Jacksonville Record & Observer 10/10/19

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Mathis Report: Plans for old Kmart don’t stop with Sun-Ray PAGE 3

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FIS CEO Norcross: We’d love to grow here

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TRACK FOR FUN CARS Record & Observer

But executive declines to comment about Project Sharp at JAXUSA Partnership luncheon.

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BY MARK BASCH AND MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITERS

275-foot concrete skidpad used for wet road conditions training, and a 1½-mile road course, used for dry conditions, braking, performance handling and crash avoidance training.

May said the course will be open to the public. He hasn’t set requirements on the types of cars that will be allowed to drive, but there will be guidelines to ensure the car is safe to operate.

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. solidified its position as a major global financial technology company two months ago with its $43 billion acquisition of Worldpay Inc. So what’s next for the Jacksonville-based company known as FIS? “Global domination,” CEO Gary Norcross said Wednesday to 480 attendees of a quarterly JAXUSA Partnership luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.

“That was Norcross supposed to be a joke,” Norcross added after a brief pause, but he may not be exaggerating FIS’ place in the financial technology world.

Even before the Worldpay deal, FIS already was ranked as the largest financial technology company in the world based on revenue for three years in a row

by IDC Financial Insights.

FIS, which provides technology for financial services companies, grew its annual revenue to about $12 billion with the addition of payments technology company Worldpay, with 55,000 employees in 40 countries.

That includes about 1,400 employees in Jacksonville.

“Over the years we’ve seen a

SEE TRACK, PAGE 10

SEE NORCROSS, PAGE 10

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Record & Observer Photo by Katie Garwood

Philip “Tiger” May shows the plan for the driving course he intends to build on land he purchased at Interstate Center Drive, Broward Road and Zoo Parkway, west of Interstate 95.

Philip “Tiger” May plans to build a North Jacksonville automobile handling course where, for a fee, drivers can push the limits of their vehicles.

BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER

A

16-acre site in North Jacksonville could become the region’s first automotive handling course by next year.

DPC JAX LLC, led by Philip “Tiger” May, bought the North Jacksonville property at Interstate Center Drive, Broward Road and Zoo Parkway, west of Interstate 95, in March for $1.1 million.

The facility is designed to allow drivers to improve their skills and test their cars in a safe environment.

“We wanted to broaden the accessibility,” May said. “There are so many people out there who have fun cars and enjoy driving, but there’s no place they can legally and safely go around the First Coast area to push the limits of their car, and try it out in a controlled environment.”

Plans comprise two components: A

Longtime Downtown leader leaving for St. Johns County PAGE 4 Basch Report: Economic forecast is weighing on CSX PAGE 6 Marbut Report: Lawyers wear pink for breast cancer awareness PAGE 14

THE SAILER REPORT

Expert offers insights into apartment market Nearly $1 billion in sales so far this year. PAGE 12 VOLUME 2, NO. 19 • ONE SECTION

WHAT’S TRENDING

Page 2 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Big news doesn’t break just on Thursday. Here’s a look at some of the top stories published over the past week online at JaxDailyRecord.com and in the Jacksonville Daily Record that you may have missed.

UTILITIES

16 companies submit bids for JEA NextEra Energy Inc., Emera Energy Services Inc. and Duke Energy Corp. confirmed they are among the 16 organizations that submitted bids Monday to purchase JEA. Juno Beach-based NextEra owns Florida Power & Light Co., whose CEO confirmed interest in the city utility in August. Emera is the parent company of Teco and Peoples Gas. JEA announced the number of responses but not the names of the bidders. Those identities are confidential, but can be disclosed by the bidders.

JEA senior leadership says the team will meet Oct. 18 and post its intent to negotiate. That will begin a fourmonth negotiation process. If the JEA board votes to accept one or more of the bids, the offers will be sent to City Council for consideration in March.

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Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Observer Media Group Inc. Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit JACKSONVILLE Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County.

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Jenny McCollum and John McCarthy of JEA open the bids Monday.

Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business.

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Rowe’s IGA considering opening two new stores serve customers in a food desert.

The Baymeadows store is a former Winn-Dixie that Rowe bought in February for $3.7 million.

Rowe He expects to invest another several million dollars into the store and hire at least 90 people.

SIMULATED GAMBLING City Council votes for internet cafe shutdown Internet cafes operating in Jacksonville will have to immediately remove simulated gambling devices or close.

City Council voted 10-9 Tuesday to amend Ordinance 2019-209-E approved in May that prohibits the possession or use of simulated gambling devices by commercial businesses.

If signed by Mayor Lenny Curry, Ordinance 2019-644 will eliminate

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GROCERY STORES Jacksonville independent supermarket veteran Rob Rowe is considering two more stores, one in Northwest Jacksonville and another in Baymeadows.

The Northwest Jacksonville store at 1020 Edgewood Ave. N. in Commonwealth Shopping Center is a former Harveys.

The city wants to provide the landlord a $750,000 grant to open a Rowe’s IGA Supermarket at the site to

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a Feb. 1 deadline allowing cafes that have city-issued certificates of use to continue operating while they prepare to shut down or come into compliance.

The city code considers internet cafes, also referred to as internet arcades, a public nuisance.

Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes said there are 140 to 160 arcades operating in Jacksonville.

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RESTAURANTS Derby House Diner in Five Points closes

BUSINESS CALENDAR

Derby House Diner, the former Derby on Park restaurant at 1068 Park St. in Five Points, announced Tuesday it has closed.

Michael Schmidt co-owns the restaurant with Chad Munsey.

“We had a lot of regulars, wonderful customers, our staff did an amazing job,” Schmidt said. “We were not seeing the numbers we needed to get to cover our overhead.”

2 years.................................... $154 1 year.........................................$89 6 months..................................$55

HOW TO ADVERTISE Display & Digital Advertising: Call Jay Lesowitz at (904) 356-2466 or email jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com Legal Advertising: Submit public notices via email to legal@jaxdailyrecord.com

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To find more business events or to submit your event to the the business calendar, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/calendar.

SATURDAY NFL Legends: JAX Chamber and PRI Productions will present the NFL Legends Community Gala on Saturday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NFL in Jacksonville. The chamber worked with Touchdown Jacksonville!, a group of business leaders who led the community effort to bring the NFL to Jacksonville. The gala is 7-11 p.m. at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at jaxevents.com. Proceeds will benefit the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund. For information, visit myjaxchamber.com.

OCT. 17 Downtown project impact: The ULI North Florida District Council rescheduled its Sept. 5 Economic Impact of Downtown Revitalization Projects event to Oct. 17. The event was postponed because of Hurricane Dorian. All

registrations for the initial event will be honored. Panelists include Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer; Cathedral District President and CEO Ginny Myrick; and Downtown Vision Inc. CEO Jake Gordon. The event is 5:307:30 p.m. at Manifest Distilling, 960 E. Forsyth St. Prices start at $35. For information, visit northflorida.uli.org.

OCT. 30 Oscar Munoz at World Affairs Council: United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz will talk about “The Changing Global Dynamic of Commercial Aviation” on Oct. 30 to the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville Global Business Luncheon. Munoz was president and COO of CSX Corp. before joining United Airlines. The event is noon-1:30 p.m. at The River Club. Tickets are $60 for members and $80 for nonmembers and guests. Information: Worldaffairscounciljax.org or call (904) 2808162.

