by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It really is “everyone’s Downtown” because everyone who pays ad valorem taxes on commercial or residential property in Duval County contributes to Downtown Vision Inc.’s $1.2 million annual budget.
Included in the City’s 2011-12 budget presented to City Council by Mayor Alvin Brown is $311,660 for the Business Improvement District-Downtown Vision, listed as part of the General Fund Non-Departmental Expenditures.
The line item was created through legislation (Ordinance 1999-1175) that initiated an additional 1.1 mill ad valorem tax assessment on property owners within the 90-square-block BID.
The City contributes .76 mill based on the assessed value of the 66 tax-exempt, publicly owned properties inside the service area.
The figure in the proposed budget being considered by Council was presented by DVI Executive Director Terry Lorince at the July 27 meeting of the 501c6 organization’s board of directors.
She was advising the board about DVI’s future funding, which will expire in September 2012 if not renewed through the adoption of an ordinance.
Lorince said the total includes $80,000 to fund salary and benefits for two employees who perform streetscape cleaning duties and $229,747, the amount approved the past fiscal year for property value, even though assessed value has declined in the past year.
Lorince said the City and the other 29 of the top 30 contributors account for 88 percent of DVI’s operating income.
Forty-three percent of the 171 funders contribute less than $500 each year, she said.
“The big office buildings pay the most, but the reality is they need the least amount of services,” said Lorince.
On the expense side, Lorince said 44 percent of DVI’s budget is allocated to Service Group Inc., a subcontractor that provides eight hospitality ambassadors and six cleaning and maintenance workers; and 34 percent is devoted to staff expense.
Beyond the 2011-12 budget year, Lorince predicted a possible reduction in DVI’s budget for 2012-13 based on property values. She said if that prediction is accurate, DVI will be faced with either receiving more funding from property owners or reducing services.
That could include eliminating night and weekend shifts for the Downtown Ambassadors, eliminating 1.5 marketing positions from the 6.5-person staff and eliminating all DVI-produced events other than the monthly First Wednesday Art Walk.
A possibility that was brought up in the Mayoral Transition Downtown Revitalization Committee is to expand the BID beyond the existing 90 square blocks of the Northbank and Southbank.
Lorince said adding the area along Riverside Avenue from Water Street to Interstate 95 could add an additional $185,000 to the budget; adding properties in La-Villa, $50,000; and adding some properties north of State Street, $10,000.
Collecting an additional assessment dedicated to DVI’s budget from owners of residential properties, including the Plaza Condominiums at Berkman, could increase income by $227,000, said Lorince.
“But if we expand the assessment area, we also have to expand services,” she said.
“The harsh reality is to continue to provide the current level of services, we need to find new revenue sources or increase the assessment,” said Mike Jennings, DVI board chair.
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Top 30 DVI funders
Fiscal 2011-12
| Owner | Property description | Contribution to DVI |
| City of Jacksonville | Public property | $311,660* |
| El Ad Florida LLC | AT&T Tower & garage | $68,244.77 |
| Jacksonville Tower Associates | BOA Tower & garages | $68,117.17 |
| FOO Trust II | Wells Fargo Center & garages | $67,082.95 |
| Oxford Jacksonville Riverfront | Hyatt Hotel properties | $62,798.78 |
| Prudential Insurance Co. of America | Prudential building & garages | $56,750.48 |
| HUB OEC Properties LLC | One Enterprise Center | $36,609.76 |
| Gate Riverplace Co. | Riverplace Tower, garage & lot | $36,494.94 |
| South Shore Group Partners LLC & River Oaks West, LLC | Aetna Building, garage & parking lot | $35,140.82 |
| Parkway Properties LLC | Stein Mart & AvMed buildings | $24,541.44 |
| Seaboard Coastline Railroad | CSX Building | $24,006.95 |
| Reads West Forsyth LLC | BB&T Tower, garage & lot | $21,608.01 |
| Riverwalk Jacksonville Development LLC | Wyndham Hotel & lots | $20,000.67 |
| Omni Jacksonville Corp. | Omni Hotel | $19,395.86 |
| MHI Jacksonville LLC | Crowne Plaza Hotel | $17,884.35 |
| Trimurti Investments, Sambr Investments, Arab Investments & Parador Laura Street Offices LLC | SunTrust Tower | $17,595.53 |
| BP Graham LLC | 550 Water St. | $16,505.37 |
| FDG DuPont Center I LLC | DuPont Center | $13,633.62 |
| Southern Bell AT&T Co. et al | AT&T utility parcels | $13,055.13 |
| Metropolitan Parking Solutions LLC | Downtown garage | $10,901.22 |
| Chris Hionides | Multiple properties | $10,721.31 |
| Samuel Easton | Multiple properties | $7,651.68 |
| RFS SPE 2000 LLC | Hampton Inn | $7,585.82 |
| Suddath Van Lines Inc. | Suddath Building | $7,307.63 |
| LAZLA I LLC | Garage by Omni | $7,008.98 |
| ASC Associates | Omni annex and parking lot | $5,548.03 |
| Jacksonville Landing Investments | Landing | $5,395.06 |
| JDI Trio LLC & JDI Adams St. LLC | Former Barnett & Marble Bank trio | $4,632.75 |
| Cathedral Place Associates LTD LLC | Life of the South Building | $4,548.83 |
| Club Deal 108 Jax North Florida Ventures | Greenleaf Building | $4,427.50 |
* Includes $80,000 for two streetscape cleaning staff.
Source: Downtown Vision Inc.