The Daily Record compiled the 10 most-read online stories at www.jaxdailyrecord.com for 2011.
The diverse list included stories about the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as former quarterback Mark Brunell, jobs, personalities, shopping and a local TV pilot.
Today we report a summary of each of the most-read stories.
Thanks for reading during the year and thanks for continuing to read in 2012.
1. Sale of the Jaguars: ‘It was in no one’s interest to have it leak’
2. Saft starts hiring for 277-job battery plant
3. Latitude 30 opens on Southside
4. EverBank calling on AT&T Tower?
5. Brunell Chapter 11: Post-NFL, will explore career as medical sales rep
6. Beaver Street Fisheries’ Harry Frisch: ‘I know what it takes’
7. Winn-Dixie’s transformation
8. Herschel Vinyard: ‘Environmental protection is clearly important’
9. Designer finds at Goodwill: Bluetique boutique opening in Ponte Vedra Beach
10. ‘Lipstick Justice’ plans to film in Jacksonville
1. Sale of the Jaguars: ‘It was in no one’s interest to have it leak’
Published: Dec. 1, 2011
Jacksonville Jaguars buyer Shahid Khan isn’t a stranger to the area, but his local meetings with team owner Wayne Weaver were kept low profile by design.
Delores Weaver, a partner in the Jaguars with her husband and other owners, said Khan, an Illinois businessman, has visited Jacksonville a few times, although she hasn’t met him or his wife.
“Wayne has met him a few times at different locations,” she said. “Wayne was trying to keep this as quiet as possible until something concrete was done.”
She said that while they didn’t necessarily hide, the visits were “certainly planned ahead. It was in no one’s interest to have it leak.”
Delores Weaver spent time returning reporters’ calls and asking media to assure the community that although they sold the team, she and her husband have no plans to leave the area other than to travel.
“This will be home,” she said.
“Assure everyone that we are here. People are stuck with us. We have no plans to go anywhere,” she said a day after Wayne Weaver announced the sale of the Jaguars to Khan. The deal could be completed in January.
The Weavers moved to Jacksonville upon buying the franchise with a partnership group in 1993.
While Wayne Weaver has told media the past few years that he eventually would sell the team, the timing seemed unexpected to much of the community.
“There is a time for everything, and this happens to be the right time and the right person,” Delores Weaver said.
“We have talked about this the past few years. Wayne didn’t ever entertain or speak with people who called from California because we didn’t want the team to be in California,” she said.
Weaver said Wayne Weaver met Khan five or six years ago through Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who died in December 2006. She said Weaver and Khan remained in touch.
She said the 18-week NFL labor dispute and lockout earlier this year “stopped all conversation because who would be interested in going forward with a team not knowing” when play would resume.
“Once that got past, the conversations began again,” she said.
She said the announcement was planned for this week, but word was spreading late Monday afternoon.
“We began to hear rumors that people were getting phone calls and people were speculating,” she said. “Wayne decided to pull the trigger.”
Also at the Tuesday noon news conference, Wayne Weaver announced that head coach Jack Del Rio was fired.
“I don’t think the plan was to have those things together at the same time,” said Delores Weaver.
“Jack without question knew what was coming and to have him hanging in the breeze was not fair to him and his family,” she said.
Delores Weaver wants the community to continue to support the team.
She said Wayne Weaver “has every confidence when he says the team is going to stay,” she said, referring to Khan.
“That’s definitely the feeling that Wayne has and he has said he will keep the team here. It will be business as usual,” she said.
2. Saft starts hiring for 277-job battery plant
Published: Jan. 12, 2011
Saft America Inc. said Tuesday it would use the Remedy Intelligent Staffing franchise in Jacksonville to hire employees for its Cecil Commerce Center plant, which will eventually employ 277 hourly and salaried workers.
Saft said it is scheduled to start production of lithium ion battery cells in July.
Pay for production jobs will range from $15-$18 an hour while facilities and maintenance technician pay will range from $19.50-$21.50 an hour, reported Saft.
“We are looking for highly motivated individuals who possess strong technical aptitude and problem-solving ability,” said Alan Parsley who is in charge of human resources for the Jacksonville operation.
“We also will expect employees to work well in a teamwork environment,” he said in a statement.
Saft is building the $191 million, 235,000-square-foot plant at the Westside business park. Construction began in March.
The Jacksonville plant, which Saft said already employs 43 people, will be Saft’s sixth in the United States.