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POSTAL INFORMATION Jacksonville Daily Record (USPS 190-620) is published daily except Saturday, Sunday & legal holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) by Daily Record & Observer LLC, 10 N. Newnan St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. Periodicals postage paid at Jacksonville, Florida and at additional mailing offices. Under no circumstances will any news or records of Duval County be suppressed for anyone. Information in this newspaper is for our subscribers only and must not be used by anyone for publication purposes.

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Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 3

THE MATHIS REPORT

Plans for old Kmart don’t stop at Sun-Ray

KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR

Ash Properties intends to renovate the building on San Jose Boulevard to accommodate the cinema and several large tenants.

Sun-Ray Cinema won’t be the only tenant at the former Kmart store on San Jose Boulevard.

Property owner Ash Properties intends to renovate the building at 9600 San Jose Blvd. for several large and possibly a few smaller tenants.

“It’ll be a great addition to the neighborhood,” said Elaine Ashourian, a principal with the Jacksonville-based commercial real estate development company.

The property is in the Beauclerc area of Mandarin.

The closed Kmart will be enlarged and divided for tenants. The site’s parking lot, lighting and landscaping will be improved.

Ashourian and Ash Properties Chief Operating Officer Randall Whitfield declined to identify the potential tenants until leases are signed.

Conceptual site plans indicate possibilities such as dining, groceries and home goods, although Ashourian and Whitfield emphasize those placeholder names aren’t necessarily accurate.

Through Atlantic MiniStorage of America Inc., Ash Properties paid almost $4.39 million for the property Dec. 1, 2015.

The store was built 40 years ago. Kmart closed in 2016 but continued to lease the property until parent company Sears Holdings Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2018.

Ash Properties could not redevelop the property until the lease ended.

That time has come.

NEW CONCEPT FOR OLD KMART Above: An artist’s rendering of the renovated property at 9600 San Jose Blvd.

Right: Kmart closed the store in 2016 and its parent, Sears Holdings, held the lease on the property until it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018.

The 105,737-square-foot building sits on 11.5 acres on the west side of San Jose Boulevard. Ash Properties intends to expand it to 115,000 square feet.

Sun-Ray Cinema, an independent two-screen theater in Five Points, announced Sept. 28 on its Facebook page it would expand with a fivescreen theater into the Mandarin building.

Ashourian and Whitfield said Sun-Ray, whose lease was not signed as of Monday, would take less than 30,000 square feet. That leaves about 85,000 square feet for more tenants.

“We have some great prospects,” Whitfield said.

He plans for an anchor tenant of 35,000 to 40,000 square feet and three to four smaller “synergistic” tenants that complement one another.

Whitfield expects tenants of 16,000 to 40,000 square feet with some spaces of 2,000 to 5,000 square feet.

Ash Properties also can develop a 1.5-acre outparcel toward the front of the site with a building of 2,500 to 7,500 square feet for one to three tenants.

Whitfield said Ash Properties is dealing with several potential users for that build-

Top image: Ash Properties; Bottom image: Google

ing. A drive-thru is possible.

The outparcel building would be a build-to-suit, meaning Ash Properties retains ownership of the land.

The Zaxby’s restaurant along San Jose Boulevard in front of the site is separately owned and not part of the development.

Ashourian and Whitfield said Ash Properties soon will file for permitting reviews.

They expect work to begin upon approvals with possible completion by early 2021.

“There’s a lot of work to do on the site,” Whitfield said.

The development has not been branded.

Ashourian and Whitfield said that names on the plans don’t mean that type of tenant will lease there.

So don’t look for “Designer Warehouse,” “Morton’s Market,” “Broadway Café” and “Cinema Moderne.”

The cinema, presumably Sun-Ray, is on the northern end of the building.

Ash Properties wants to elevate the profile of the location along San Jose Boulevard.

A traffic light provides access at the Old St. Augustine Road

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intersection.

“We’re going to be beautifying that corner,” Ashourian said.

Ashourian and Whitfield declined to provide a cost estimate of the project.

“It’ll be worth the investment,” Ashourian said.

Sun-Ray said on Facebook that it is “on the path to a second Sun-Ray,” in Mandarin.

The post included an interior seating plan for the five-screen theater.

Sun-Ray said on the Facebook post that when the Mandarin location opens, it would renovate one of its Five Points screening rooms and it would remain open through the renovation.

Construction to start in 1Q for GreenWise Market

Jacksonville-based Cantrell & Morgan and South Floridabased Stiles said this week they will start construction in the first quarter on Parkway Shoppes at World Commerce Center, which will be anchored

by GreenWise Market.

GreenWise will open a

25,000-square-foot store in 2021 to anchor the almost 40,000-square-foot retail center, which is in St. Johns County.

GreenWise is the Publix Super Markets Inc. banner that sells specialty, natural and organic brands.

The developers plan another 15,000 square feet of inline retail shops and several outparcels.

The Parkway Shoppes at World Commerce Center is at northeast International Golf Parkway and Florida 16, west of Interstate 95.

In 2009, Stiles developed The Shoppes at Murabella, a Publix-anchored, 77,500-square-foot retail center nearby at Florida 16 and Pacetti Road. Stiles continues to own and operate that center.

Ryan Karlin, president of Stiles Retail Group, said in a news release that Stiles established roots in the market more than a decade ago with the Murabella project.

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Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Longtime Downtown leader leaving for St. Johns Hemming Park Executive Director Christina Parrish Stone is recruited away from Jacksonville to lead the St. Johns Cultural Council.

BY DAN MACDONALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Christina Parrish Stone, Hemming Park executive director and a longtime player in Springfield and Downtown civic projects, starts her new St. Johns County job Dec. 2.

Parrish Stone becomes executive director of the St. Johns Cultural Council. She will lead Hemming Park through October or until her replacement is hired.

Parrish Stone said she was recommended by two St. Johns Cultural Council board members to replace Andrew Witt, who will retire at year-end.

She was recruited through Sterling Consulting, which contacted her in May. Parrish Stone had no plans to leave Hemming Park. Since taking the leadership role there in 2017, she has overseen the addition of new green spaces, art installations and an increased vitality in the Downtown park.

“They called me. I wasn’t looking for anything,” she said. “I have a son who is a sophomore at Bishop Kenny (High School). I was going to work for three more years and retire.”

The St. Johns Cultural Council received 40 to 50 applications from across the nation.

Witt said Parrish Stone’s notfor-profit and government contract experience proved to be important skills. Her hands-on experience dealing with the arts community is another valuable asset.

According to the council’s website, its main charge is to serve visitors and residents to enrich

the county’s art and culture scene.

It operates ArtReaches, a program that assists artists and art organizations to obtain grants that promote the council’s focus on arts, culture and heritage.

“We are a small operation. The ability to keep a lot of plates spinning is important. Christina is more than capable of that,” Witt said.

The new job will use Parrish Stone’s marketing and planning skills. In addition to her work at Hemming Park, she worked with local bands to create contracts and find work.

She also was an organizer of PorchFest, Springfield’s annual day of music performed on front porches around the neighborhood.

In her new role, she will be charged with overseeing current St. Johns Cultural Council activities as well as broaden its scope to include all of St. Johns County.

Historically, much of the council’s efforts have targeted St. Augustine. She wants to direct more art and history programs at Hastings and Ponte Vedra as well as the growing Nocatee area.

Culinary tourism also could incorporate Hastings. Parrish Stone said that when Henry Flagler built his railroad through Florida, he built a spur from St. Augustine to Hastings to provide a convenient way to bring produce and goods to St. Augustine.

She said that as one of the first examples of “farm to table” dining, the history is of interest to tourists.

