than 250 associates from two dedicated export facilities — a 125,000-square-foot facility in Plant City and its 200,000-square-foot Jacksonville facility. Sysco says it is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, health care and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Sysco employs about 67,000
More industrial projects in review n The St. Johns River Water Management District has been reviewing applications for the 552,720-square-foot “Building A” and the 308,000-squarefoot “Building C” by VanTrust Real Estate LLC at its Imeson Park project in North Jacksonville. The facilities are designed on Cold Storage Road in Imeson International Industrial Park. Both are part of VanTrust’s 3 million square feet of development rights for the 156 acres it bought from Imeson International Industrial Park Inc. in September. VanTrust Real Estate LLC said previously it intended to start construction of a 500,000-square-foot speculative building for completion in fall 2019. The district issued a permit for Buildilng C on 17.88 acres. n The St. Johns River Water Management District issued a permit for construction of a 478,000-square-foot warehouse on 30.93 acres at 250 Busch Drive E. in Imeson International Industrial Park. The developer is Orlandobased Industrial Park Investments Inc. n The St. Johns River Water Management District is reviewing mass clearing and grading for the first speculative building of 155,820 square feet in Perimeter West Industrial Park. Atlanta-based Rooker Co. is the project developer. Rooker Properties LLC bought almost 39 acres in October at northeast Interstate 295 and Pritchard Road. The city issued a conditional capacity availability statement for the first project, which comprises 15,000 square feet of office space and 140,820 square feet of warehouse use. Plans show industrial sites of 22.29 and 10.48 acres and a 6.15-acre commercial site. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
File image
Sprouts Farmers Market says it specializes in fresh, natural and organic products “at prices that appeal to everyday grocery shoppers.”
Tamaya Market Sprouts is taking steps forward Tamaya Market, which will be anchored by one of two announced Sprouts Farmers Markets in Jacksonville, is in St. Johns River Water Management District Review. The 11.22-acre Tamaya Market, at northeast Beach and Kernan boulevards, will comprise a 75,000-square-foot groceryanchored shopping center and three outparcels. Plans show a 30,239-square-foot anchor store with a 12,000-square-foot retail building adjacent to one side and an 11,200-square-foot store to the other. The center is at northwest Beach and Tamaya boulevards within the Tamaya community. Harbour Retail Partners of Wrightsville, North Carolina, is the developer. It bought the site late last year. Randy Kelley, Harbour Retail Partners manager and developer, said in December the more than $20 million project could be completed near the end of 2019. Phoenixbased Sprouts wants to open in the first half of 2020, which is driving the timing of the project. The first Sprouts Farmers Market store in Jacksonville is under construction at the former Best Buy store in The Markets at Town Center. That one is further along. Sprouts has not announced an opening date other than the second quarter this year. Owner SF Markets LLC of Phoenix applied for a certificate of use for the 30,082-square-foot store at 4873 Town Center Parkway. n Another building at Beachwood Plaza is taking shape at 11767 Beach Blvd. Gates of Beachwood, part of Hakimian Holdings, proposes a 5,000-square-foot shell building and preparation of the interior space for tenant considerations. The shell construction is shown as $443,900 with the shell work totaling $119,380 for one 2,000-square-foot and two 1,500-square-foot spaces. Permit applications are in review. n Contractor FMGI Inc. was issued a permit to renovate the River City Marketplace Walmart Supercenter at 13227 City Square Drive at a cost of almost $1.1 million. It’s a full-store interior alteration.
Special to Daily Record
Sysco’s 195,724-square-foot warehouse center in North Jacksonville could be expanded to almost 312,300 square feet.
n Two Family Dollar stores are in for permitting. The city is reviewing a permit
application for construction of a foundation on 1.8 acres at 4594 Sunbeam Road at a cost of $431,250 and for construction of a building on 2.32 acres at 10405 103rd St. at a cost of $615,000. That structure is about 8,300 square feet. HJB Construction Inc. is the contractor for both projects. n CycleBar is in review for build-out at 5010 Gate Parkway, No. 101, in Gateway Village. No contractor is specified for the $265,000 tenant finishes of 2,527 square feet of space. The indoor cycling tenant will be a tenant in Gateway Village, an 18.5-acre project under development at southwest Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Boulevard. Cantrell & Morgan is the developer and the landlord. n Valvoline is in city site-plan review at 8647 Blanding Blvd. in Southwest Jacksonville. Taylor & White Inc. is the civil engineer. A former car-wash building will be demolished for construction of the 1,625-square-foot oilchange facility on about an acre. n Goodwill Industries of North Florida wants to develop a 16,445-square-foot building in OakLeaf Station at 8396 Merchants Way in Southwest Jacksonville. Dominion Engineering Group is the civil engineer. Sleiman Enterprises is developing the OakLeaf Station shopping center. The Goodwill center is planned near Lucky’s Market and Epic Theatres. Karen Phillips, chief operating officer of Goodwill Industries of North Florida, said the development will be a store with a drive-thru donation center. Goodwill will relocate from a smaller store on Argyle Forest Boulevard. n Hurd Construction Management announced it will serve as the prime contractor for Coastal Casual’s 9,000-square-foot retail showroom at 400 CBL Drive, Suite 101, in Cobblestone Village in St. Augustine. Brixmor Property Group is the landlord. Construction started Jan. 7 on the $240,000 project and could be completed in 10 weeks. n A retail shell building was approved for construction in St. Johns County at 104 Ashourian Ave. in St. Augustine. The 11,158-square-foot retail shell building is being built at a cost of $544,956 in Ash Properties’ The Forum at Greenbriar.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 31, 2019 • Page 5
RESTAURANT NOTES
San Marco Tropical Smoothie Cafe to remodel, reopen The restaurant has been closed since it was damaged by a fire in August. BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
The owner of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe in San Marco intends to remodel the restaurant that has been closed since a fire in August. Skyline Construction Inc. is the contractor for the $180,000 job to renovate the 2,087-square-foot structure at 1808 Hendricks Ave. Plans show a new kitchen plan, décor and furniture. GHA Architecture/Development of Dallas is the architect. Dyne Hospitality Group of Little Rock, Arkansas, is the tenant. Laura McKinney, director of real estate and construction for Dyne Hospitality, said the cafe has been closed since a fire in August when a motor in a freezer caught fire during the night. McKinney said Dyne Hospitality has been working on the insurance claim to remodel and reopen. It hopes to start construction in a couple of weeks and reopen in late April. “This is a full renovation,” she said by email. “We are gutting to the walls, replacing old water and sewer lines, and bringing everything up to current building and ADA codes.” She said the cost of $180,000
Photo by Scott Sailer
Tropical Smoothie Cafe at 1808 Hendricks Ave. in San Marco is being renovated with a new kitchen plan, decor and furniture.
