Humana is leaving its Downtown SunTrust Tower offices in August for two Southside locations. More than 120 employees will make the move.
The health insurer now leases about 35,000 square feet in the 23-story tower at 76 S. Laura St. on the Northbank.
Its North Florida regional executive and market offices will move at the beginning of August to the Prominence office park in Baymeadows, said spokesman Mitch Lubitz.
He said more than 80 employees in leadership, administrative and network positions will move to Prominence, where Humana will lease about 13,500 square feet of space.
By mid-August, the company will move about 40 Humana and CarePlus Health Plans sales agents and customer service staff to the new Humana MarketPoint in Mandarin.
The 5,500-square-foot sales and service retail center will open in the Merchants Walk shopping center at 9965 San Jose Blvd. A formal grand opening is expected in September.
That move is part of Humana’s strategy to put its sales and service workforce in retail settings closer to members.
Lubitz said many of Humana’s Northeast Florida associates telecommute from home, so the company doesn’t need as much office space.
As Humana makes its moves, a $37 billion merger is pending with Aetna Inc. Lubitz said operations continue business as usual.
Aetna has received most of the state approvals it needs, although many major financial news outlets have been reporting the U.S. Justice Department is raising antitrust concerns about lessening competition in the health insurance market. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved the deal in February.
For its part, Aetna also is leaving Downtown.
The company is moving 800 employees from the Southbank to the Gramercy Woods office park in Southside.
The insurer said it would move starting in mid-2017 from the 22-story Aetna Building at 841 Prudential Drive. The move will be completed by August 2017.
CubeSmart plans Southside project
CubeSmart, with eight Jacksonville locations already, intends to build a self-storage project at 3211 San Pablo Road S.
Davis Construction and Development will build the $4 million, four-story, almost 107,000-square-foot project on property east of San Pablo Road, north of Beach Boulevard.
Plans were prepared for Self Storage Associates Inc., based in Orlando. Taylor & White Inc. is the project engineer.
Wicked Barley to open July 16
Wicked Barley Brewing Co. scheduled its grand opening for 11 a.m. July 16.
The restaurant, tap room, covered patio, waterfront beer garden and dock is at 4100 Baymeadows Road along Goodby’s Creek. Customers arriving by water can use the dock.
Wicked Barley said 20 local and regional draft brews will be on draft as it waits for completion of its brewing license.
Retail updates
• Drybar will open at Brooklyn Station on Riverside, next to The Hyppo, at 108 Riverside Ave. Build-out is pending for a $128,000 project to renovate 1,321 square feet of space. Drybar offers hair washes and blowouts — no cuts or color. Menu items carry the names of drinks, such as The Manhattan and The Mai Tai.
• Family Dollar will build a store in West Jacksonville at 5466 Collins Road. HJB Construction Inc. is the contractor for the proposed $550,000 project to build a store of 8,320 square feet.
• Burger King is remodeling in Regency at 250 Monument Road. A permit application shows a $100,000 project for upgrades to the exterior, dining room and restrooms.
• Roytile is the third tenant surfacing at International Décor Outlet’s space in the west wing of Regency Square Mall. Build-out is pending for Roytile as well as the previously reported Lumen L.E.D. store. Meanwhile, the city OK’d the permit to build out Captain’s Catch Seafood Restaurant and Sports Bar in the former Houlihan’s restaurant. The mall is at 9501 Arlington Expressway.
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