It doesn’t hurt that Southern Living magazine recently named St. Augustine one of the best food towns in the South, she said.

Because the council has a strong tourism component, she will work with Visit Florida and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs to coordinate grants and create programming throughout the county.

She also is open to expand partnerships with surrounding counties. Parrish Stone cited the Jack-

Photo by Tori Ray

Hemming Park Executive Director Christina Parrish Stone previously served as leader of the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council. She says she plans to leave her home in Springfield to move to the Beaches.

sonville government’s support of The Players Championship as an event that happens in St. Johns County but brings benefits to Duval County, not only during tournament week but through charitable donations the event makes possible.

Her new job means she will move from historic Springfield,

north of Downtown, and her home of 19 years.

She previously served as leader of the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council.

Instead of looking for another home in a historic area in St. Johns County, she said her family likely will move to a “cute place at the beach” so that her son can com-

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plete high school at Bishop Kenny if he chooses.

She won’t be a stranger to Duval County.

“Leaving Springfield will be hard, but we aren’t going far. My husband and I have discussed this and we will probably get a hotel room once a month in Jacksonville.”

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Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Boychuk

Valentine

Coggin

Falconetti

Himel

Lupoli

Saenz

Baker

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Promotions, hirings and happenings for business people in Northeast Florida. Send items to ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com CSX Corp. announced the appointments of Kevin Boone as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Jamie Boychuk as executive vice president of operations.

Boone had been interim chief financial officer since May when Frank Lonegro left the company. Boone joined CSX in September 2017 as vice president of corporate affairs and chief investor relations officer.

Boychuk, who joined the company in 2017, was most recently senior vice president of network operations, mechanical, engineering and intermodal operations.

Lisa Valentine was named CEO of Orange Park Medical Center. She has been with HCA Healthcare since 1992, most recently as CEO for HCA’s Summerville Medical Center near Charleston, South Carolina. She grew up in Live Oak and received her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Florida.

James Coggin joined The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida as a program director on the grant-making team. He has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector focusing on community development, affordable housing, and building the capacity of nonprofit organizations.

The JaxPort board of directors named new officers: Chairman: John D. Baker II, executive chairman and CEO of FRP Holdings Inc. Vice chairman: Jamie Shelton, president of bestbet Jacksonville.

Treasurer: Wendy Hamilton, president, Eventide Investments of Florida Inc.

Secretary: J. Palmer Clarkson, founder, president and CEO of Bridgestone HosePower KKC. They will serve in those positions through Sept. 20.

Other board members include immediate past Chairman John Falconetti, chairman and CEO of Jacksonville-based print services provider Drummond; Ed Fleming, retired president and CEO, Atlantic Marine Holding Co. LLC; and John Newman, senior pastor, The Sanctuary at Mount Calvary.

The Northeast Florida Regional Council Regional Leadership Academy graduated its 14th class. It comprises Tyler Nolen, regional planner with the council; Susan Grich, president and CEO of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida; Lori Boyer, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority; Christine Hoffman, director of Beaches Museum and History Park and a Jacksonville Beach City Council member; Dave Rogers, vice chair of St. Johns County Soil and Water Conservation District 5; Taco Pope, assistant county manager, Nassau County; and Robbi Correa, president of Revitalize Historic Palatka.

Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville elected three board members for a three-year term: Drew Himel is founder and chief executive officer with PCR Agency.

Robert Lupoli is senior vice president of retail operations director at TIAA Bank.

John-Paul Saenz executive vice president and chief operating officer at Haskell.

Compiled by Scott Sailer

DEVELOPMENT TODAY These are the largest commercial building permits by job cost issued Tuesday by the city of Jacksonville.

APARTMENTS Cathedral Townhouse, 501 N. Ocean St., contractor is NEI Construction Inc., 147,474 square feet, nine permits for renovation of 19 floors, $1.93 million.

Solera at Kendall West Apartments, 1462 Solera Terrace, contractor is Richbuilt Construction LLC, 780 square feet, maintenance building, $44,000.

CHURCH, OTHER RELIGIOUS The Church of Pentecost USA Inc., 3020 Warrington St., contractor is Nesmith Construction LLC, 10,509 square feet, tenant build-out, $24,513.

HOSPITAL, INSTITUTIONAL Benton House at Oakleaf, 417 Oakleaf Plantation Parkway, contractor is Batson-Cook Co., 9,857 square feet, 14-unit assisted living addition, $1.95 million.

Baptist Medical Center, 800 Prudential Drive, contractor is Danis Construction LLC, 4,210 square feet, renovation on first floor for computed tomography scanning, $1.69 million.

RESTAURANTS Intuition Ale Works, 929 E. Bay St., contractor is McKendree’s Plumbing & Heating Inc., 5,600 square feet,

renovation, $279,500.

SIGNS Atlantic North, 11901 Atlantic Boulevard, contractor is Target Contractors Inc., ground sign with tenant panels, $40,089.

500 South Edgewood Ave Land Trust, 4610 Lenox Ave., contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., 4617 Soutel Drive, contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Bill & Nick Inc., 5135 Soutel Drive, contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

George Safar, 788 Bunker Hill Blvd., contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Florida Comfort Inc., 5990 St. Augustine Road, contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Maurice Philips, 2003 Rogero Road, contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Oxbow JAX LLC, 2035 Jammes Road, contractor is Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., billboard removal, $2,000.

Compiled by Scott Sailer

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Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 5

Page 6 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

THE BASCH REPORT

Economy weighing on outlook for CSX

MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Despite “monumental productivity gains” at the Jacksonville-based railroad, analysts are downgrading company.

CSX Corp. continues earning high marks for operating efficiency gains since its management overhaul in 2017.

However, when the Jacksonville-based railroad company reports its third-quarter earnings next week, most analysts think its expense efficiency won’t be enough to offset slowing revenue trends in the industry.

“We expect the U.S. rails will benefit from improving truckload rates in 2020 but face more immediate volume headwinds that were forming well before this week’s PMIinduced negativity,” J.P. Morgan analyst Brian Ossenbeck said Friday in an outlook report on the industry.

PMI refers to a key U.S. manufacturing indicator, the purchasing managers’ index compiled by the Institute for Supply Management. That index fell to 47.8% in September, its lowest level since June 2009 when the U.S. was in the final month of the last recession.

“Against this backdrop, the U.S. rails will need to accelerate PSR productivity gains,” said Ossenbeck, referring to precision scheduled railroading.

That’s the efficiency initiative championed by late Chief Executive Hunter Harrison when he joined CSX in March 2017 and continued by his successor, Jim Foote.

CSX has improved its operating efficiency with PSR and other railroads now are implementing it as well to catch up, but analysts don’t think CSX can improve its efficiency much more than it already has.

So, despite “monumental productivity gains” last year, Ossenbeck downgraded his rating on CSX from “overweight” to “neutral” because of possible slowdowns in freight volume.

“CSX is progressing quickly with its precision scheduled railroading implementation, improving network efficiency by reducing headcount and increasing asset utilization,” he said.

“In the near term, we expect increasing export coal headwinds and fading demurrage revenue will put downward pressure on earnings while operating efficiency gains become more incremental compared to recent years.”

Demurrage revenue consists of payments from freight shippers for using rail cars beyond a specified time.