might rise during the work. She wasn’t sure of the seat count. McKinney said Dyne Hospitality also will paint the exterior and update the landscaping. Tropical Smoothie will add a “smoothie bar” where customers can sit and watch the smoothies being made, she said. It is a standard feature at all new Tropical Smoothie Cafes. n Taqueria Cinco is preparing to build-out in the Five Points area of Riverside. A $60,000
project is pending for the space at 809 Lomax St. for indoor and outdoor dining. The Jacksonville Planning Commission approved a zoning exception Jan. 17 for the restaurant to allow the outside sale and service of beer and wine in conjunction with a restaurant. The space is a former Metro PCS store and the restaurant is expected to open by mid-April. Plans indicate 18 seats inside and 30 on a back patio.
several of its area restaurants with a brand reimage, filed plans with the city to renovate its location at 14020 Lunar Drive in River City Marketplace. A spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A said in May the chain plans to remodel two to three Jacksonville-area locations each year for the next five years as part of its long-term reinvestment strategy. It operates about 15 locations in Northeast Florida.
n Chick-fil-A, which is updating
n Charles Waters of Cake 4
Partners Inc. applied for a certificate of use to open his second Nothing Bundt Cake bakery in Jacksonville. The first is at Beach and Hodges boulevards. The second is planned in 2,640 square feet of space at 9925 San Jose Blvd. in the Merchants Walk shopping center in Mandarin. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
GAS STATION NOTES n Wawa is moving ahead with plans for a gas station and convenience store at Bartram Market in St. Johns County. The 5,636-square-foot store, with 16 gas pumps, is designed on 2 acres along Race Track Road. England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer. Eastland Development and Investments is the developer. n Circle K is working on developing a gas station and convenience store at 967 Florida 16 in St. Johns County. The county is reviewing plans for the 4,000-square-foot store with a 1,000-square-foot attached restaurant on 1.5 acres. Circle K also bought 1.02 acres at 12745 Atlantic Blvd. for
a store, gas pumps and car wash. Home Depot U.S.A. sold the site for $900,0000. n RaceTrac Petroleum Inc.’s proposed
Custom Clothier
RaceTrac gas station and convenience store is in St. Johns River Water Management Review for the Atlantic North shopping center along Atlantic Boulevard at Marketplace Drive. The 5,411-square-foot building and 16 fueling positions are planned on about 2 acres. Connelly & Wicker Inc. is the civil engineer. Atlantic North developer Sleiman Enterprises Inc. intends to build a loop road for access to RaceTrac and another outparcel at northwest Atlantic Boulevard and Marketplace Drive.
DEVELOPMENT TODAY These are the largest commercial building permits by job cost issued Tuesday by the city of Jacksonville. HOSPITAL, INSTITUTIONAL Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S., contractor is The Robins & Morton Group, renovate first floor of the Mangurian Building, $2 million. ROOFING Luxor Club Apartments, 13800 Egrets Nest Drive, contractor is A.R.C.I. Ltd. America Roofing, six permits for new building roofs, $33,402. Avalon Hill Apartments, 7557 Arlington Expressway, contractor is American Roofing of Jacksonville LLC, two permits for roof replacement, $33,000. St. Vincent’s Primary Care, 12311 San Jose Blvd., contractor is Roofcrafters Roofing LLC, roof replacement, $24,326.
Comfort’s African Market, 6832 Arlington Expressway, contractor is Randel Wyatt Rudd, roof replacement, $24,000. Greenland Commerce LLC, 6100 Greenland Road, No. 100, contractor is K&G Construction Co. Inc., new building roof, $11,800.
