Daily Record Financial News &
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 132 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
World Cup qualifying match set for fall Council will set aside $100,000 for soccer
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Faithbridge Church was millions of dollars in debt and faced foreclosure, but was helped by Sleiman Enterprises.
CHURCH SAVED BY FAITH AND CHARITY
$500,000 gift from Sleimans helps loan
By Marilyn Young, Editor
Special to the Daily Record
When the Duval County Tourist Development Council met in February, a request was made to transfer $250,000 from the council’s reserve fund into an account to be used for major events not yet scheduled, but anticipated to be coming to Jacksonville this year. With a City Council committee considering legislation this week (Ordinance 2016-298) to authorize the transfer, the tourism council will hear a request Thursday to earmark $100,000 for the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team versus Trinidad and Tobago, a World Cup qualifying match scheduled Sept. 6 at EverBank Field. Jacksonville hosted in June 2014 a soccer match between the U.S. and Nigeria that drew more than 52,000 fans, many from outside the region, with an estimated economic impact of nearly $2 million. Katie Mitura, Visit Jacksonville vice president of marketing and communications, said after grants for several conventions were awarded at the February meeting, only about $100,000 remained in the grant fund account. Mitura With six months left in the fiscal year and funding yet to be requested for events on the calendar, Mitura said the $250,000 transfer will allow Visit Jacksonville, the tourist and convention bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches, to continue to recruit conventions and events. “It will get us through the rest of the year,” she said. In addition to a $20,000 grant for the May 25-29 Jacksonville Jazz Festival and a $20,000 grant for the P1 Powerboat Grand Prix June 4-6, the council in February encumbered $40,000 in smaller grants for seven groups that have booked conventions in Jacksonville through January 2018. Also at the February meeting, Sports and Entertainment Officer Dave Herrell said the city will request, probably at the tourism council’s August meeting, a grant to expand marketing efforts for the Sea and Sky Spectacular air show Nov. 5-6 at
Photo by David Chapman
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Sleiman Enterprises gave $500,000 to Faithbridge Church to help toward the down payment on a new loan so the church could stay at its home. From left are, Janie and Eli Sleiman, the Rev. Paul White, Bonnie and Toney Sleiman, and Jonathan Heldenbrand, chief investment officer for Sleiman Enterprises, who also donated $1,000.
Paul White was surrounded by about 20 children living in what once was a Haitian refugee camp. Five years after a 2010 earthquake devastated their country, they still had so little. Only two raised their hand when White asked one night in December 2014 how many attended school. And just five had eaten that day. The senior pastor at Faithbridge Church was heartbroken. The Jacksonville church had set up a ministry there years before to help people who had been dumped at the camp 5 miles outside of Port Au Prince. Despite battling multimillion-dollar financial problems for years, Faithbridge remained dedicated to ministering to people at home and around the world. That night, reality set in for White. The church’s 33-acre property on McCormick Road was for sale. A foreclosure would likely be filed if no buyer was found. Either way, a new owner could force Faithbridge to move. Then what would happen to the Southern Baptist church and its ability to help those in need? CHURCH CONTINUED ON PAGE A-4
Project Rex center could be 2.4 million square feet By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor Could the potential Amazon. com Inc. fulfillment center on 180 acres in North Jacksonville contain almost 2.4 million square feet of space? According to a city Mobility Fee Calculation Certificate, yes. The center’s footprint is 855,000 square feet. However, the larger size for the total enclosed space indicates the structure is several stories high.
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The project is expected to be heavily automated with state-ofthe art robotics and equipment, which could account for the height of the structure. Racking systems often are stacked to accommodate the most goods possible and robotics are installed to retrieve the items. The city Concurrency and Mobility Management System Office signed a certificate in late April that calculates the fee at $947,397 for development of “Project Duval,” which fits
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the details of the City Councilapproved Project Rex, widely believed to be Amazon.com. The mobility fee is the cost for a new development based upon the link between land development and transportation. It takes into account the mix of uses at the property and other factors that affect the amount of traffic the project is expected to generate. Details about the project are widely known by now, although the company has yet to reveal its plans for Jacksonville and
city and development officials haven’t confirmed the project. Public records already provide a good look at the project: The site is under contract north of Interstate 295 at 12900 Pecan Park Road, at Duval Road. The location is near Jacksonville International Airport. Seefried Industrial Properties Inc. of Atlanta is the developer. Seefried has developed other two Amazon.com centers that each total 1 million square feet in size. The property, among several
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parcels, would be sold by Steve Leggett, through Broward Signature LLP, and by CRM Florida Properties LLC of Atlanta. Seefried Chief Development Officer Jim Condon said previously that he could not comment “if we are or are not involved in the referenced project.” Tetra Tech Inc. in Jacksonville is the agent’s engineer. Tetra Tech Senior Project Manager Gregory Kern said previously he was under a confidentiality agreement REX CONTINUED ON PAGE A-4
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