JEA’s board of directors held its first meeting in the city-owned utility’s new $100 million corporate headquarters March 28 as the building prepares to open to the public.
CEO Jay Stowe told a nearly full boardroom during the meeting that the seven-story structure at 225 N. Pearl St. Downtown will officially open to customers April 10 after delaying the date twice since December.
Stowe said JEA is near the end of the project that it began planning in 2017.
JEA broke ground on the development in October 2020.
“There’s still some work to be done to get all of the rooms ready for some of the technology, and the conference rooms ready,” Stowe said.
“We will be welcoming customers in the week of April 10 as we get the kinks out of the building, but it has taken a lot of work from a lot of people to get this done.”
Special Projects Director Nancy Veasey and Project Administrator Matthew Poteet coordinated the project for JEA.
The building will be managed by Ryan Companies US Inc., the building’s developer and former owner.
Planning began under JEA’s previous board of directors and senior leadership team.
New leadership kept the new headquarters plan with some modifications after a failed attempt to privatize the utility in late 2019 that resulted in the ouster of JEA’s former board and executive team and federal grand jury indictments for its former CEO and CFO.
In 2020, the board voted to reduce the building’s proposed size by two floors to lower the cost.
The municipal water, wastewater and electric utility designed the office building to provide hybrid working flexibility for employees, with reservable workstations, and private meeting spaces.
Ryan sold the building in November 2022 to Colorado-based firm Real Capital Solutions for $94.99 million.
JEA agreed to a 15-year, $153 million lease with Ryan for the estimated $100 million headquarters and parking garage. The lease did not change with the sale, according to JEA.
The utility lease contract will give JEA the first right to buy the building if it is put up for sale again.
JEA officials said in late 2022 the utility was laying the groundwork to sell the utility’s existing 19-story headquarters at 21 W. Church St. Downtown, but no updated information was provided March 28.
JEA bought that tower and the adjacent customer service center in December 1988 for $8 million. The structures were built in 1962.
The buildings are considered contributing properties in the Downtown Jacksonville Historic District as listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We want to hopefully be able to have it reused for a beneficial purpose Downtown to support the Downtown community, which is one of the areas of focus that we have,” Stowe said in October.