The competition for the site of the elections center of the Supervisor of Elections continues to expand after City Council member Lori Boyer introduced legislation Tuesday for the mayor to execute a lease agreement with Demetree Brothers Inc. for space at the Southgate Shopping Plaza.
Demetree Brothers is the third proposal that has been introduced through legislation, joining Council member John Crescimbeni's pitch to keep the center at the Gateway Shopping Center and Council member Matt Schellenberg's legislation to move the center to One Imeson in North Jacksonville.
According to Boyer's legislation, Demetree Brothers proposes to offer a lease for 50,000 square feet of usable space at 3428 Beach Blvd., site of the former Duval County Traffic Court and Traffic Violations Bureau. Both services were moved to the Duval County Courthouse earlier this year, freeing up the space.
The proposal offers a 10-year lease with free rent in its first year. The second year would have rent of just under $295,000 — about $25,000 a month — with annual increases of 3 percent. In year nine of the agreement, annual rent is just under $363,000, or a little more than $30,000 a month.
Through the length of the deal, the City would pay about $3 million in rent.
It also provides for one additional two-year extension, which the City could trigger.
The proposal calls for tenant improvements to approved interior floor plans, but the items are intentionally left blank to be inserted later, according to exhibits with the legislation.
Schellenberg's legislation for the elections center to move to One Imeson Center was filed in mid-March.
It proposes a 10-year lease for a space at 1 Imeson Park Blvd. in the Imeson Industrial Park, with a lease rate of just under $40,000 for the first year, which represents common area maintenance fees. Like the Demetree Brothers proposal, there is no rent for the first year.
Rents would begin in the second year at just more than $260,000 and increase by 3 percent each year until the lease expires.
GIV Imeson LLC also would provide landlord improvements of up to $650,000 before occupancy and pay $100,000 in moving costs.
Crescimbeni's legislation to keep the elections center at the Gateway Mall was filed in mid-February.
The lease would be between the City and the Terranova Corp., which bought the mall that has been the site of the elections center since 2006.
Terranova's proposal is for a rental rate of just under $25,000 per month, about $295,000 per year, in the first year. Rent would rise 3 percent per year.
Terranova would make $450,000 in improvements and offer $10,000 per month rent credit or cash reimbursement for the first six months of the new lease.
In all three proposals, the elections main office would remain Downtown at 105 E. Monroe
St. and not be affected.
City Council has deferred the Terranova and One Imeson proposals at the committee level, with discussion of a joint Council committee meeting to take place soon about the elections center issue.
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