The Jacksonville plant will produce lithium ion battery cells and systems for use in markets such as renewable energy storage, telecommunications, automotive and energy grid stabilization.
The Jacksonville center should be occupied in March and production should start in July, said Saft.
The company said Remedy Staffing will handle the selection of workers for production positions, most of which will start as “variable” positions.
Applicants can expect a series of tests, interviews and other screenings designed to identify the best match for the positions, said Saft.
Remedy wants to bring on the first production team members in early spring, which coincides with equipment installation activities at the plant.
Saft said that Remedy employees in this assignment will serve as a significant part of the applicant pool for potential regular employment at Saft in the future.
Saft said people can apply online through WorkSource at www.employflorida.com or by contacting Remedy at www.remedystaff.com and then calling 771-4101.
Saft, based in Paris, was founded in 1918 and operates in 18 countries, with 15 company-owned production sites and three joint ventures. Total employment is 4,000 people.
Saft designs and manufactures high-tech batteries for industry. Its batteries are used in high performance applications, such as industrial infrastructure and processes, transportation, space and defense.
The Daily Record reported in March that Saft received a $95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the project. It also received approval for City and state incentives.
Tom Alcide, CEO of Saft, put the Jacksonville plant in perspective.
“This is Saft’s single largest investment in our history and we are excited about it,” he said, adding the company would have a team of about 30 in the area while the plant was under construction.
3. Latitude 30 opens on Southside
Published: Jan. 6, 2011
One of Jacksonville’s newest entertainment businesses is considered “one large restaurant with entertainment options” by its creators.
The one constant at Latitude 30, a new 50,000-square-foot entertainment complex on Philips Highway across from The Avenues Mall, is that food service is available just about anywhere. Food is available at the Sunset 30 Tavern & Grill inside the center or outside on the adjoining patio.
There’s also food in the Skybox Sports Theater; the AXIS Bar; the CineGrille, a 90-seat movie theater; Latitude LIVE, a “Vegas-style showroom”; and The Lanes at Latitude 30, a 20-lane bowling facility equipped with plush leather couches.
“We developed this concept for a small ski town in Colorado, (called) Winter Park,” said Jacksonville native Damon Brush, founding partner of Latitude 30.
“We found that it fit in that setting and I saw there was nothing like this in my hometown, so we looked into bringing the concept to Jacksonville.”
The project cost $11 million.
A site at the St. Johns Town Center was considered, but the former Toys R Us store on Philips Highway offered a building, parking and access that suited the needs of the project.
“We are centrally located, so we can attract people from Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties,” said Brush.
The entertainment venue is promoted among several age groups, featuring 90 high-definition televisions, bowling, interactive video and prize games, billiards and movies.
The bowling facility is the first Brunswick Bowling and Billiards rep Eric Lindfors remembers being built in Jacksonville in the past 40 years.
The pin setters can be programmed to allow bowlers to practice knocking down specific combinations of pins, like the bedpost or 7-10 split. Also, each of the lanes is equipped with bumpers for younger bowlers. They can be deployed and retracted at the press of a button.
Another feature is the ticketless arcade. Some arcade games dispense tickets that customers can collect to redeem for prizes at the end of their stay. The machines at Latitude 30 record those credits on a game card, which eliminates the strands of tickets that can be accumulated in a night and also reduces expense of supplying the tickets.
The employees managing and staffing the complex are provided by Trifecta Management Group, which was hired by Brush and co-developer Brent Brown to manage the day-to-day operation of the complex.
General Manager Adam Kleinhenz oversees a staff of about 110 employees, including 14 salaried managers. He expects the staff to expand to about 130 within the month.
“We want to provide a fun experience for every age group. Adults can have just as much fun in the arcade as the kids can,” said Kleinhenz.
Latitude 30 is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Friday; and 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday.
4. EverBank calling on AT&T Tower?
Published: April 21, 2011
Jacksonville-based EverBank Financial Corp., whose name headlines EverBank Field, might be considering a bigger presence Downtown.
Sources say that EverBank, whose headquarters are based along Riverside Avenue near Downtown, is looking for a site to consolidate its suburban operations and that Downtown is an option.
Sources familiar with the deal, but who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the project, said AT&T Tower 301 Downtown is one of several options under review.
EverBank’s communications firm did not provide a comment by deadline.
Pam Smith, the representative for AT&T Tower 301’s owner, limited her comments.
