by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The mayor’s office has added JEDC commissioner Charles Appleby to its negotiating team as it haggles with Landmar over the Shipyards development deal.
The City has until the end of April to reach an agreement with the local developer to take over responsibility for the $860 million luxury Northbank development.
Appleby, also president and chief financial officer of Advanced Disposal Systems, has advised the mayor’s office since negotiations with Landmar began last year. But his role has become more prominent since the City Council criticized Mayor John Peyton last week for a lack of business acumen on his team.
Peyton’s policy chief Adam Hollingsworth advanced Appleby’s name as a response to that criticism. In an e-mail to Council members Lad Daniels and Warren Alvarez, Hollingsworth said Appleby was “a great asset to the City as we work to develop the best agreement for the taxpayers.”
But Appleby’s participation alone may not satisfy the Council, which must approve any deal with Landmar. Daniels said he wanted somebody working full time on behalf of the City’s side of negotiations. He questioned whether Appleby could commit the necessary time given his commitment to Advanced Disposal and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
“Charlie’s an incredibly talented guy, but I want someone devoted full-time on this deal. If Charlie can do that, that’s great, but I’m not sure Charlie has that kind of time,” said Daniels.
During a recent meeting of the Council’s Finance Committee, Daniels leveled some of the harshest criticism toward the City’s handling of the Shipyards. The deal with previous developer Trilegacy — negotiated before Peyton took office — fell apart after the City questioned how the developer had spent $36 million in City-issued bonds.
Peyton appears to view Appleby’s participation as the answer, but Daniels said that’s not good enough.
“If the mayor’s office thinks it’s going to negotiate this deal, then have Charlie come in and look it over and sprinkle Holy Water on it, that’s not going to work,” said Daniels.
Unless Peyton adds full-time help to his team, Daniels said he would have “serious concern” about any deal with Landmar. In the wake of the failed Trilegacy partnership, it was important to restore public confidence in the Shipyards, he said. The only way for the City to accomplish that is to hire a negotiator that can equal Landmar CEO Ed Burr, said Daniels.
“The business expertise on the City side is not equal to the business expertise on the developer side,” he said. “We need someone of Ed Burr’s caliber.”
Appleby said he liked some of the Landmar deal’s broad strokes and now he wants to make sure the fine print is in order.
Since Appleby joined the JEDC in 2002, he’s established a reputation as the commission’s toughest sell. He’s become known among commissioners and developers for his pointed questions that often focus on financial details. For instance, he’s been a frequent critic of the comparably low interest rates the City charges on certain development incentives.
“Sitting on the JEDC, I tend to focus on ‘Here’s what the developer said, now show where that’s in this deal’s details,” said Appleby.