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Page 6 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
THE BASCH REPORT
Jacksonville’s eye care business giant Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. HowJacksonville-based Johnson & Johnson Vision Care would stack up as an independent company:
MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
If Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. was an independent company, it would be one of the largest headquarted in the city. Since it’s not an independent company, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. may not get its due as one of the largest companies headquartered in Jacksonville. But after expanding beyond its traditional contact lens business with acquisitions of other eye health businesses, the company reported 2018 sales last week that would have made it one of the largest corporations in the country. As parent company Johnson & Johnson reported year-end results, it said global revenue from its vision care unit jumped 12.1 percent to $4.55 billion. If it was an independent company, that total would have been good for 555th on Fortune magazine’s list of largest U.S. companies last year. The growth is due in part to the acquisitions that expanded the eye care business in 2017 but its contact lens business grew sales by 8.8 percent to $3.3 billion in 2018. Johnson & Johnson has operated the contact lens unit since 1981 when it acquired a Jacksonville company called Frontier Contact Lenses, a business founded in 1959. The business was renamed Vistakon and operated under that name for three decades before the company transitioned to the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care name. The company employs about 1,800 people in Jacksonville. In Johnson & Johnson’s quarterly conference call DelOrefice last week, officials said demand for contact lenses remains strong despite flat U.S. sales in the fourth quarter. “The U.S. continues to experience high consumption,” said Christopher DelOrefice, vice president of investor relations. “However, sales were basically flat due to year-over-year inventory dynamics. Contact lenses have now grown at or above the market for three consecutive years,” he said. The only Jacksonvillebased companies with higher reported sales than Johnson & Johnson Vision Care are the city’s three Fortune 500 companies: CSX Corp., Fidelity National Financial Inc. and Fidelity National Information Services Inc. Southeastern Grocers, oper-
$4.55 billion
Johnson & Johnson Global Vision care revenue in 2018
12.1%
2018 increase in revenue from its vision care unit
555
Ranking on the Fortune list of the largest U.S. companies.
File image
The Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. headquarters at 7500 Centurion Parkway N. in Deerwood.
ator of Winn-Dixie and three other supermarket chains, also likely has higher sales but as a private company, it does not publicly report financial results. New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson, which ranked 37th in last year’s Fortune 500, said total 2018 revenue rose 6.7 percent to $81.6 billion.
Ameris earnings put bank on track Ameris Bancorp’s stock tumbled in December after announcing a big acquisition, but the stock seems back on track after a positive fourthquarter earnings report Friday. The bank which has its executive offices in Jacksonville reported adjusted earnings of 96 cents a share, up from 63 cents the previous year and 3 cents higher than the average analyst’s forecast, according to Zacks Investment Research. Analysts said the earnings report reiterated their positive view on the company. “We maintain our Overweight rating on Ameris following what we thought were strong fourth-quarter results and continue to view the stock as overly attractive considering its peer leading and accelerating profitability profile, particularly relative to its current valuation at just 7.6 times our 2020 EPS estimates of $4.80,” Stephens analyst Tyler Stafford said in a research note. Ameris’ stock fell to a 52-week low in December after announcing a deal to buy Atlanta-based Fidelity Southern Corp. for $751 million in stock. But the stock has recovered after bottoming out last month at $29.97 and rose $1.24 to $36.51 Friday after the earnings report. “In general, we think the outlook is solid for EPS growth to be double digit with full realization of cost savings, a key driver to profitability and efficiency improvement,” Piper Jaffray analyst Brett Rabatin said in his research note. “Overall we like the geographic expansion and believe
that the long-term story remains too underappreciated by the market given the current valuation,” he said. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Brady Gailey said in his note that Ameris “remains a top idea” as he reiterated his “outperform” rating on the stock. “Ameris is set up nicely for 2019 as it looks to capitalize on its $20 million cost reduction plan and begin the integration process of its Fidelity acquisition,” Gailey said. “The company is optimistic on the growth front as well projecting $1 billion of loan growth and double-digit deposit growth for 2019,” he said.
International Baler earnings rise International Baler Corp. filed its annual report Monday showing sales rose 5.9 percent in the fiscal year ended Oct. 31 to $11.1 million. The Jacksonville company, which makes baling equipment used for waste disposal and recycling, reported net income of $310,229 for the fiscal year, or 6 cents a share, up from $73,360 or 1 cent a share in fiscal 2017.
Mantle Ridge sells $305 million in CSX stock
Hedge fund Mantle Ridge LP, which backed a management upheaval at CSX two years ago, sold several large blocks of stock last week in the Jacksonville-based railroad company. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Mantle Ridge sold a total of 4.7 million shares at prices ranging from $64.23 to $65.83 a share. The total value of the sales was $304.6 million. Mantle Ridge still controls about 38 million shares of CSX, which had average outstanding shares of 861 million last year. Mantle Ridge teamed with the late Hunter Harrison to push for Harrison’s hiring as chief executive of CSX. Harrison was appointed CEO in
March 2017 as part of an overhaul of management and the board of directors.
CSX rival Norfolk is downgraded One analyst Friday downgraded CSX’s main rival, Norfolk Southern Corp., saying Norfolk Southern may have more difficulty than CSX in implementing a new operational plan. CSX two years ago began implementing precision scheduled railroading, an efficiency plan championed by Harrison and his successors after Harrison died in December 2017. After a bumpy start with complaints from customers about poor service, CSX improved last year and achieved an operating ratio (expenses divided by revenue) of 60.3 percent. By contrast, Norfolk Southern, which competes with CSX for railroad service in the eastern U.S., had an operating ratio of 65.4 percent. With Norfolk Southern’s efficiency trailing CSX, Deutsche Bank analyst Amit Mehrotra downgraded the stock from “buy” to “hold” after Norfolk Southern’s earnings report last week. “The bear argument is that NSC is likely to see market share losses to CSX as it implements PSR — as CSX has improved service and reduced costs,” Mehrotra said in a research note. Mehrotra is pessimistic about Norfolk Southern’s opportunity for improvement
as it moves forward with precision scheduled railroading. “PSR takes a strong sense of urgency to radically change the business — something we have not seen from NSC management (not yet, at least). And is harder to implement in an environment of slowing growth, little previous PSR experience, and a formidable direct competitor that is much further along in the process,” he said.
