by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
For a few years, Jay Southerland teamed with developer Mike Balanky to build and sell San Marco Place, one of three brand new residential towers on the Southbank.
Balanky, who lives in the tower, has moved on and is now one of the main developers of Kings Avenue Station — a mixed-use project in San Marco that will feature two Hilton hotels plus residential, retail and restaurants, all tied in with the JTA-owned and managed Kings Avenue parking garage and adjacent Skyway Express.
Southerland has gotten out of development, but he’s still part of a team. He was recently elected chair of the board of Downtown Vision Inc. It’s a two-year job and one he’s looking forward to after four years of being on the board.
“I think DVI is a great organization. It’s the homeowners and business owners association for Downtown,” said Southerland, who is from Perry, Fla. and came to Jacksonville after working in Atlanta for several years. “Given their objectives the last five to seven years, they have done a pretty good job.”
DVI is funded primarily through an additional property tax increment paid by property owners in a 90 square-block area of Downtown known as the Business Improvement District. A small portion of its budget is funded by the City of Jacksonville. Its main function is to promote Downtown developments and events in conjunction with the City’s Office of Special Events and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. DVI also oversees the Downtown Ambassadors, the orange-shirted folks you see helping visitors and Downtown residents and workers.
Southerland said a two-year term as chair is beneficial because it gives him time to formulate a plan and establish goals and enough time to execute those plans and see the goals come to fruition.
“They (DVI) do a good job of meeting the needs of the constituents,” said Southerland, who graduated from Florida State University with a master’s degree in Finance. “The goal over the next two or three years is to learn more about what our constituents want. One of my goals is to get to know them better. I want to find out more about what the big office retailers are looking for. We have a good board and I see this as a chance to include all the facets we serve.”
Southerland does have one an item at the top of his to-do list.
“I want to define our (DVI’s) focus and do it better than anybody can possibly do it,” he said. “It’ll take 18 months. We know what they (the stakeholders) want, but I want to define one particular area that most would prefer they (DVI) focus on. We are going to find a way to do it.
“I really feel like DVI has done a tremendous job with the budget they have to work with. I am flattered by the opportunity to lead the organization for the next two years,” he said.
Terry Lorince, DVI’s executive director, is looking forward to working with Southerland.
“I think Jay will bring a lot of excitement and energy to Downtown and DVI,” said Lorince, who’s been running DVI since it was created nearly eight years ago. “He’s got a terrific entrepreneurial spirit, he thinks out of the box and he’s got a great understanding of real estate development. That’s a great combination and he’ll be a great asset to Downtown.”
Professionally, Southerland is the founder and CEO of Triage Management Services. Southerland said the company is a third-party administrator that assists property insurance carriers process claims and restore damaged homes.
“We do specifically roofing, siding and gutters,” he said. “We are in 14 high-volume hail and wind states in the Midwest.”
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