“Knowing that we are one of those options, I can’t comment at all,” she said of the EverBank situation.
EverBank has been leasing space along Philips Highway near Butler Boulevard in Southside. Sources say the company leases about 190,000 square feet there and also leases space in other suburban buildings. The workforce there is estimated near 1,000 employees.
Industry experts say that typically, 1,000 square feet of office space can accommodate four or five employees. That means 190,000 square feet would translate into 760 to 950 employees.
Sources say EverBank would continue to maintain its headquarters along Riverside Avenue, but would consolidate its operations services in AT&T or wherever it chooses.
Sources say that EverBank could also choose to stay where it is or pursue other options in the suburbs.
AT&T Tower 301 is a 30-story building anchored by AT&T, which Smith said leased a little more than eight floors of space.
CSX also leases eight floors, about 240,000 square feet of space, but will leave at the end of the month to move employees closer to its headquarters building Downtown along the St. Johns River.
“We definitely have floor space,” said Smith, who works with building owner El-Ad National Properties.
She said the building has 956,000 square feet of leasable space. Each floor offers about 30,000 square feet of space.
Sources say EverBank would need 150,000 to 250,000 square feet of space, perhaps in phases. Based on industry standards, that would accommodate 600 to 1,250 employees.
That would mean five to eight floors if the AT&T Tower was chosen.
Sources also say a decision could be made in 60 to 90 days.
Sources emphasize that EverBank is considering other locations in the suburbs and near Downtown, and that the AT&T space should not be considered a done deal.
EverBank, based in Jacksonville, reached a deal last summer with the City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Jaguars for the naming rights to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field.
EverBank provides banking, mortgages and investment services nationwide, operating through standard banking offices and through its Direct Banking division, by telephone, mail and the Internet.
EverBank reports that its roots stretch back to 1961, although the current company was formed in 1994 as Alliance Mortgage Co., which became a significant mortgage originator and servicer.
In 1998, Alliance Mortgage Co. formed First Alliance Bank and soon acquired Jacksonville-based Marine National Bank.
Meanwhile, EverBank was created as a national direct-to-consumer bank. EverBank opened in January 2000.
First Alliance Bank acquired EverBank in 2002, and in 2004, the company took the name EverBank for its operations.
5. Brunell Chapter 11: Post-NFL, will explore career as medical sales rep
Published: Sept. 19, 2011
Former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell is planning for his life after the NFL and after Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
Brunell intends to explore a career as a medical sales representative and return to his Ponte Vedra Beach home when he completes his NFL career, probably next year, according to a filing Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Lawyers for Brunell, who is playing in a reserve role with the New York Jets and saw time Sunday in the backup quarterback role vs. the Jaguars, said in the filings that he “has little expectation of employment as a professional football player beyond the 2011-12 NFL season.”
The medical sales position carries an estimated potential wage income of about $5,000 a month.
“Mr. Brunell intends to explore that opportunity and various sources of income once his NFL career is over,” according to the second amended disclosure statement filed with the second amended plan of reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida Jacksonville Division.
“It is always a challenge for a longtime NFL player to transition to a career after football. Mark plans to meet that challenge head-on, but he recognizes that he will have to humbly embrace available options,” said his attorney, Michael Freed, Florida managing partner of the Brennan, Manna & Diamond firm.
“I have no doubt that Mark’s post-NFL future, while it will not likely be lucrative, it will be meaningful and a tremendous benefit to the community,” he said.
The filings show that Brunell estimates income of $960,000 for the 2011-12 NFL season.
Brunell filed for protection under Chapter 11 on June 25, 2010, citing failed business partnerships related to real estate investments. He listed assets of $5.5 million and liabilities of $24.7 million.
“Mark is eager to have this situation behind him so that he can continue, without distraction, to be the positive influence that he always has strived to be,” he said.
A team and community leader, Brunell was widely regarded in Jacksonville for his actions on and off the field, including creating the Brunell Family Foundation to benefit critically ill children and their families.
An affidavit from the vice president of Aiti Viiden LLC, a medical device distributor of tools and equipment for doctors and hospitals for use in orthopedic surgeries, said that Brunell would qualify as an entry level sales representative at $60,000 a year.
According to the filing, Brunell was paid $1.5 million for his contract for the 2010-11 season with the Jets.