Bank group invests in Jacksonville tech company
Finxact, a Jacksonville-based bank technology company, said Friday it raised $30 million in equity financing from a group of investors including the American Bankers Association, the major trade group for the U.S. banking industry. The ABA said it made the investment as part of a program to help banks find the technology and tools needed to meet customer demands in a digital future. “We started Finxact in the beginning of 2017, and we have focused on building a banking system of record that can effectively replace legacy core systems and also serve as a platform for rapidly evolving digital banking requirements,” CEO and founder Frank Sanchez said in a news release. Other new investors in this round of financing included Accenture Ventures and SunTrust Bank, the company said.
MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
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Norfolk Southern was downgraded by an analyst pessimistic about the company’s ability to implement precision scheduled railroading.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 31, 2019 • Page 7
REAL ESTATE
Top 10 sales of the week BY SCOTT SAILER • EDITORIAL RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Here are the top 10 real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Baker, Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Jan. 22-25.
File image
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers restaurant at 4458 Town Center Parkway in Town Center Promenade sold for $2.29 million.
$4,800,000
$4,750,000
$2,700,000
$2,560,000
$2,285,000
Merchants Way, Jacksonville, Duval County
100 Devon Circle, St. Augustine, St. Johns County
1865 Edgewood Ave. W., Jacksonville, Duval County
2260 International Golf Parkway, St. Augustine, St. Johns County
4458 Town Center Parkway, Jacksonville, Duval County
Type: Vacant Size: 14.44 acres Buyer: Chadbourne V LLC Seller: AFI Associates Inc.
Type: Multifamily Size: 4.22 acres Buyer: Devon Cir LLC Seller: SIG Global Family Limited Partnership
Type: Lake Park Colonial Apartments Size: 2.64 acres Buyer: GAN Realty LLC Seller: Lake Park Colonial 54 LLC Previous sale: $2,175,000 in 2017
Type: Wendy’s Size: 1.02 acres Buyer: Belmont Holdings LLC Seller: Restaurant Holdings LLC
Type: Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Size: 0.9 acres Buyer: Blanding Orange Park LLC Seller: CPC Jacksonville SJTC LLC
$1,925,000
$1,837,500
$1,800,000
$1,680,000
$1,609,000
11737 Central Parkway, Jacksonville, Duval County
525 Lake Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns County
12524 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, Duval County
1550 Penman Road, Jacksonville Beach, Duval County
3390 Kori Road, Jacksonville, Duval County
Type: Office Size: 1.1 acres Buyer: 11737 CP Associates LLC Seller: Visiontech Realty LLC Previous sale: $1,125,000 in 2006
Type: Single-family Size: 0.88 acres Buyer: Sarah Ball Mason Seller: Cara C. McCuen
Type: Wendy’s Size: 1.09 acres Buyer: Betty and Theodore Roux Seller: Gordons San Jose Blvd Burgers LLC Previous sale: $1,363,700 in 2013
Type: Montessori Tides School Size: 0.99 acres Buyer: JAX Beach Real Estate Investments LLC Seller: Kelly Properties Inc.
Type: Office Size: 2.4 acres Buyer: 3390 Kori Road LLC Seller: Paradigm Mandarin Inc. and RP Health Inc. Previous sale: $110,000 in 1998
Sears: Now in bankruptcy reorganization CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
CoStar.com reported Dec. 11 that Sears Holdings hired the Jones Lang LaSalle real estate company to solicit bids for Sears and Kmart assets as a counter to a bid by Chairman Eddie Lampert. JLL is advising Sears Holdings on all its owned or leased property and other property assets, according to filings tied to the bankruptcy petition. JLL has hired several firms. Avison Young has the listing on the Regency Sears store. It is not Avison Young’s only Sears listing. In September, Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group announced it was exclusively retained by Sears to market and sell three department store sites in Daytona, Tampa and New Port Richey and the Ocala distribution center, totaling more than 2.35 million square feet of space. INTEREST IN SPACE
There has been interest in the closed Jacksonville store. In October 2017, a prospective buyer began marketing the closed Regency Sears for auto dealerships and other uses. A marketing flyer said the twostory, 196,214-square-foot Sears building has 12 acres that can be subdivided. That deal did not close. The store square footage is more than Arison Young’s sign indicates. Sears continues to operate stores at The Avenues mall on Jacksonville’s Southside and at the Orange Park Mall. Sears also
owns its Orange Park store and auto center, built in 1975. Avison Young is not listing any other area Sears stores for sale. SEARS STRUGGLES
Sears has been struggling financially for years. Locally, Sears Holdings Corp. closed its area Kmart stores and intends to close its North Jacksonville distribution center in April. It sold the almost 750,000-square-foot warehouse at 1 Imeson Park Blvd. last year but continues to lease the facility, which distributes merchandise to Sears and Kmart stores. That work will be transferred to an Ocala warehouse. The bankruptcy proceedings are keeping the Sears operations in flux. Lampert has offered to buy the company, averting immediate liquidation and keeping up to 400 stores open. However, unsecured creditors oppose the sale and want the company to liquidate. The next hearing in the bankruptcy case is scheduled Monday. The case is in the U.S. Photo by Karen Brune Mathis Bankruptcy Court in the SouthA sign at the closed Sears store at Regency Square Mall shows that Avison Young is listing it for sale. ern District of New York. Sears was a mainstay of the retail landscape but suffered from competition and other Sears suffered from the rise Dillard’s clearance center. Dil- bought the former Belk store factors. Bloomberg Business- of Amazon, powerful retailers lard’s also owns its building. that linked the east and west week reported that 3,900 Sears like Walmart and Target, a lack A New York investment wings but has not moved into and Kmart stores operated at of investment in its stores and group bought Regency Square the space. the end of 2009. legacy costs, including pen- Mall five years ago and consoliOther than Dillard’s, the west CNBC.com reported Jan. 16 sions, the news site said. dated the retail stores into the wing of the mall remains vacant. that Sears operated about 700 If the Regency store sells, it east side of the mall, anchored stores and had more than $7 will affect the largely vacant 1.4 by J.C. Penney, while it sought KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM billion in assets when it filed for million-square-foot Regency other uses for the west wing. bankruptcy, since shrinking to a Square Mall, whose remaining In August 2016, Impact @MATHISKB little more than 400 stores. anchors are J.C. Penney and a Church of Jacksonville Inc. (904) 356-246
Page 8 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Photos by Max Marbut
Each of the UNF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s two floors at The Barnett is about 7,000 square feet.
