• The chief operating officer for Capital Partners Inc., the new owners of the Humana Centre, says Jacksonville’s commercial real estate market is poised to make up ground. Bill Evans said the City’s downtown office space is more plentiful and less expensive than Tallahassee and Orlando, CPI’s other major areas of operation. He said downtown building had slowed noticeably in recent years, but said the area, “was poised for a very strong comeback. I expect it will happen and happen quickly.”
• A bill under review by City Council may allow the Parks, Recreation and Entertainment departments to establish a “Host Camper Program.” Modeled after similar State and federal initiatives, the ordinance would allow “active and regular” users of Kathryn Abbey Hanna and Huguenot parks to waive camping fees in exchange for providing assistance with “day-to-day” activities. Participants would be required to pass a background check and complete a formal application.
• Dave Josserand, CFO of the Dalton Agency, has been appointed to the national board of the American Heart Association. Josserand will chair the communications and marketing committee and serve on the national administrative cabinet and board of directors.
• DDA Board chair Bob Rhodes said the authority’s review of the City’s master plan would be a citizen–inclusive process and invited input from the downtown community. He said the DDA would review “everything that’s going on downtown” at the Feb. 25 board meeting.
• Andres Rojas, formerly associated with Foley & Lardner, has been appointed assistant general counsel with the General Counsel’s Office. He works in the General Litigation Department.
• The JEDC commissioners bristled a bit after City Council member Warren Alvarez compared their examination of an incentive package to “buzzards . . . picking at a corpse.” Commission chair Ceree Harden said the commissioners were performing due diligence. “We’re not a rubber–stamp body; we take our responsibility seriously,” he said. Commissioner and Downtown Development Authority chair Bob Rhodes suggested a compromise: “Perhaps, rather than look at us as buzzards, perhaps eagles.”
• A highway and mass transit bill that local lawmakers say holds the key to continued funding for Main Street improvements passed the U.S. Senate easily last week. The Senate approved the bill at $318 million, about $55 million less than sought by the House, including Corrine Brown, but about $60 million more than the White House requested. Brown’s legislative director, Nick Martinelli, said the higher the number, the more likely Main Street will be funded in full. He estimated the bill would come in around $320 million.
• The City Council’s Finance Committee approved a deal that would rent Swaim United Methodist’s parking lot for a year in exchange for $9,200 in improvements, including resurfacing. The San Marco church’s lot would be used to make up for parking lost to Hendricks Avenue construction. Better Jacksonville Plan project manager David Schneider said he expects the Hendricks project to start shortly after the Super Bowl and finish in March 2006.