Daily Record Financial News &
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 073 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Bennett shares his classics at Times-Union Center
Legendary crooner Tony Bennett performed with his orchestra at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night. The 90-year-old sang a selection of his hits, including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “I’ve Got Rhythm.” His daughter, Antonia Bennett, below right, opened the show.
Photos by Fran Ruchalski
Insetta bringing Bellwether Downtown
Restaurateur Jonathan Insetta’s newest venture Downtown will be called Bellwether and should open by early April. Work is taking place behind the walls on the street level at 100 North Laura, the 10-story building at Laura and Forsyth streets. Insetta’s group — which also owns Orsay, Black Sheep Restaurant and BLK SHP at Intuition — says on the bellwetherjax.com website, “This casual yet sophisticated restaurant will offer an eclectic mix of timeless fare for lunch and dinner.” It will feature outdoor dining, a full bar and private dining options. Bellwether will open in the former Midtown Deli space, which is undergoing significant renovations. Insetta is president Insetta of Black Sheep Restaurant Group Inc. Orsay is in Avondale, Black Sheep is in Five Points and BLK SHP operates in Intuition Ale Works near the sports complex. He said Wednesday that a bellwether is the leader of a herd of sheep. “And we really liked the idea behind it and the way it looked in print, as well,” he said. Insetta said the menu will be similar to Black Sheep’s, with the addition of dinner MATHIS
Florida Theatre work $150,000 over budget
Regulations and workforce top issues
Public
legal NoticeS begiN oN Page
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By Clifford Davis Contributing Writer
McDaniel Contractors restored the historic terracotta facade and some of the brick work from the bottom to the top of the 90-yearold Florida Theatre building.
File photos
When restoring and preserving an historic building, don’t be surprised if the project turns out to be more involved and costly than first expected. That’s the case with the Florida Theatre facade improvements project that was finished in January. Originally budgeted at $334,000, a bill is moving through City Council committees to appropriate an additional $150,000 for work that included cleaning and restoring the exterior terracotta, caulking and grouting, as well as replacing some of the architectural elements on the seven-story, 90-year-old building, which is owned by the city and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Council approved the project in May 2015, along with a $75,000 grant from the Capital Improvement Program. The state Division of Historical Resources contributed a $150,000 grant, $50,000 was drawn from the Downtown Historic Preservation and Revitalization Fund and the Downtown Investment Authority voted to contribute up to $75,000 from its economic development fund. The appropriation currently being considered would come from the city’s Facilities Capital Maintenance account. “There were no surprises with patching, repairing and restoring the terracotta,” said Mitchell McDaniel, president of McDaniel Contractors, which handled the project. THEATER CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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Realtors, builder groups have session agendas
Leaks discovered, bricks replaced
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
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Though the Florida Legislature’s session doesn’t begin until March 7, Realtors and homebuilder associations are busy laying the foundation for the agendas they’ll promote. The chief concerns in the state’s real estate and construction industries focus on taxes, workforce and regulations. “Workers’ Comp. Workers’ Comp. Workers’ Comp,” said Douglas Buck, the director of governmental affairs for the Florida Home Builders Association. “Any insurance rate increases are a real, direct cost to everyone.” Since 2003, the construction industry has seen its workers’ compensation rates trend downward after the Legislature passed a bill to base lawyer fees in cases
PubliShed
for
27,134
on the amount of the defendant’s award. But that changed after an April ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that awarded attorneys an hourly rate for their work. The state assigns individual workers’ compensation rates to more than 600 professions. Construction workers consistently fall among the most expensive for employers to Beukenkamp cover, just under steelworkers and some agricultural jobs. Now, the FHBA is looking to change the law. Workforce development has been a major push for builders in the state the past few years and SESSION CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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