Coal shipments historically had been CSX’s biggest business but shifting use of energy

Coal demand, shipments fall Coal is accounting for less of CSX Corp.’s business:

30%+

Percentage of CSX revenue from coal shipments a decade ago

18%

Percentage of CSX revenue from coal in the first half of this year

resources has lowered U.S. demand in recent years. While CSX had been able to make up some of the low domestic demand with export shipments, export coal volume has been falling this year.

Coal shipments accounted for more than 30% of CSX revenue a decade ago but in the first half of this year, coal only produced 18% of revenue.

Declining coal demand is not the only issue for the railroad industry in the near term. A Bloomberg News story last weekend described a “railroad recession” in the works with shipments also declining for autos, grain, chemicals and consumer goods.

“The U.S. rail networks will need to post robust productivity measures in order to tread water amidst sliding volumes,” Ossenbeck said in his report.

“Fortunately the path to PSR has become more evident at each of the railroads which likely utilized weaker volume to jump-start resource reduction efforts.”

The Bloomberg story said three of the four major U.S. railroads are projected to report higher third-quarter earnings, but CSX is the one expected to show a decline.

CSX is ahead of the pack with its implementation of PSR but in the Wall Street view of the world, that means it has no more room for improvement and its stock could suffer.

More virtual annual meetings Following a trend started

by CSX in the spring, another Northeast Florida-based company is planning to hold a “virtual” annual shareholders meeting.

Ponte Vedra-based Advanced Disposal Services Inc. filed a proxy statement last week for its annual shareholders meeting Nov. 20 but is not inviting stockholders to visit in person. Shareholders can listen to the proceedings via a webcast only.

Public companies say they can save money with a virtual

meeting by not renting a big conference space. They also contend the virtual meeting gives more shareholders access because they don’t have to travel to the meeting site and can submit questions online.

However, shareholder advocates argue that the traditional meeting before an audience of stockholders gives a better opportunity to question executives and directors of large companies.

CSX’s virtual meeting in May lasted about 20 minutes, much shorter than its previous stockholder meetings which lasted an hour or more.

Jacksonville-based ParkerVision also is giving shareholders an option to “attend” its annual meeting online Nov. 15.

But its proxy said shareholders also can attend in person.

Advanced Disposal had scheduled a virtual annual meeting for May, but the meeting was postponed after the company agreed in mid-April to a buyout by Waste Management Inc. Advanced Disposal instead had a special shareholders meeting in June, with shareholders invited to attend in person. The company said about 86% of shares were voted to approve the buyout at that meeting.

The merger is not expected to be completed until the first quarter of 2020, because of antitrust scrutiny of the deal between the two waste management companies.

Waste Management is the largest U.S. solid waste disposal company with about 28% of the market, while Advanced Disposal ranks fourth with about 3%. Analysts expect Waste Management to divest some operations where the two companies overlap to receive regulatory approval for the deal.

It is unusual for a company to hold a regular shareholders meeting with a buyout approved and pending. But Advanced Disposal said in the proxy it scheduled the meeting to comply with New York Stock Exchange regulations requir-

ing listed companies to hold a regular stockholders meeting every year.

Another hedge fund targets Tegna A New York-based hedge fund said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week it has been accumulating shares of Tegna Inc. after reports of “possible M&A activity” for the television station operator.

Tegna operates 62 stations in 51 U.S. markets, including Jacksonville NBC affiliate WTLV TV-12 and ABC affiliate WJXX TV-25.

Standard General L.P. said in its SEC filing it now has 21.1 million shares of the Virginiabased company, or 9.8% of the stock.

Standard General said it has experience investing in and “overseeing” merger and acquisition activity involving television broadcasters and it “now intends to become actively engaged” with Tegna.

It did not say it is interested in buying the company but hinted it may push management into seeking a deal with another party.

The filing follows reports in August that fund manager Apollo Global Management was interested in buying Tegna

but was rebuffed.

Apollo has another deal in place to buy control of 14 stations run by Cox Enterprises Inc., including Jacksonville CBS affiliate WJAX TV-47 and Fox affiliate WFOX TV-30.

If it is able to buy Tegna, it would almost certainly be required to divest some of the Jacksonville stations.

Glowpoint completes merger After its proposed merger with Jacksonville-based SharedLabs Inc. fell apart, Glowpoint Inc. was able to agree to and complete another merger quickly.

Denver-based Glowpoint said it completed its merger Oct. 1 with Los Angeles-based Oblong Industries Inc., two weeks after the companies announced their agreement.

SharedLabs, which had been seeking an initial public offering, instead agreed last November to merge with publicly traded Glowpoint. But that deal fell apart in April.

Glowpoint said in recent SEC filings it is working with SharedLabs to recover unspecified fees and expenses related to the failed merger.

MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM

File image

Tegna is the parent company of Jacksonville NBC affiliate WTLV TV-12 and ABC affiliate WJXX TV-25, the home of First Coast News.

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 7

NAIOP OCTOBER BREAKFAST MEETING

Navigating the COU Process with the City of Jacksonville Certificates of Use are required for all new or expanding businesses in the City of Jacksonville. Please join us for breakfast with representatives from the City’s Fire, Building and Zoning Departments to discuss the application and review process. This is a great opportunity to have your questions answered and issues addressed. We are excited to bring this extremely informative discussion to our membership and guests.

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No Cancellations will be accepted or refunds given after Friday, October 11th at Noon.

Page 8 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

HEALTH & BUSINESS

Publix, Flagler Health+ launch St. Johns telehealth clinics can provide care in a meaningful way with our key partnerships. We both came together to recognize that we’re going to have to do something together to address not only access, but affordability,” he said.

KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER

Five are anticipated to open within 12 months.

The first of at least five telehealth clinics in St. Johns County Publix locations opened Friday in Nocatee.

In March, Publix and Flagler Health+ announced an exclusive partnership to provide telehealth services in the grocer’s St. Johns County locations.

Publix also built a pharmacy inside Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine earlier this year.

As Publix continues to renovate stores in St. Johns County, Flagler Health+ spokeswoman Gina Mangus said telehealth clinics would be added.

At the Nocatee location at 120 Marketside Avenue, the telehealth clinic is a small room adjacent to the pharmacy.

It houses a telehealth kiosk, which is equipped with teleconferencing equipment to allow the patient and doctor to see and hear each other.

Along the sides of the screen, there’s medical equipment like a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter and ther-

13451 OWL HOLLOW CT. JACKSONVILLE, FL 32223

Aldana

International physicians learning at Wolfson

Photo by Katie Garwood

The telehealth kiosk at the Publix supermarket in Nocatee is in a small room adjacent to the pharmacy.

mometer for the patients to use and record their results in the telehealth computer system.

The doctor will instruct the patient to use certain equipment during the visit, or the information from the equipment can be provided before seeing the doctor.

The average wait time to see a doctor after filling out the information and paying is around 10 minutes.

The doctor then provides a diagnosis and writes a prescription as needed, which can be filled at the adjacent Publix Pharmacy.

The telehealth kiosks will be staffed remotely by Flagler Health+ doctors in the area, or by American Well doctors.

American Well also provides

the technology and platform for the telehealth clinics.

Publix pharmacists are available to assist patients through the process. The co-pay, paid before a patient sees the doctor, is $59.

Publix has a similar partnership with BayCare Health System in Tampa, providing telehealth sites to four counties in the Tampa Bay area. The first Tampa-area clinic opened in December 2017 in Valrico.

The two companies plan to open 26 sites across four counties.

“We recognize that not only here, but in the United States, there’s an affordability issue,” said Flagler Health+ President and CEO Jason Barrett.