UNF: Students, entrepreneurs will work together CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The fifth floor is devoted to traditional classroom space, as well as offices for the faculty and staff. The fourth floor is an open floor plan coworking space designed to be an interactive learning environment and “a completely flexible space that will adapt to our needs,” Bowling said. It’s where 15 entrepreneurs, not necessarily students, will participate in a one-year development program after their presentations for prospective businesses, products or services have been selected by an advisory board. The participants will be partnered with UNF students who are studying subjects such as accounting, business and marketing. The entrepreneurs and students will work together to develop their concepts. “They’ll go from an idea to ready to launch. At the end of a year, they will be able to transition to an accelerator program or start their own business,” Bowling said. The Florida Small Business Development Center and the Small Business Administration
will be available in the center to help aspiring entrepreneurs. Becoming director of the entrepreneurial program reflects some of Bowling’s background in business. She is a UNF graduate who had her own entrepreneur experience when she and Sen. Rick Scott cofounded the Solantic urgent care clinics in 2001. In 2006, Scott took office as governor and Solantic was sold that year. She worked on the business plan for two years, studied the market, and surveyed potential customers. As CEO, Bowling developed a concept for walk-in medical care that grew from four clinics in Jacksonville to 34 in the state. Part of the growth strategy for the center is outreach to all constituencies in Northeast Florida. Bowling said it’s UNF’s intent to invite the entire community to participate. “This is not just for UNF. We want everybody involved. That’s why we’re Downtown,” she said.
Karen Bowling, director of the University of North Florida Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, shows how the classrooms in the center are equipped with digital teaching aids.
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
The center has several offices that can be used for small meetings and instruction.
This open area will be transformed into a garden for students and faculty.
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 31, 2019 • Page 9
District 14 candidates face off at forum
DAVID CAWTON ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Working with mayor, neighborhood development among the topics for hopefuls vying to fill termlimited Jim Love’s seat. It was standing room only Tuesday night at Sun-Ray Cinema in Five Points as five candidates seeking the District 14 City Council seat discussed their visions for the community. Democrats Sunny Gettinger and Jimmy Peluso joined Republicans Randy DeFoor, Henry Mooneyhan and Earl Testy at the forum. All except Testy, a write-in candidate, will appear on the ballot in the March 19 unitary election. If no candidate receives 50 percent of votes plus one vote, the top two will participate in a May 14 runoff election. Incumbent District 14 representative Jim Love is termlimited from running again. He said he is not endorsing a candidate. For nearly two hours, the candidates discussed working with Mayor Lenny Curry, moving Confederate-era monuments, dredging the St. Johns River and development in historic neighborhoods. WORKING WITH THE MAYOR
Since winning the mayor’s office in mid-2015, Curry has successfully moved pieces of his agenda through council, often with unanimous support from its 19 members. While there are a few representatives who often spar with Curry and his administration, the sense around City Hall is that the agendas of the executive and legislative branches are closely aligned, particularly under council President Aaron Bowman’s leadership. Mooneyhan said he was not “signing on to be Lenny
THE CAWTON REPORT
an assessment of our drainage and we need to have a plan of how we’re going to fix it.” Peluso said Florida is behind other states with water infrastructure, and Jacksonville’s leadership has not done enough to address the environmental impacts of climate change. He criticized Curry for removing Jacksonville from the 100 Resilient Cities coalition, a network of cities eligible for private funding and guidance established in 2013 by the Rockefeller Foundation. The organization says its goal is to help cities become more resilient to physical, social and economic challenges. “We lost out on $1 million,” Peluso said. “We could’ve put that into a resilience officer and that resilience officer could’ve created plans and projects for us to implement right now.” DEVELOPMENT CONCERNS
Photo by David Cawton
City Council candidates for District 14. From left to right, Democrat Jimmy Peluso, Republican Henry Mooneyhan, Republican Randy DeFoor, Democrat Sunny Gettinger and Republican write-in candidate Earl Testy at the Sun-Ray Cinema in Five Points.