On July 31, he signed a contract for 2011-12 and expected to receive a $50,000 signing bonus provided the League Management Council agreed to the contract and $910,000 in salary in weekly or bi-weekly installments,
Brunell and his wife agreed in October 2010 for Stockton Real Estate to lease their Ponte Vedra home, which generated more than $11,700 in 2010 and about $51,150 for 2011 through Sept. 8.
They expect to receive continued rental revenues until they return to live in the home. “Mr. Brunell and his family expect to return to the Florida home after the 2011-2012 NFL football season,” said the statement.
Brunell was in town in April to support the 19th Annual Club Managers for Kids charity events that included a Celebrity Gala Night of Comedy and a golf tournament.
Brunell said then that “this is home to us.”
“Whenever football is over, this will eventually be our home,” he said.
6. Beaver Street Fisheries’ Harry Frisch: ‘I know what it takes’
Published: Feb. 25, 2011
Harry Frisch, who soon turns 88, took over his mother’s fish market with his brother, Alfred, decades ago. The fresh fish store on the Westside has grown the past 60 years into Beaver Street Fisheries Inc., an international supplier of frozen seafood and other food items to food service, retail and other wholesale accounts. The company imports more than 2,000 shipping containers of seafood and meat annually from more than 50 countries. It has partnered with the Jacksonville Sharks to name Sea Best Field at the Arena after its flagship brand.
Beaver Street Fisheries employs more than 400 people and is based at 1741 W. Beaver St., developing the site into a modern warehouse facility covering more than two city blocks and housing a seafood processing plant. Frisch also leads the Beaver Street Foundation, a charitable organization that supports many nonprofits.
Frisch is recording the story of his life beginning with his move to the United States from his birthplace, Vienna, Austria. This interview focuses on his life in Jacksonville. Frisch met with Daily Record reporters in his office.
How did Beaver Street Fisheries start?
Beaver Street Fisheries started out with my mother and my stepfather and my brother. They came from up north. In 1950, they bought a fish market on Beaver Street.
I came to Jacksonville in 1953, and by trade at that time, I was an automobile mechanic. For about two years, I still had a shop with two other guys and did real fine.
In 1955, my stepfather passed away, and they didn’t do all that well over there. I had two choices. I had to close up the place or I had to give up my automobile repair business and whatever money I had to put it in there, and that’s the decision that I made.
For whatever reason, I felt that the physical work for being an automobile mechanic by the time I was about 30 years old, it was questionable. I felt I could not make a good living in the future because I couldn’t get the people to work to the standards that I was used to. Rather than staying with that, I decided to put whatever I had into the fish market, and that’s where my career started in 1955.
The first year, I still remember, I’ve got a composition book at home, we had sales of about $44,000. From the $44,000, my mother had to make a living. My brother, myself with my wife and two children, we had to pay the mortgage, we had to buy fish and sell fish. That’s how we started out.
How did you progress?
My brother and I decided, no matter what it takes, we’re going to make it work, and it doesn’t make a difference how much work it takes.
We figured out one thing. The fish market by itself, if people would come in 24 hours a day, we still could not reach the goal that we set for ourselves.
We decided to start selling to some fish restaurants. We’d sell five pounds of shrimp, 10 pounds of fish filet, whatever it is, just little by little.
We had one advantage. I didn’t have an education. Had seven grades at school, and that’s all I had, so basically we had to figure everything out by ourselves.
The most important thing was the gift of people service, and that is true to today.
Can you tell us a little about your life before you came to the United States?
Life is pretty short, you know? I was born in 1923, in Vienna, Austria. 1928, Hitler came in. Being Jewish, we got persecuted. I lost most of my family in the Holocaust. We were able to get out to Czechoslovakia. We came on an illegal transport from Czechoslovakia to Palestine.
In 1939, and with a pair of pants, with nothing, not knowing the language, I started learning to be an automobile mechanic. I did very good over there. Before I left, I had a garage with two partners, and when I started, I didn’t have nothing, didn’t have a roof overhead. We had to shower with a water hose outside.
I had a nice car, everything nice, but when I left I didn’t see my parents from 1938 until I came here in ‘53. But I had the experience. I know what it takes.
There have been times I was working four jobs.
I got married in 1948, it was still Palestine. I had both of my sons. Both of them were born in Israel.
But I tell you one thing, in my whole life, no matter how bad off I was, I’ve been able to work. I did not ever take any charity, any welfare, from anybody. Any time there was a job nobody wanted to do, I said, ‘you give it to me.’
