FRIDAY September 21, 2018
PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES BEGIN ON PAGE 3
jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
THE MATHIS REPORT
Lawsuit hits new owners of Berkman Plaza II
Daily Record
Grading plan filed for site of planned Bentley dealership
JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Group says they’re owed $1.1 million for work done ahead of deal. BY DAVID CAWTON STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
File image
Plans for a Jacksonville Bentley Motors dealership were announced in June. It will be operated by Mario Murgado, president and CEO of South Florida-based Brickell Motors LLC.
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
“Hyperluxury” brand planned for Bonneval Road near I-95, Butler Boulevard. Wheels are turning toward development of the proposed Bentley Motors dealership in the Butler Boulevard area of South Jacksonville. Civil engineer England-Thims & Miller Inc. submitted a site plan to the city for mass grading toward development of the 7.53-acre site at 7137 Bonneval Road. The project requires several more
steps to gain approval for construction, but grading the site is an initial necessity toward opening the dealership. Executives of the British automaker announced in June that they intend to open a Bentley dealership in 2019 along Bonneval Road to sell the “hyperluxury” brand. Prices start at more than $180,000. Car and Driver reports some are substantially higher. The flagship Continental GT starts at $201,225 and the Bentayga starts at $197,725. It will be the first area Bentley dealership and the seventh in Florida. Mario Murgado, president and CEO of South Florida-based Brickell Motors LLC, said in June he will operate Bentley Jacksonville, his ninth U.S. dealership. He did not provide a date for opening it. Murgado said the 25,000-square-foot facility will be visible from the Interstate 95-Butler Boulevard interchange and initially will support 25-35 jobs. “I’ve looked at this market for a long time,” Murgado said at the June 18 news conference, joined by Bentley President and CEO Mark Del Rosso, Mayor Lenny
Curry and City Council member Danny Becton, whose district will include the dealership. Murgado said he began proposing Jacksonville to Del Rosso and his team more a year before and said he was sold on the area’s economic capability to maintain a high-end brand like Bentley. Del Rosso said he views Jacksonville as a city experiencing tremendous growth and the right demographics to support a full-service dealership. “We think the coupling of Bentley with a community like Jacksonville that’s filled with achievement and people that are achievers in themselves rooted in community was a natural fit for us,” Del Rosso said. The Bentley store in Jacksonville is the first for Murgado, who operates Audi, Buick, GMC, Honda, Mazda, Infiniti, Cadillac, Volkswagen dealerships in Florida and Chicago. “There are 38 dealerships in the U.S. and 50 states, so think about what that says about Jacksonville,” Murgado said. KMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
The companies seeking to redevelop the Berkman Plaza II property in Downtown Jacksonville are being sued by a group previously tied to the site. That group is seeking $1.1 million in damages. On July 27, Cambridge Capital Group LLC, along with A&T Development Company LLC, Tallahassee attorney Tim Howard and TTSM Inc. filed a complaint against 500 East Bay LLC and others in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court. The complaint alleges breach of contract, unfair and deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment and failing to agree to pay the plaintiffs $1.1 million for funds invested. Also named in the suit are 500 East Bay LLC registered agent and developer Bob Ohde, his investment partner company MVJFL LLC, and the property’s previous owner, Choate Construction Co. of Atlanta. Ohde’s group proposes to redevelop the site into a $150 million hotel and family entertainment center. On Wednesday, the Downtown Investment Authority approved $36 million in city-backed financial incentives, allowing the project to seek City Council approval. The crux of the lawsuit revolves around $1.1 million Cambridge and A&T Development claim is SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 2
Janie and Jack planning store at St. Johns Town Center Janie and Jack intends to open in St. Johns Town Center. The brand, part of San Francisco-based Gymboree Group Inc., sells classic designer children’s clothing from sizes newborn to 12. Horizon Retail Construction Inc. is renovating almost 2,000 square feet of space for the store at 4791 River City Drive, Unit 125, at a cost of $200,000. The space is near the Gymboree store.
VOLUME 105, NO. 217 • ONE SECTION