The year started off with a bang — literally — with the implosion of the old City Hall Downtown. The year is wrapping up with more demolition as The Jacksonville Landing is flattened. While old buildings fell, new projects are rising, including a headquarters for Fidelity National Information Services Inc. in Brooklyn. Here’s a look at the year’s top stories from the staff of the Jacksonville Daily Record and Record & Observer:
The Trails in Southwest Jacksonville
Rural Southwest Jacksonville residents prevailed after community meetings and social media pressure swayed landowners of the 1,915-acre development known as The Trails to withdraw and redraw development plans.
Developers sought a large-scale land-use amendment that would allow the mostly agricultural area to have up to 5,000 single-family homes and 225,100 square feet of commercial use.
Developers are expected to request a land-use amendment for rural residential, which will require larger lots and less density.
Apartment construction booms, sales net record prices
Continued population and job growth and a low unemployment rate supported demand for apartment construction as well as investor interest in buying the projects.
Apartment occupancy and rental rates remained strong over the year, attracting new investors to the market.
This year is the fourth consecutive year when multifamily transaction volume exceeded $1 billion.
The $67.57 million sale Dec. 19 of the 306-unit Ravella at Town Center set a record per-unit market price of $220,833.
Nearly 50% of people moving to Northeast Florida are renters by choice, said Bradley Coe with Colliers International.
Investors bought existing properties to make “value add” improvements to some units and property exteriors.
After raising rental rates on upgraded units, buyers sold to new investors.
Developers turn to infill
Developers saw the benefits of residential and commercial infill projects throughout Jacksonville, including Downtown, Arlington, North Jacksonville and Westside.
Examples are restaurants, self-storage centers, apartments and housing.
Developers learned the challenges of infill as neighboring property owners voiced fears of traffic congestion, pollution, flooding, tree and wetland destruction and impacts to schools and other public facilities.
Developers also learned that converting vacant, under-used and abandoned buildings and empty lots can make use of existing infrastructure and generate jobs and housing.
They found the key was working with regulatory agencies and considering neighborhood concerns.
New FIS headquarters announced for Brooklyn
Fidelity National Information Services Inc. paid more than $43 million for Worldpay Inc. in July.
To accommodate the deal, Jacksonville-based FIS announced plans Nov. 1 to build a $145 million, 12-story, 300,000-square-foot world headquarters and parking structure at 323 Riverside Ave., near its current base, and create 500 jobs.
As part of a $29.9 million incentives deal with the city and state, FIS will retain its 1,216 Jacksonville employees. Its three Jacksonville facilities will be consolidated into the new headquarters, expected to be completed in June 2022.
VyStar Credit Union boosts visibility
Jacksonville-based VyStar Credit Union transformed a Downtown block by renovating, renaming and occupying the 23-floor 76 S. Laura St. VyStar Tower it bought in July 2018.
This year, it began rehabbing the adjacent seven-story 100 W. Bay St. building it acquired in February.
VyStar intends to move up to 1,000 employees Downtown, where it also bought a parking garage and is negotiating to buy property for another.
VyStar intends to add a first-floor restaurant and a rooftop venue at West Bay Street and program amenities in the alley.
It also agreed this year to sponsor the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Supermarkets make moves
Supermarkets expanded throughout the area.
Earth Fare, Lucky's Market, Sprouts Farmers Market and Aldi added stores. Whole Foods is building at Jacksonville Beach.
Rowe’s Supermarkets began work in Deerwood and Northwest Jacksonville, while Winn-Dixie negotiated incentives to take the space that Publix will vacate in Gateway Town Center by year-end.
Publix Super Markets Inc. will open two organic GreenWise Markets in St. Johns County; is renovating several Publix stores; and announced its East San Marco store.
Jacksonville-based Native Sun Natural Foods Market was a casualty, closing its three stores in August after 23 years in business.
Landmark buildings Downtown demolished
Demolition of The Jacksonville Landing and the former City Hall and Duval County Courthouse left voids in the Downtown skyline in 2019.
The Downtown Investment Authority has contracted with real estate firm CBRE Jacksonville to market the City Hall/Courthouse property on East Bay Street for redevelopment, now called The Ford on Bay.
DIA CEO Lori Boyer says the city could issue a request for proposals by the end of the first quarter 2020 to redevelop the former Landing property.
Lot J deal is being finalized
Mayor Lenny Curry’s administration is finalizing an agreement with Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan to fund $233.3 million of Khan’s proposed $450 million development of Lot J near TIAA Bank Field.
Plans for the development include a 300-unit residential tower, 200-room boutique hotel, 120,000-square-foot Class A office tower and a Live! Entertainment District.
Jaguars President Mark Lamping says developer Jacksonville I-C Parcel One Holding Co. LLC hopes to begin work on Lot J by April.