Of course today, I’m not doing the time anymore like I used to, I haven’t got the physical strength like I used to, so it goes to the fourth generation, and they’re doing good. They’re still in the process to get experience, but I think the company has good prospects for the future.
Another secret is I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful wife.
Today I feel our company is well respected around the world. I think you take our company here in Jacksonville, we did a lot of good for the community. We help wherever we can, and I feel that is one of the biggest privileges we’ve had.
To me, life is a pleasure and I enjoy it, and it’s a privilege to be able to do it, and to be able to sit here and be 88 years old, to be able to smile and tell about it.
7. Winn-Dixie’s transformation
Published: July 25, 2011
Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. embarked on a program to “transform” selected stores among the 484 it operates in the five states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
In Northeast Florida, the Fortune 500 company is transforming the store at 2220 County Road 210 in St. Johns County, not far from Duval County and an area near St. Augustine and several golf-course communities.
The stores are renovated floor-to-ceiling at a cost of about $5.5 million, almost triple the average renovation cost of $2 million. The changes result in increased sales, which Winn-Dixie has said reach an average $475 per square foot, a 60 percent increase from the average $300 at its other stores.
Store Director Greg Stanford took over in January as the renovations started. The store remained opened and successful, he said. The heavy lifting was done at night when the store was closed.
The transformation is focused on fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood along with freshly prepared foods and specialty stations, as well as a wine area. The store features higher ceilings, wood and polished concrete floors and improved shelving.
There’s also a community seating area with free coffee and Wi-Fi.
Winn-Dixie has three completed “transformationals” in Mobile, Ala., Covington, La., and in Margate. The transformed Apopka store will open Aug. 3, followed by the County Road 210 store.
The Apopka and Jacksonville locations are the first of 17 transformational stores to open in the current fiscal year, which ends in June.
Stanford, a Florida State University graduate with a degree in psychology, joined the chain 26 years ago in high school and made it a career. He also lives nearby with his wife and daughters and is active in the community, as is the store.
A grand opening is scheduled Aug. 10.
“It’s a stepping stone to the future,” said Stanford.
8. Herschel Vinyard: ‘Environmental protection is clearly important’
Published: Oct. 26, 2011
Gov. Rick Scott named former BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards executive Herschel Vinyard of Jacksonville as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in January.
Vinyard most recently served as director of business operations at BAE Systems, where he was responsible for strategic planning, business development and regulatory and government affairs.
He joined Atlantic Marine, which was bought by BAE Systems, in 1999 after almost a decade as an attorney and shareholder with the Smith Hulsey & Busey firm in Jacksonville.
Additionally, he also has been active in professional and civic organizations, including serving on the board of the Jacksonville Port Authority and in leadership roles in the JAX Chamber, the First Coast Manufacturers Association and the Manufacturers Association of Florida. He also served on the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
He was appointed by Scott after the Republican governor won the election against Democrat Alex Sink.
One of the issues Vinyard is dealing with is the wastewater discharge permit for Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka paper mill.
Opponents are asking the department to delay issuing the permit, which would allow the facility to discharge treated wastewater directly into the St. Johns River. It currently discharges into Rice Creek, a tributary of the St. Johns.
Georgia-Pacific is building a four-mile wastewater discharge pipeline to the St. Johns River and opponents want further study of the economic and environmental impacts of the discharge.
An administrative judge ordered the mill to complete a pipeline to the St. Johns River by October 2012 if it couldn’t meet water standards in Rice Creek.
Vinyard met Monday with the Daily Record.
What are your goals at the Department of Environmental Protection?
We have three top priority objectives. First is regulatory certainty and consistency. Second is getting the water right, and the third one is providing better access for Floridians to our award-winning state parks.
Regulatory certainty and consistency: One, we want to follow the law — that’s always important — and we want to enforce the law. And we want to follow the law and enforce it consistently. I’ve got six DEP offices and five water management districts.
The second item, getting the water right, is we have to improve our water quality, and also water quantity. We’ve been kind of blessed in North Florida with an abundance of water. It won’t be that way forever. And of course South Florida, sometimes they already struggle with the sufficient amount of water on the quantity side.
Then lastly, we have 160 state parks. We need to get more people out there. We have beautiful stuff — parks around springs, coral reefs, we’ve got the caverns over there in the Marianna area, miles and miles of beaches. A lot of our parks have an educational component.
What’s the transition been like to move from private industry, at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards, to head the state Department of Environmental Protection?
I tell people that I’m six inches shorter now than I was in January.