“And we recognize that we

MLS# 1010022

Avianti

developing countries.

“This is a huge problem throughout the world, and the work that our foundation is doing and that Wolfson is doing to educate surgeons from other countries helps in a small way to meet that need,” said Aldana, who is co-medical director of the Stys Neuroscience Institute at Wolfson and a neurosurgeon at UF Health Jacksonville.

Avianti isn’t the only international neurosurgeon at Wolfson this year. Seven neurosurgeons from China, Brazil and Italy are or have been at Wolfson since March. The last doctor in that group will wrap up in January.

Those seven came to Wolfson through grants from their hospitals or paid their own way and are receiving similar training to Avianti’s.

“There’s an exchange of ideas with regard to the way diseases are managed in other countries,” Aldana said. “Also it helps with making other countries aware of the care that’s available for kids with neurosurgery problems at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.”

Dr. Philipp Aldana, founder of the Jacksonville-based Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, is using his organization and the medical expertise at Wolfson Children’s Hospital on the Downtown Southbank to increase accessibility to pediatric neurosurgery worldwide.

Last year, Dr. Astri Avianti, who received a grant from Aldana’s organization in 2012 to attend a conference in Singapore, contacted Aldana to see if she could observe pediatric neurosurgery procedures at Wolfson in Jacksonville.

Aldana helped her secure a grant through the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and in August she began her month at Wolfson.

She observed procedures, specifically neuroendoscopy, craniofacial surgery, that are not typically used in Indonesia.

She also learned techniques in treating hydrocephalus, brain tumors and strokes.

Aldana said starting next year his foundation would provide grants for two international neurosurgeons annually to study at Wolfson to further address the lack of access to specialized pediatric surgery in

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Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 9

BY SCOTT SAILER • STAFF WRITER

Here are the top 10 commercial real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.

The sales were recorded Sept. 30-Oct. 4.

File image

DUVAL

DUVAL

ST. JOHNS

DUVAL

CLAY

$40,000,000

$17,550,000

$16,715,686

$14,903,023

$13,950,000

1591 Lane Ave. S., Jacksonville

1251 Beacon Point Drive, Jacksonville

950 Florida Road 206 W., St. Augustine

8511 Touchton Road, Jacksonville

560 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park

Type: Camelot Gardens Apartments Size: 53.2 acres Buyer: Camelot Property Owner LLC and Camelot Property Owner 2 LLC Seller: Eagle Gardens of Jacksonville LLC Previous sale: $27,000,000 in 2016

Type: Palms at Beacon Pointe apartments Size: 11.83 acres Buyer: Beacon Pointe Investors LLC Seller: Beacon Pointe LLC Previous sale: $11,000,000 in 2016

Type: Pilot Flying J Size: 21.84 acres Buyer: Banner Newco LLC Seller: Spirit FJ SMF SPE LLC Previous sale: $9,700,000 in 2005

Type: Homewood Suites Deerwood Park Size: 3.34 acres Buyer: TWC Jacksonville LLC Seller: Generation Suites of Deerwood LLC Previous sale: $10,000,000 in 2015

Type: BJ’s Wholesale Club Size: 10.23 acres Buyer: Blanding Blvd BJS LLC Seller: North Miami Warehouse LLC Previous sale: $11,250,000 in 2002

ST. JOHNS

CLAY

DUVAL

DUVAL

ST. JOHNS

$3,726,187

$3,700,000

$2,937,264

$2,620,000

$2,450,000

5000 and 5402 Florida 16, St. Augustine

4486 and 4500 Trefoil Trail and Lazy Acres Road, Middleburg

Tamaya Boulevard, Jacksonville

7220, 7221, 7247, 7301, 7369 Round House Road, 10270 Hipps Road and Taylor Field Road, Jacksonville

1860 Old Moultrie Road, St. Augustine

Type: Undeveloped Parkway Village at St. Johns Size: 103.92 acres Buyer: WCC Jax Partners LLC Seller: World Commerce Center LLP

Type: Former Girl Scouts camp Size: 248 acres Buyer: North Fork Land Holdings LLC Seller: Girl Scouts of Gateway Council Inc. Previous sale: $1,600,000 in 2002

Type: 30 single-family lots in Bella Nika at Tamaya Phase 3 Size: Not available Buyer: HCC Tamaya Residential LLC Seller: Tamaya Loan Acquisition LLC

Type: Undeveloped residential subdivision Size: 17.83 acres Buyer: Lennar Homes LLC Seller: Emanuel Manusuthakis and The Round House Road Land Trust

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Top commercial sales of the week

Camelot Gardens Apartments sold for $40 million, a 48% increase over the $27 million the property sold for in 2016.

Type: Verizon Size: 1.3 acres Buyer: Balgot Realty Corp., Baldwin Gardens Inc. and Tenth Street Building Corp. of Erie Seller: Vereast 18 LLC Previous sale: $1,051,000 in 2012

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Page 10 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Track CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Drivers can buy a minimum of two 20-minute time slots on the track, which he estimates will cost $79.

The two time slots don’t have to be used on the same day. Three 20-minute time slots could cost $99, but the prices and durations for the time slots haven’t been determined.

The facility will have opentrack days, teen and adult driving courses, corporate team building, municipal driver training and motorcycle events, according to its website.

It won’t be a racetrack, May said. Course marshals and traffic monitors will keep cars spaced safely on the track.

“You’re competing against your best time, and maybe your buddy’s best time, but you’re not out there battling for a position on the track,” May said.

City Council voted 19-0 Tuesday to approve an $80,000 Northwest Jacksonville Business Infrastructure Grant to offset a portion of stormwater retention and drainage improvement costs for the project.

The goals of the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund, which provides the grant, are to create access to jobs for Northwest Jacksonville residents, encourage the creation of new businesses to serve the needs of the community, stimulate new investment in the area that adds to the tax base and encourage redevelopment of vacant space in the area.

Norcross CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

lot of growth and a lot of it’s generated in Jacksonville, Florida,” Norcross said.

The Fortune 500 company is “one of the key players in our local financial landscape,” Mayor Lenny Curry said as he introduced Norcross at the luncheon.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touting Jacksonville as a financial technology center, including the announcement in August that technology companies SoFi and SS&C Technologies are bringing 498 new jobs to the city.

“Fintech is a hot topic around the globe but it’s especially important in this region,” JAXUSA Partnership Chairman Ray Driver said.

In addition to being a large employer, Norcross said it’s important for FIS to be involved

May said he estimates the total project cost at $4.5 million. He submitted plans to the city Oct. 1.

Once approved and construction begins, May said it would take up to six months to complete the project.

The idea to build the road course came after May and his wife, Stacy, visited the BMW Performance Center Driving School in South Carolina.

“I just had wicked crazy fun doing it,” May said. He said it was one of the most “enjoyable experiences I think I’ve ever had as an adult.”

When they returned, May and his wife wanted to find a place where they could practice the skills they learned in South Carolina. The closest place to do so is at the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park in Starke.

“We couldn’t find any place locally that had the capabilities that we were looking for so we said ‘Well why don’t we build a place?’ We did some research, investigated land and it materialized,” May said.

Former NASCAR driver Tim Fedewa will work with Driver Performance Center to create performance driving programs and provide instruction.

May said several area auto groups are interested.

Among them, the Ponte Vedrabased All Florida Safety Institute driving school likely will buy a subscription to use the course for driver training and classes. The school also would offer advanced driver training.