Aaron Zahn and JEA controversy
JEA ended 2019 by firing CEO Aaron Zahn and announcing it will comply with any probe from State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office as complaints increased about the city-owned utility’s push toward a possible sale.
On Dec. 23, Mayor Lenny Curry asked JEA board of directors Chair April Green to end its negotiations with potential purchasers.
Curry said the public’s view of the invitation to negotiate process “has eroded over the past few months.”
Melissa Dykes was named interim JEA managing director and CEO.
4th Circuit welcomes 7 judges
Through elections and retirement, seven new judges were sworn in to the 4th Judicial Circuit in 2019, about 13% of the 55-member judiciary in Clay, Duval and Nassau counties.
Above, Chief Circuit Judge Mark Mahon, center, is joined by, from left, Duval County Judges Michael Bateh and Kimberly Sadler; and Circuit Judges Maureen Horkan, Katie Dearing and Collins Cooper. Judge Erin Perry was sworn in to the Duval County Court in January.
In June, Duval County Judge R. Anthony Salem was appointed to the bench to replace Judge Meredith Charbula, who was elevated to the circuit court.
Law school remains under scrutiny
After just 25% of Florida Coastal School of Law graduates who took the Bar exam in February 2017 passed it, the American Bar Association conducted a 27-month investigation into whether Florida Coastal was meeting accreditation standards. It declared in May that “Florida Coastal School of Law remains an approved law school.”
Now, the ABA has directed Florida Coastal to submit a report on its financial condition that will be evaluated by the ABA in February. “We intend to submit a prompt response designed to clarify our position and resolve any confusion or concerns that may exist,” said Florida Coastal President Peter Goplerud in an email sent Dec. 14 to students, faculty and staff.
New address for Jacksonville Bar Association
The Jacksonville Bar Association completed a vertical move in October – from offices on the 22nd floor at Wells Fargo Center to a ground-floor suite along the Bay Street side of the office tower.
About half of the 3,100-square-foot space is a meeting room that can be divided into two areas for simultaneous conferences or continuing legal education seminars. “The 22nd floor was not in the best interest of the Bar. Meetings and CLEs are the backbone of our organization,” said Executive Director Craig Shoup.
Neighborhood taprooms pour into Jacksonville
Jacksonville gained several new watering holes this year.
Lemon Street Brewing Co. opened in September in the Rail Yard District and Strings Sports Brewery in June in Springfield.
Neighborhood taprooms like Buchner’s Bierhalle in Murray Hill, Posting House in San Marco and Jax Craft Beer in Mandarin gave area residents new options.
In November, another brewery announced it would enter the scene: Tepeyolot Cerveceria, a Mexican-inspired brewpub, is planned for San Marco.
Innovation on the rise
With new resources coming online for entrepreneurs and startup companies, 2019 was a good year for Jacksonville’s innovation ecosystem.
UNF’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship welcomed its first cohort in August. The center provides a yearlong development program for early-stage entrepreneurs.
Mayo Clinic’s Life Sciences Incubator, inside its new Discovery and Innovation Building that opened in August, is designed to commercialize the hospital’s internal innovations, as well as host life science, health care and biotech entrepreneurs from around the world.
Mayo Clinic embarks on expansion
The Mayo Clinic had no shortage of expansions and announcements this year after starting out with a new CEO, Kent Thielen.
It opened its Discovery and Innovation Building in August, home to a lung restoration facility, stem cell manufacturing facility and the Life Sciences Incubator.
To increase its cancer treatment abilities, the hospital announced it would construct a $233 million integrated oncology facility to include proton therapy and carbon ion therapy.
Maple Street Biscuit Company is sold
Maple Street Biscuit Company isn’t one of Jacksonville’s biggest companies, but the chain of 33 restaurants has built a big following since it started seven years ago.
So, eyebrows were raised in October when Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. bought the company for $36 million.
Cracker Barrel promises to keep Maple Street as a separate business and plans to expand the brand but said it is moving Maple Street’s executive team to Nashville.
Maxwell House up for sale
The Maxwell House coffee plant is a Downtown icon, operating since 1924. It became a symbol of Jacksonville’s commitment to manufacturing jobs when city leaders convinced the company to keep the plant open three decades ago.
However, struggling parent company Kraft Heinz Co. is considering selling the company and the plant, which is Maxwell House’s last remaining U.S. facility. The future of the plant remains a mystery heading into 2020.
Palmer named Regency CEO
An organization called 2020 Women on Boards said early this year only four of 109 Florida-based public companies had female CEOs, and none were in Jacksonville.
That changed when Lisa Palmer was promoted to CEO of shopping center developer Regency Centers Corp., to become effective Jan. 1.
Palmer, who has been with Regency since 1996, succeeds Hap Stein, who will become executive chairman.