Why do you say that?
It’s an exciting, challenging job, and it’s seven days a week. I’ve never worked so hard at anything in my life, but it’s important. We’ve got a big state and environmental protection is clearly important, and it’s a passion for so many people, including me and the folks at DEP.
What do you see as far as the economy of the state? What is your department doing to prepare for the eventual recovery of the economy?
I think probably the efficiency and certainty that we talked about, regulatory certainty and consistency is important. So when the economy returns and folks want to start a business, that we will one, protect the environment, but two, they’re entitled to a permit before they spend all their money on lawyers and consultants.
When you hear that some people think it’s too easy to get an environmental permit to grow, to expand, to develop, what do you say?
Bull. We’re not changing our standards. We’re just changing the process. We have, and will continue to have, folks that are dedicated to protecting the environment, and that’s the way it’s going to be.
9. Designer finds at Goodwill: Bluetique boutique opening in Ponte Vedra Beach
Published: Nov. 14, 2011
Starting at noon Thursday, Goodwill Industries of North Florida is taking another step in the world of thrift shopping, including in the heels of Manolo Blahnik.
The nonprofit organization is striding into a world of boutique-style clothing, shoes, purses and jewelry with labels such as Ann Taylor, St. John, Calvin Klein, Juicy Couture, Aeropostale, Chanel and the Manolo Blahniks, along with other well-known clothing and designer names.
The nonprofit, which focuses on job training, raises funds from sales at its Goodwill stores, which are thrift shops that sell donated goods.
The new thrift shop in tony Ponte Vedra Beach is called Bluetique and it features designer and other trendy goods. About 75 percent of the goods sold there are donated to the Goodwill donation center nearby, meaning the items generally are from people in the area.
The other 25 percent of the items are bought from sources that carry close-outs and overruns, said Amber Russo, vice president of retail sales for Goodwill Industries of North Florida.
“Bluetique” is a play on Goodwill’s signature color and “boutique.” Prices will be at least 50 percent to 90 percent off retail prices, Russo said.
It will be open 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday–Saturday and noon–5 p.m. Sunday.
Russo and Marketing Manager Amy Koebrick said the Bluetique, in the Tournament Plaza along Florida A1A, is the only one so far in the market and they’re not sure there will be more, at least not yet.
The store will be staffed by eight employees and prices will range from $6.99 to $350, although some items might carry a higher price, such as the Chanel purse.
“Everything we have here really speaks to our community,” Russo said.
10. ‘Lipstick Justice’ plans to film in Jacksonville
Published: Jan. 20, 2011
Jacksonville’s newest film credit could be “Lipstick Justice,” a pilot for a television reality program featuring a female law firm in the area.
According to public records, California-based Lady Law Entertainment will film a pilot episode of “Lipstick Justice” in Duval and Clay counties. The permit lists Jan. 19-31 as the filming dates.
The reality show will follow the female attorneys through their daily schedule both in and out of the court.
Scenes are scheduled to be filmed at a home in Jacksonville that has been converted into law offices for the main characters as well as at an undetermined bar or nightclub and at the Clay County Courthouse.
Sources familiar with the project could not reveal the name of the law firm involved in the production because of a confidentiality agreement.
If the pilot is picked up by the Lifetime Movie Network, up to 10 more episodes could be filmed in Jacksonville.
“Feature films are huge and they are great, but they film and then they leave,” said Todd Roobin, film and television coordinator for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
“A television series, depending on the amount of episodes, can be really great for Jacksonville because of the length of time it’s here and the exposure the area gets,” he said.
The director for the program is Tony Croll, who has been nominated for two prime-time Emmy Awards. His previous projects include “America’s Next Top Model,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Surreal Life.”
The last TV series based in Jacksonville was “Safe Harbor,” which aired for 11 episodes and starred Rue McClanahan and Gregory Harrison. Series locations included Walnut Street in Green Cove Springs and the Vilano Beach Motel.
Foodie favorite “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” stopped in Jacksonville in February to film at a handful of area eateries recommended by viewers. The production hired two employees and its economic impact was estimated to be $11,200 by the JEDC. Not too long ago, Jacksonville received some exposure from the filming of the HBO Films movie “Recount,” which was in town from August-December 2007. The film provided an economic impact of $3.3 million, consisting of $1.75 million in wages and $1.55 million paid to vendors, according to the JEDC.
Editor’s note: Lipstick Justice was not picked up as a pilot.