Institute owner and President Mark Allen plans to build a driving school at the facility as well.

in community projects in the cities where it maintains “centers of excellence.”

It’s not just good for the community but it also helps the company attract and keep talent, he said.

“Your retention rates are really high because people love living in the community,” he said.

After the luncheon, Norcross would not say if FIS has any targets for employment at its Jacksonville headquarters.

“We’d love to continue to grow our employment base here,” he said.

Norcross also declined to comment when asked whether FIS is Project Sharp.

Project Sharp is the unidentified company that matches FIS. City Council approved its share of $29.9 million in city and state incentives for the deal Sept. 10.

The project is a $145 million, 300,000-square-foot headquarters at 323 Riverside Ave. Sharp

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Photo by Katie Garwood

Philip “Tiger” May said the idea for starting the road course came after he attended the BMW Performance Driving School in South Carolina.

The school offers drivers license training classes and education to drivers of all ages and skill levels.

It has 12 locations throughout Florida.

“When you’re trying to do driver training, your choices are limited to the real road that we drive on every day or mall parking lots, which are typically not the best or safest places to be,” Allen said.

“The opportunity to have a place that’s designed for closed course training learning is an absolute opportunity for us to be

Special to the Daily Record

JAX Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis interviews Fidelity National Information Services CEO Gary Norcross at the quarterly JAXUSA Partnership luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.

would create 500 jobs paying an average $85,000 a year by 2023.

As part of an incentives deal with the city and state, Sharp will retain its 1,219 Jacksonville employees, the number in the legislation documents.

The bulk of incentives will

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with $1,200 of that from the city.

A $3.5 million city closing grant upon completion of the project also is part of the agreement, but the investment from Sharp must be least $130 million.

City officials said Wednesday the development agreement between the state, city and Sharp has not been executed.

FIS is headquartered at 601 Riverside Ave. Norcross was expected to talk about the project. The JAXUSA notice of the luncheon said Norcross “will address the regional business community on the company’s recent Worldpay acquisition, the growth of the region’s fintech industry and other upcoming announcements.”

He did not address “other upcoming announcements.”

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come from a $23.4 million Recaptured Enhanced Value Grant from the city. The state has offered $2.4 million in a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund, while the city will give an additional $600,000.

The QTI is worth $6,000 per job,

found Scuba Tiger, a scuba diving business in Orange Park.

He sold the company and in 2013 opened On Target Sports in Orange Park, an indoor shooting range and firearms dealer.

“We want to be an active and positive participant in the community, and hopefully it will become a destination spot for Northeast Florida,” May said.

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able to advance students more and put them in the correct environment,” he said.

As a car enthusiast, Allen owns “a handful” of performance vehicles. He said he and others like him look forward to having a place to drive their vehicles.

“Jacksonville is a car enthusiast town,” Allen said. “Personally, I can tell you I’ll be renting a few of the track days myself. There’s no doubt.”

May worked as a banker for 12 years until 2001, when he left to

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 11

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Page 12 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

THE SAILER REPORT

Coe offers apartment market insights Northeast Florida apartment sales Based on the first half of 2019, sales could reach $1.35 billion this year. That’s up from 2018 but below the $1.6 billion in sales in 2017. Here is the list of recorded apartment community sales from January to Oct. 7 above $10 million.

Recording period Price

Apartment name at time of sale Acres Address Previous sale

SCOTT SAILER STAFF WRITER

Oct. 7-11

Sept. 30-Oct. 4 $40,000,000

Senior director of Multifamily Investment Services for Colliers International says low unemployment, people moving to region are driving investment.

Apartment demand in Jacksonville should remain strong, even if there is a recession, because people still will need a place to live, says Bradley Coe, senior director of Multifamily Investment Services for Colliers International.

Coe said Northeast Florida is having the strongest demand in 10 years because of 3% unemployment, job growth, people moving to the area, relative affordability and an environment friendly to business.

“All these fundamentals fuel growth and performance within the multifamily sector,” he said, referring to the 96% occupancy rate. The vacancy rate dropped over the past five years, from 7.7% in 2014 to 3.5% in Coe 2019.

Coe predicts the growth in apartment development over the past four years will continue.

Unlike other areas of the state, the Northeast Florida economy is not driven by tourism, Coe said.

He said apartment demand is being fueled by people moving to the area because of a balanced economy and job creation.

‘EPICENTER’ OF CITY

Coe said the St. Johns Town Center area is the “epicenter of Jacksonville” because of the abundance of jobs, entertainment, shopping, the University of North Florida, proximity to the Beaches and its site next to Interstate 295 and Butler Boulevard.

In the past four years, 70% of new apartments were built in the Town Center area, he said.

However, competition is slowing the leasing of new apartments there, leading to incentives for renters, Coe said.

“In the first two to three years, apartment units in the Town Center area were being absorbed, then additional units kept coming online, so they started competing, cannibalizing each other, offering concessions, free rent for a month,” he said.

Absorption is the time needed to fully lease an apartment community.

Colliers participated in nine new multifamily transactions outside of the Town Center

7528 Arlington Expressway

$17,000,000 in 2015

Camelot Gardens Apartments 53.2

1591 S. Lane Ave.

$27,000,000 in 2016

Sept. 30-Oct. 4 $17,550,000

Palms at Beacon Pointe

11.83

1251 Beacon Point Drive

Not available

Sept. 23-27

$14,100,000

Midtown Oaks

10.44

1706 Art Museum Drive

$5,240,000 in 2013

Sept. 23-27

$32,500,000

Florida Club at Deerwood

10.57

4813 Florida Club Circle

$11,000,000 in 2016

Sept. 16-20

$42,650,000

Park Avenue Apartments

28.33

8745 Palm Breeze Road

Not available

Sept. 9-13

$63,500,000

The Park at Anzio

36.53

4083 Sunbeam Road

$36,000,000 in 2016

Sept. 9-13

$57,750,000

Century Bartram Park

19.65

13525 Bartram Park Blvd.

$38,000,000 in 2013

Sept. 9-13

$42,623,000

Pointe Parc at St. Johns

25.78

7524 Southside Blvd.

$29,360,000 in 2016

Sept. 9-13 $20,700,000

The Woods at Filmore (37.16% interest)