Curry’s boy” but that he would and should be willing to work with the mayor. DeFoor told residents that it is important to have checks and balances on the executive branch. “But you have to work with the mayor, bottom line,” she said. “If you don’t work with the mayor, nothing gets done, it’s just a fact.” DeFoor said Curry has done a lot of good during his first term. Gettinger told the audience that it is the legislative arm’s job to “ask hard questions.” “The reality is hard questions are not hostile acts,” she said. “Government works best when the different branches are independent of each other,” Gettinger said, echoing criticism that council is not independent enough. Testy said he “would like to think I would support the mayor, especially as it concerns criminal justice and improvements to our prisons.”
“I’d also like to think I could say no to him when I disagree,” he said. Peluso offered the harshest criticism of the mayor, saying the environment around City Hall has become toxic since Curry took office. “I truly believe that the rhetoric and the things that people are saying and writing are so not Jacksonville,” Peluso said. “We need people in City Hall who are going to say, ‘this isn’t right’,” he said. THE PORT AND RESILIENCY
Other discussion included district-specific issues, including flooding, development and infrastructure. When Hurricane Irma hit Jacksonville in 2017, some neighborhoods in District 14 experienced historic flooding. Gettinger said the city’s lack of response to flooding and infrastructure issues is what led her to run for council. “I didn’t see us take on any
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of those issues,” she said. Gettinger also was critical of the federal project to dredge parts of the St. Johns River. She said she’s seen no proof that dredging will be good for business. “With no data, no information and no thought about what it means for our children and their children,” she said. Mooneyhan and Testy said deepening the channel from 40 to 47 feet will spur economic development. “We used to be a transportation hub in Jacksonville and all that business left us,” Mooneyhan said. “We can regrow that economy,” he said, because he thinks other ports are “over capacity.” DeFoor said if elected she would focus on fixing longstanding drainage issues and underground utility infrastructure. “In our district alone, we have to invest in infrastructure,” she said. “We need to do
One area the candidates seemed to agree on was slowing the pace of development in the historic Riverside and Avondale neighborhoods. Some are concerned about what they referred to as improper rezoning they said is undermining the neighborhoods’ character. Gettinger called the city’s permitting process “adversarial” and said it is too hard for the average resident to know when public hearings will occur. She, and others, also were critical of developers who rezone their properties to a planned unit development. The category allows property owners to combine multiple uses like residential and retail. Gettinger said while PUDs can serve a purpose, “the devil is always in the details.” DeFoor said the city formerly required developers to be more specific about their intended plans with PUDs and she believes that’s not the case anymore. “Now they do these PUDs where they throw everything in the kitchen sink in there,” DeFoor said. “So you literally don’t know what use is going to go on that property.”
DCAWTON@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @DAVIDCAWTON (904) 356-2466
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THE COURTS & LAW
Page 10 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Bus bench ad battle is heading to court
After 60 years of donating benches, the Jaycees and their sign company are suing city after being hit with an alleged sign ordinance violation. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
S
ixty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaycees entered into an agreement with the city of Jacksonville that allows the club to install donated benches with affixed advertising signs at bus stops. The Jaycees are going to court over the city’s charge that some of the benches violate Section 741 of the Ordinance Code. That code prohibits signs that are attached by private parties to objects located in the rightof-way. On Jan. 15, the Jaycees and Metropolitan Systems Inc. filed a complaint in the 4th Judicial Circuit seeking to prevent the city from requiring removal of signs attached to the benches that are located outside Urban Services District 1, the city limits of Jacksonville before the 1968 consolidation of the city and Duval County governments. The Jaycees and Metropolitan are represented by attorney Charles McBurney. The city does not comment on pending litigation, said Deputy General Counsel Jason Teal, who represented the city at meetings with the plaintiffs. Those meetings came after the Municipal Code Compliance Division notified Metropolitan in September that the advertising signs on the benches located outside the old city limits are in violation of the ordinance that prohibits “snipe signs” in the public right-of-way.
THE 1958 AGREEMENT
The plaintiffs contend that the original 1958 agreement, which has been renewed every five to 10 years, applies to the boundary of the city of Jacksonville created by consolidation — the boundary of Duval County. The complaint states that on Feb. 27, 1958, the Jaycees and Atlas Advertisers Inc. and the city entered into an agreement that “contemplated a civic project” of placing bus benches at transit stops for the benefit and accommodation of the public. On March 20, 1958, the Jaycees, Bus Bench Co. of Jacksonville and the city entered into an agreement similar to the February agreement. Atlas Advertisers and Bus Bench Co. later merged and now are named Metropolitan Systems Inc. It is based in Tampa. Metropolitan has agreements dating back to 1951 with more than 40 Florida cities and counties to provide bus stop benches on behalf of local Jaycees organizations and to lease advertising attached to the benches, said Andrew Moos, Metropolitan vice president of government and community affairs. According to the plaintiffs, the parties entered into an agreement March 7, 1974, to provide the civic project in the formerly unincorporated areas of the city outside the old city limits for a period of five years. The plaintiffs state the agreement was renewed in 1979 and again in 1984 and that since 1958, they have performed pursuant to the agreement within
Photo by Max Marbut
This is one of about 1,200 benches at bus stops in Duval County that are donated to the community by the Jacksonville Jaycees. Some, like this one, have signs on them that are the focus of a lawsuit filed against the city of Jacksonville by the Jaycees and the company that leases advertising on the benches.
the old city limits and in the rest of the county that was unincorporated before consolidation. CITY STANDS BY ANALYSIS
In a Nov. 28, 2018, letter to Metropolitan, the city reiterated its claim that advertising on benches outside the former city limits violates the sign ordinance. “The City presently stands by the analysis contained in the 1970 Legal Opinion issued by General Counsel James C. Rinaman Jr., regarding the effect of the City’s consolidation on the 1958 contract,” it states. In the advisory opinion prepared at the request of thenMayor Hans Tanzler, dated May 11, 1970, Rinaman confirms that in 1958, an agreement was made by the Jaycees, the advertising company and the City Commission authorizing the Jaycees to place benches at bus stops and for the advertising company to lease signage space on the benches.
