Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 087 • oNe SectioN
35¢
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200 jobs and $5M Westside investment
Application describes Amazon-type center Photo by Caren Burmeister
By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor
Davidson Realty’s Mirtha Barzaga said a lot of her business today comes from customers she helped when she handled short sales and distressed properties a decade ago. She received the agency’s triple crown of awards –– top seller, listing agent and producer –– in 2016.
Bad time was good timing
Barzaga entered real estate just as market was beginning to collapse
Mirtha Barzaga got into real estate at the worst possible time. It was 2006, the peak of a real estate market bubble that was about to collapse. As the recession deepened and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, they could no longer afford their expensive homes, often purchased with interest-only loans. By the end of 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index — a national index sponsored by Standard & Poor’s — reported the largest price drop in its history. Foreclosures would soon hit an all-time high. “My friends would say to me, ‘Are you nuts?’” said Barzaga, a Realtor with Davidson Realty at World Golf Village. “But I knew I needed time to learn the business and the region and to develop customers.” In her first year, Barzaga saw a need to specialize in short sales and distressed properties, and became certified in those areas. A decade later, her decision is still paying off. “A lot of the business I do today is based on referrals from those people,” she said. “That was the best time for me to have started this business. It was worth every bit of aggravation I went through.” By 2013, when short sales had nearly come to an end, “business was flowing,” Barzaga said. That year, she set a goal to sell $15 million in real estate. She bettered it by $500,000 and received three Davidson Realty awards. Last year, Barzaga was named the company’s top sales agent, top producer and top listing agent with more than $15 million in sales and over $13 million closed. BARZAGA CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
Barzaga, center, with customers T.N. and Leslie Scolfield, at her fifth annual customer appreciation party at the Legends Grille in World Golf Village. More than 100 people attended the 1920s-themed party.
Special to the Daily Record
By Caren Burmeister, Contributing Writer
Whichever company leases 4948 Bulls Bay Highway in Westside Industrial Park is expected to create more than 200 jobs and represent a capital investment topping $5 million. Those employment and investment numbers are included in a zoning application submitted last week by Peter Anderson, vice president of Pattillo Industrial Real Estate. The building, on 14.87 acres, is owned by a company related to Pattillo. Anderson applied to the city for an administrative deviation to increase the maximum number of off-street parking spaces from 184 to 370. “The need for the proposed deviation arises out of the desire to encourage the creation of more than 200 new jobs and capital investment in excess of $5,000,000,” says the application. Anderson said Tuesday he had no comment. The application says the additional parking will accommodate employees and eliminate the need for off-site parking in public right-of way. The 237,318-square-foot building fits the target size for an Amazon.com sortation center, which emerged as a possibility after an executive of the e-commerce retailer sought a meeting with city building officials to talk about permitting an existing building. The meeting was canceled and will be rescheduled, according to city emails in late February. A city spokeswoman said Tuesday no meeting has been scheduled. The facility was described to be mostly automated and would need electrical, HVAC, conveyor, automation and racking systems. The location and type of center was not included. Based on Amazon’s current development of two large fulfillment centers and a 63,000-square-foot delivery station under development in Jacksonville, an additional facility could be a sortation center. WESTSIDE
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Hemming Park historic designation bill withdrawn Council also honors Glover for service and taste in cheese grits
By Max Marbut, Staff Writer
Compared to the past several City Council meetings, Tuesday’s made for a kinder and gentler evening. It was more about praise than protest and yeas outnumbered nays even with the expected withdrawal of an ordinance that caused a lengthy public hearing Feb. 28 about whether to designate Hemming Park a historic landmark. Concerns over some people being offended by the monument to Confederate soldiers and
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whether the historic designation might prevent relocation of the Confederate statue in the park led to council calling time-out on the issue that President Lori Boyer said “turned into a can of worms.” One of the supporters of the ordinance who spoke at the public hearing was back in front of council Tuesday during public comment to reaffirm his viewpoint. Yulee resident Seber Newsome said Jacksonville needs to preserve its history — even its history during the Civil War — and
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predicted council would only create more controversy if moving the monument is even considered. “You better not think about moving it,” Newsome said. “You’ll see a protest like you’ve never seen before.” The meeting began with a nearly hour-long tribute to Edward Waters College President Nathaniel Glover, who was recognized by resolution for his decades of service to Jacksonville. Council members lined up to thank Glover for his leadership, mentorship and friendship. Vice
President John Crescimbeni said Glover had broadened his culinary horizons. He recounted a meeting at an Arlington restaurant when Glover, who was sheriff at the time, suggested Crescimbeni might try the cheese grits. A native of Connecticut, Crescimbeni said he wasn’t a fan of the Southern dish, but Glover insisted and, decked out in his uniform with stars on the shoulders and a gun on his hip, said sternly, “Council member, try the grits.” COUNCIL CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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