13.39

622 Filmore St., Orange Park $7,692,400 in 2019

Sept. 9-13

$16,000,000

Pinebrook Apartments

11.22

7500 Powers Ave.

$10,200,000 in 2016

Aug. 23-30

$18,570,000

Pine Meadows Apartments

14.8

3451 Saland Way

Not available

Aug. 23-30

$15,271,717

Townsend Apartments

10.74

3450 Townsend Blvd.

$12,750,000 in 2016

Aug. 23-30

$13,803,282

Townsend Apartments

11.74

3501 Townsend Blvd.

$11,850,000 in 2017

Aug. 12-16

$34,616,850

Landings at Lake Gray

18.75

6500 Lake Gray Blvd.

$30,900,000 in 2017

July 29-Aug. 2 $19,000,000

Grande Pointe Apartments

11.51

5800 University Blvd. W.

$3,600,000 in 2009

July 15-19

$22,250,000

Deerfield Apartments

25.36

1171 Lane Ave. S. and Lenox Ave. $10,650,000 in 2013

June 24-28

$13,285,000

Baymeadows Apartments

10.13

9801 Old Baymeadows Road $3,915,000 in 2012

June 17-21

$63,400,000

Steele Creek Apartments

14.72

8599 AC Skinner Parkway

Not available

June 17-21

$55,000,000

Mezza Apartments

31.05

11701 Palm Lake Drive

$33,400,000 in 2011

June 17-21 $35,150,000 Mission Springs Apartments 33.41

5121 Catoma St. and 5327 Timuquana Road

$26,300,000 in 2017

May 13-17

$55,600,000

St. John’s Forest Apartments

7925 Merrill Road

$37,925,000 in 2016

May 13-17

$25,600,000

River City Landing Apartments 24.01

2681 University Blvd. N.

$6,605,000 in 1996

April 15-19

$48,500,000

Lost Lake Apartments

17.43

8681 AC Skinner Parkway

Not available

March 25-29

$11,250,000

Seaside Apartments

6.3

1085 Atlantic Blvd.

$2,600,000 in 2012

March 18-22

$36,000,000

Avesta Mandarin Apartments

20.58

3200 Hartley Road

$15,800,000 in 2014

March 11-15

$12,600,000

Atlantica Apartments

6.5

2760 Mayport Road

$7,800,000 in 2016

Feb. 25-March 1 $12,070,000

Avesta San Jose Apartments

8.7

3534 Smithfield St.

$3,425,000 in 2012

Feb. 11-15

$11,230,000

Creekwood Apartment Homes 11.67

8343 Hogan Road

$8,375,000 in 2014

Feb. 4-8

$15,300,000

The Oaks at San Jose

12.69

5634 and 5635 Auburn Road $8,568,600 in 2009

Jan. 14-18

$54,000,000

Integra River Run Apartments

18.11

14050 Integra Drive

$24,700,000

City Ridge Apartments

14.44

40.06

Not available

Total: $944,569,849

area in the past four years and none struggled with absorption, Coe said.

The Point at Tamaya apartments, at Kernan and Beach boulevards, was renting 40 units a month during initial leasing, when the norm is 20 to 24 units a month.

Leasing near Town Center is eight to 12 units per month, taking longer to reach a stabilization occupancy of 93%.

Nearly 4,100 units are in the pipeline near Town Center with another 4,100 units in the rest of Northeast Florida.

STRONG DEMAND

Apartment demand is robust. Nearly 50% of people coming to Northeast Florida are renters by choice, Coe said.

Millennial renters don’t want to deal with homeownership, he said. “Why not rent a condominium-quality apartment, and avoid HOA fees and obligations tied to future assessments?” he said, referring to homeowner associations in single-family communities.

The new residents also will

increase demand for older apartment communities. Class A apartments are 3 to 10 years old. Class B apartments are 10 to 20 years old and Class C are older than 20 years.

Most of the new Class A communities feature amenities like resort-style pools, fitness centers, athletic areas, dry cleaning, business centers, coffee bars and dog parks so landlords can attract high-end tenants.

Class B and C apartments, which rent for less than Class A units, represent about 88% of the units in the metro area, Coe said.

Class C properties, which account for 71% of the units, perform the best, he said.

About 90% of older apartment communities perform some level of annual rehabilitation, with improvements ranging from $4,000 to $7,500 per unit.

Work can include interior and exterior rehabilitation, roofs, landscaping, cabinets, flooring, countertops, appliances, lighting and painting.

Spending on improvements is based on attainable rental rates.

RENTS ON THE RISE

Apartment demand leading to increasing rental rates, up 2.8% over the past year, is attracting investors to the Jacksonville market, Coe said.

In the past few years, many investors came to the market looking for the “value add” play, Coe said.

Those investors acquire properties, upgrade about a quarter of the units, and make exterior base improvements.

After renting those units at higher rates, the investors then put the property up for sale.

Buyers see the potential for the property because of the higher rents and that the initial risk has been tested to create value.

That process used to take three to five years, but now happens in two to three years, Coe said.

He said 2016 was the first year that Northeast Florida exceeded $1 billion in sales,

reaching $1.1 billion.

It reached $1.6 billion in 2017, then dropped in 2018 to $1.3 billion.

Sales in the first six months of 2019 were $675 million, which annualizes to $1.35 billion.

Coe expects apartment development, property rehabilitation and property sales to remain strong as rent growth continues.

He said the challenge for the multifamily sector is finding buildable sites.

Investors like the multifamily sector because it “weathers recession better than any other investment class,” Coe said.

It provides people a place to live and develops quicker than other sectors.

“In the last five years, multifamily has been healthy and was months ahead of other sectors like retail, office and light industrial coming out of the recession,” he said.

SSAILER@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 13

BY SCOTT SAILER • STAFF WRITER

Here are the top 10 single-family residential real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded Sept. 30-Oct 4.

ST. JOHNS

$1,450,000

$1,150,000

2650 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach

8039 Whisper Lake Lane W., Ponte Vedra Beach

Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.19 acres House size: 3,273 square feet Buyer: Benjamin P. Frisch Declaration of Living Trust Seller: Channelside of Jax LLC Previous sale: $1,100,000 in 2018

Type: Single-family Lot size: 1.06 acres House size: 3,822 square feet Buyer: Elizabeth A. Conway Seller: Albert E. and Patricia A. Stevens Previous sale: $487,500 in 1991 CLAY

$1,090,000

DUVAL

$1,185,000 DUVAL

5269 Commissioners Drive, Jacksonville

$2,500,000 4134 W. Alhambra Drive, Jacksonville Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.94 acres House size: 6,992 square feet Buyer: Deborah L. and Peter J. Gunnlaugsson Seller: Saumil, Neetal, Rajshekhar D. and Meera R. Oza

Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.6 acres House size: 4,415 square feet Buyer: Sadia Z. Shah Seller: Sayed Ahmed and Bushra Akhter

About the property: Georgian-style home along the St. Johns River features fivebedrooms, five full baths and two half-baths, brick over insulated concrete, hardwood and tile floors, two staircases and an elevator.

DUVAL

DUVAL

ST. JOHNS

$1,712,500

$1,650,000

$1,450,000

3540 Sunnyside Drive, Jacksonville

6628 N. Epping Forest Way, Jacksonville

150 Muirfield Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach

Type: Single-family Lot size: 1.13 acres House size: 2,835 square feet Buyer: Dia Dilis LLC Seller: Mary B. Burt Revocable Living Trust Previous sale: $296,000 in 1983

Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.28 acres House size: 6,189 square feet Buyer: Andrew J. Vogelsang and Connie N. Bertram Seller: Hugues P. and Caterina F. Caron

Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.54 acres House size: 4,364 square feet Buyer: Eric J. and Lauren L. Inman Seller: Peter J. and Mary L. VanSistine

6093 West Shores Road, Fleming Island Type: Single-family Lot size: 1.26 acres House size: 5.759 square feet Buyer: Bradley Shumaker and Domenica Marcantonio Seller: Cheryl L. Michaels and Cheryl L. Michaels Revocable Trust Previous sale: $950,000 in 2008

ST. JOHNS

ST. JOHNS

$1,182,000

$858,000

140 S. Serenata Drive, No. 133, Ponte Vedra Beach

8 Sea Winds Lane E., Ponte Vedra Beach

Type: Ocean Villas at Serenata Beach Condominium Condominium size: 2,500 square feet Buyer: Neil B. Spradley Seller: Douglas S. and Holly A. Elliott Previous sale: $1,120,000 in 2018

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

Top 10 home sales of week

DUVAL

Type: Single-family Lot size: 0.41 acres House size: 3,368 square feet Buyer: Robert E. and Silvana O. Wall Seller: Thomas J. Fraser and Gretchen K. Bielmyer-Fraser Previous sale: $730,000 in 2014

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Page 14 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

THE MARBUT REPORT

Lawyers wearing pink, making strides

MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Their efforts will benefit the American Cancer Society.