Special to the Daily Record
This photograph, from about 1952, shows a young woman on a bench built by her father so she would have a place to sit while waiting for a bus. The photograph inspired the Jacksonville Jaycees to install about 1,200 benches at bus stops and donate them for use by the community.
There is no record of a similar agreement with the County Commission, according to Rinaman, but “the records reveal that for a period of time this matter created considerable controversy in the community,” he wrote. On Aug. 11, 1966, the City Commission nullified the agreement and directed the benches to be removed within 10 days. Six days later the commission approved a request to allow the companies at least 90 days to “satisfy the interests of all parties concerned.” Rinaman stated that “nothing further appears in the minutes of the former City Commission” and “the benches have been allowed to remain on public space.” In 1967, the Legislature enacted two special acts authorizing the city and county to enter into contracts for the placement of benches for the convenience of the public, with advertising displayed on the benches, on public rights-of-way. The act also provided that all existing agreements made by the City Commission for the placement of benches were validated. But Rinaman found no written agreement made by the County Commission, so he concluded that benches with advertising were allowed within the old city limits, but not in the formerly unincorporated areas of the county. During the most recent dispute, the Jaycees and Metropolitan presented a letter and a brief submitted in June 1973 by the late Tyrie A. Boyer, the attorney who at the time represented Metropolitan Systems Inc. Boyer wrote to then-general counsel of the consolidated City of Jacksonville Ed Austin that while a written agreement authorizing the benches and advertising was established in 1958 with the city, there was no record of a written agreement with county officials. “But benches were placed in
the unincorporated areas of the county with the knowledge, acquiescence and consent of the County Commissioners and per informal agreements with the individual County Commissioners with respect to each of their districts,” wrote Boyer. He also offered in the brief that when the city and county governments were consolidated, the new charter provides that: “The consolidated government shall be subject to all of the liabilities, obligations and duties of the former governments from and after the effective date of this charter.” Boyer also cited several judicial authorities in the brief that address the effects of a government entity expanding or merging into another governmental body. He concluded “the contracts of the former city become the contracts of the latter and are applicable to the new geographical limits of the new governing body.” MOST BENCHES DONATED
Benches or shelters with benches are provided by Jacksonville Transportation Authority at only 400 of its 2,600 bus stops in Duval County. Of the 1,200 benches donated by the Jaycees and managed by Metropolitan, about 75 percent are outside the former city limits and under dispute, said Moos. He said in addition to a sales representative, Metropolitan employs two people who make sure the benches are clean and maintain the landscape around the benches. Their salaries are paid with a portion of the revenue from the advertising leases. Jacksonville is the thirdlargest market for his company in the state and “losing Jacksonville would be devastating,” said Moos. The case will be heard by Circuit Judge Gary Wilkinson.
MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
Thursday, January 31, 2019 • Page 11
Attorney shares substance abuse journey THE MARBUT REPORT
MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Brian Cuban tells the JBA about his battle with addiction and his effort to promote wellness in the legal profession.
Photo by Max Marbut
Circuit Judge Katie Dearing, president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Ed Birk, chair of the JBA Health and Wellness Committee, and attorney Brian Cuban, an addiction recovery advocate who was the keynote speaker Wednesday at the JBA member luncheon.
system that is not retained by the clerk’s office. Since it launched in 2017, nearly 80,000 customers have used ePay to make payments totaling more than $11 million.
Henderson named shareholder Special to the Daily Record
New Jimerson & Cobb partners Brandon Meadows, Hans Wahl and Austin Calhoun.
New partners at Jimerson & Cobb
Clerk adds criminal fines to ePay
Brandon Meadows, Hans Wahl and Austin Calhoun are new partners at Jimerson & Cobb. They are the firm’s first former law clerks to become partners. Calhoun joined the firm in 2011. Wahl joined in 2012 and is board certified in condominium and planned development law. Meadows joined the firm in 2013. “They started at the very bottom and pushed themselves to the top,” said managing partner Charles Jimerson.
The Duval County Clerk of Courts expanded its online system to allow payments for more types of transactions. The ePay option now accepts online payments for most criminal case types, including criminal traffic, misdemeanor and felony. The system can be accessed at epay.duvalclerk.com and can accept payments from Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards. There is a 2.75 percent vendor-imposed convenience fee for using the online payment
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Smith Hulsey & Busey elected Amelia Henderson as a shareholder. She focuses her practice on health care regulatory and transactional law, corporate transactional law, trademark Henderson and trusts and estate law. A past president of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, Henderson graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2011. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
Joel Settembrini, Jr.
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• Board Certified in Business Litigation by The Florida Bar with 35+ years of litigation and trial experience at Saalfield Shad (2013-present), Smith Hulsey & Busey (1987-2013) and Office of Chief Counsel, IRS (1983-1987). • Listed in Best Lawyers in America, Florida Legal Elite and Florida Super Lawyers and rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.
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Endorsements
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He had his first of two trips to rehab at age 44, after three failed marriages and in 2007, began his life after substance abuse. “If I can leave you with one lesson, it would be the ‘twoask question,’” said Cuban. “When you think someone you work with may be struggling, ask them ‘Is there anything I can do?’ then say, ‘If you want to talk, I am here,’” he said. “That may be what it takes to send someone in our profession to wellness,” Cuban concluded. Cuban came to Jacksonville for the lunch meeting, and to facilitate a three-hour CLE program that was offered free to JBA members. Circuit Judge Katie Dearing, president of the JBA, said the afternoon program was offered to members as a way to move forward the conversation about the importance of mental health and wellness in the profession. “Talking about it makes you a better, stronger lawyer,” she said.
Great job today Joel. I have a tough client who put a lot of faith in your analysis. Will put you on the firm list of go-to guys in Jax. – Michael D. Sechrest, Esq. Warner, Sechrest and Butts, Gainesville
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You truly did a great job. No one would have handicapped it as an easy one to settle. Your adjustment to the situation is what got it done. – Juan M. Muñiz, Esq. Gunster, Miami
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To open the Jacksonville Bar Association’s meeting Wednesday at the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, Circuit Judge Karen Cole led the members and guests in a moment of reflection. She began by saying that almost everyone has been or knows someone who has been touched by mental illness, including alcohol or drug addiction. “And a lawyer or judge who would benefit from professional assistance is far from alone in our profession,” Cole said. Her remarks served as a preview of the keynote speaker, Brian Cuban. He’s an attorney, author and recovery advocate who began his life after drugs and alcohol in 2007. Cuban recounted his experience, beginning with eating disorders at a young age, followed by chronic substance abuse in college and in law school. “By the time I was a sophomore at Penn State, I was a full-blown alcoholic. By 26, I was addicted to coke,” he said. Cuban said he attributes failing the Bar exam twice before finally passing to his addictions. “I wasn’t a very good student and graduated by the skin of my teeth. I was so ashamed, I didn’t go to the graduation,” he said. Before he left practice, Cuban said he used cocaine in the restrooms in federal and state courthouses, even though he knew he would be arrested and possibly disbarred if he was discovered.
IN THE LAW
Page 12 • Thursday, January 31, 2019
Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer
RANDY REEP
RANDAL ‘RANDY’ REEP
BY MAX MARBUT • ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Criminal defense and personal injury attorney Randy Reep is the JAX Chamber North Council Small Business Leader of the Year for 2019. President of The Law Offices of Randy Reep, he is eligible for the Small Business Leader of the Year overall award that will be presented at the chamber’s annual small business breakfast Feb. 12 at the Schultz Center. What do you think will be the next biggest change in your area of law? In the criminal justice system, the use of cameras, be it through police body wear cameras, drones or commercial closed-circuit TV, will be changing the way communities prosecute criminal cases. Even more dramatically, in the personal injury arena, self-driving cars will hopefully reduce fatalities on our roads, but certainly will change how tort cases are handled.
Who or what inspired you to become a lawyer? The law itself inspired me to become a lawyer. It was clear to me that the law is powerful and not always used in the most just way. I wanted to learn why that was so, and if possible, how I might be able to have an impact in our community. Someone other than my spouse who inspires me: Condoleezza Rice, a visionary leader and dynamic personality with tremendous integrity.
If I could change anything in the legal system, I would: Endeavor to have our citizens take a meaningful interest in the process before it impacts their family. Also, I would have every trial or hearing televised to educate our community to know how the legal system works. A system that has such an impact on us should not be such a mystery.
How do you relate your undergraduate degree to your practice of law? I thought my management undergrad and my MBA would guide me to the area of law I would practice. Perhaps those degrees help in running my company, however, my personal injury and criminal defense focus has almost no relationship to my prelaw academics. How did you decide your practice area? And why have you chosen that? Fate intervened in my plans to be a “business attorney” and I am so grateful. My first legal job was that of an assistant state attorney here in Jacksonville. When I opened my own practice later, I knew I needed to remain in the courtroom. I have chosen to continue practicing criminal defense because I would not be able to find professional satisfaction separated from the arena where our adversarial system of litigation is tested.
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What has been the biggest change in your practice area since you passed the Bar? There seems to be an expressed trend to reform the criminal justice system from such matters as prison sentences for small drug issues and the like. It remains my concern that this intent is slow-moving change and the traction will be short-lived.
What community service have you pursued and why that? My office uses our time, talents and treasures to help disadvantaged and disenfranchised people. Our most representative actions are teaming with the Latin American Motorcycle Association and delivering Christmas presents to migrant workers in Immokalee. You would be challenged to find more forgotten contributors to our world of commerce than these beautiful, hard-working and law-abiding members of our state. What’s your advice for new lawyers? You have one chance to forge a reputation. Do not underestimate its value.
President, The Law Offices of Randy Reep Age: 49 Education: Bachelor’s in aviation management, Southern Illinois University; MBA, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; J.D., Thomas Cooley Law School Hometown: Miami; Jacksonville for the past 30 years Family: Wife, Dr. Suny Caminero; sons, Jagger and Tazzo, and daughters, Cocoa and Rio Favorite book: “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell Book I’m reading now: “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil deGrasse Tyson Favorite nonwork activities: My family, flying the F-15 in the Florida Air National Guard and surfing
2018
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