Jacksonville’s legal community is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by helping to lead the “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Money raised from the events will be donated to the society for early detection and prevention and to provide for breast cancer research and patient support.

Seven attorneys are among the 37 executives and professionals participating in the “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign with the goal to collect at least $2,500 each and exceed last year’s record $140,000 in donations.

Four of the attorneys are with Coker Law: founding partner Howard Coker, partner Dan Iracki, Fraz Ahmed and Joel Harris.

Joining the Coker Law team in the campaign are attorneys: n Chris Campione, senior partner of Campione Law n Kristopher Kowicki, Law Office of Nooney & Roberts n William Walker, Phillips & Hunt The 2019 event committee alumni chair is attorney John Phillips, who was the No. 1 fundraiser in the 2017 campaign.

Visit https://bit.ly/2LXBKhj to view the standings and to donate.

The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association is assembling a team for the Making Strides Jacksonville presented by the Florida Blue breast cancer walk Oct. 19 at TIAA Bank Field.

Check-in opens at 7 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m. The

Photo by Max Marbut

From left, Howard Coker, Dan Iracki, Fraz Ahmed and Joel Harris, the Coker Law “Real Men Wear Pink” team.

3-mile walk starts and ends at the stadium.

Each member of Team JWLA will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Visit the Events page at jwla.org to register.

Hogan recognized by the Florida Justice Association

The Florida Justice Association presented Wayne Hogan, president of the Terrell Hogan law firm in Jacksonville, with the S. Victor Tipton Award for excellence in legal writing Sept. 26 during the Masters of Justice Conference in Orlando.

Hogan is one of nine Florida trial attorneys who represented the state against the tobacco industry in the 1990s, resulting in a $17 billion settlement for Florida taxpayers and protections for children from addiction to cigarettes.

He has served for 20 years on The Florida Bar’s Civil Procedures Rules and Codes & Rules of Evidence committees.

Created 30 years ago, the award honors S. Victor Tipton,

founder and editor of the Florida Justice Journal. It recognizes attorneys whose achievement in legal writing and commitment to the legal profession honor the role Tipton played within the association.

Law firms establish an ‘of counsel’ relationship Bachara Construction Law Group and the Balch & Bingham law firm established an “of counsel” relationship.

Both firms have offices Downtown in the Wells Fargo Center.

“The team at Bachara Construction Law Group shares our commitment to delivering outstanding client service and tailored solutions to advance our clients’ objectives,” said Geremy Gregory, managing partner of Balch’s Jacksonville office, in a joint news release.

“We are delighted to work alongside our colleagues at Balch and to serve as a resource for their clients. And we’re pleased to be able to offer our

Special to the Daily Record

Florida Justice Association Executive Director Paul Jess, left, and attorney Wayne Hogan, recipient of the association’s S. Victor Tipton Award.

clients the skill and experience of known and trusted attorneys in areas outside our core practice. It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” Bachara said.

McGuire joins the RezLaw firm Kate McGuire joined the RezLegal law firm in Ponte Vedra Beach as an associate attorney.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina and the University of Georgia School of Law, McGuire focuses her McGuire practice on general business law including corporate formation and restructuring, drafting purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, shareholder agreements and bylaws.

Small firm team forming for Freed to Run marathon

Attorney Mike Duncan of Duncan Trial & Mediation is calling on peers to join him on a solo and small firm relay team that will participate in one of the six Freed to Run marathons benefiting Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership.

Freed to Run is scheduled Dec. 15-20, starting on the steps of the state Supreme Court in Tallahassee and finishing six days later on the lawn at the Duval County Courthouse. Each daily segment will begin and end at a county courthouse along the route.

Duncan plans to have the solo and small firm relay team run Dec. 19, beginning at the Columbia County Courthouse in Lake City.

A shuttle bus provided by Elite Parking Services will shuttle teams from Jacksonville to the start of each day’s marathon, pick up and drop

off the relay runners along the route and bring them home at the end of the day.

Established by Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart shareholder Mike Freed, Freed to Run is helping JALA raise $1 million, which will be matched at $1.25 million

by Baptist Health to endow the medical legal partnership.

It makes it possible for pediatric patients and their families in Northeast Florida to receive civil legal help with issues from access to health benefits to housing and special education.

If you are interested in participating in the solo and small firm relay team, email mikeduncan@mikeduncanlaw.com or call (904) 655-2475.

Cunningham

Sammons

Law firm adds shareholders Attorneys Megan Cunningham, Beth Sammons and BeJae Shelton have become shareholders with the Finnell, McGuiness, Nezami & Andux law firm.

They are graduates of Florida Coastal School of Law. Cunningham was Shelton admitted to The Florida Bar in 2014, Sammons was admitted in 2007 and Shelton was admitted in 2012.

The firm practices criminal defense law and will continue under the name Finnell, McGuinness, Nezami & Andux P.A. MMARBUT@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Thursday, October 10, 2019 • Page 15

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MICHELLE SWEATLAND

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BY MAX MARBUT • ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Michelle Sweatland is president of the Clay County Bar Association.

What inspired you to become a lawyer?

I always wanted a profession that allows me to learn and grow while maintaining a certain degree of professional autonomy.

What do you think will be the next biggest change in your area of law?

I think alimony will probably be the next big area of change with a move away from permanent alimony.

How does your undergraduate degree relate to your practice of law?

My undergraduate degree in psychology relates to almost every aspect of family and adoption law from the initial consultation to mediation to strategy at trial. Each person brings their own strengths and weaknesses to a case and my degree helps sort through those factors.

If I could change anything in the legal system …

I would like to see more pathways to private adoption where incentives are put in place for birth mothers to choose adoption. One example might be providing birth mothers with stipends for education in addition to the allowed birth mother medical and living expenses.

I would also like to see cases move through the system quicker. Many times, urgent parenting issues just cannot be addressed timely.

How did you decide your practice area?

I really enjoy family law and have found a balance to the practice. I balance the dissolution/paternity actions by including adoption as part of my practice. With adoption, the parties are more likely working together for a remarkable outcome for a child.

What has been the biggest change in your practice area since you passed the Bar? Timesharing for the father has changed and continues to change and expand in paternity and dissolution actions.

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I help out in the local legal community by volunteering with the Low Bono Program in Clay County. This program allows for low cost consultations in family law.

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What’s your advice for new lawyers?

Confidence comes from doing. Always, always, always do your research.

MICHELLE SWEATLAND President, Michelle L. Sweatland PA

Education: Bachelor’s in psychology from Jacksonville University, J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law Hometown: Green Cove Springs Family: I have been married to my husband, Tod, for 28 years. We have a daughter, Hannah, who is a senior at the University of Florida majoring in mechanical engineering.

People who inspire me: Birth mothers choosing adoption.

Favorite book: Any true crime drama What I’m reading now: The Mueller Report Website I can’t live without: Google Maps Favorite nonwork activities: Anything outdoors and travel

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Page 16 • Thursday, October 10, 2019

Jacksonville Daily Record/Jacksonville Record & Observer

Giving Thanks,

Giving Back

DRI V E

C Committed to Building Community Character A Active in our Community R Responsible to our Community E Enhancing our Community Copyright © 2019 David Weekley Homes - All Rights Reserved. CBD1257289 Weekley Homes, LLC. Jacksonville, FL (JACA111826)