If there’s something Milam Howard Nicandri Gillam & Renner partner W. Braxton Gillam IV is more dedicated to than the practice of law, it’s the future of Jacksonville’s urban core.
When Gillam’s term as president of The Jacksonville Bar Association ended in June 2014, he said he realized his leadership role in the association required quite a bit of time and attention and “I know my partners will be glad to have me back.”
Three years later, when he got a call from Mayor Lenny Curry’s office asking if he might be willing to join the Downtown Investment Authority’s board of directors, Gillam didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I got a few sideways glances from my partners, but it was one of those phone calls you’re happy to get.” he said.
“I’ve worked Downtown for 20 years – since I moved to Jacksonville. I’m a big supporter,” Gillam added.
Getting his partners to go along with Gillam making the time commitment to the authority was aided by the firm’s investment in Downtown development about 11 years ago when they purchased the building at 14 E. Bay St., between the Dyal-Upchurch Building and JAX Chamber’s parking lot.
“We bought our office space in 2006, then gutted it and renovated it. We’ve really enjoyed it,” he said.
Also helping Gillam and his partners make the decision is the current momentum in the urban core, based on projects completed and others being built, such as the apartments in LaVilla near the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Others are in the pipeline, some of which have been languishing for decades.
“I’m happy to see things like Cowford Chophouse happen. And there’s everything that’s going on in LaVilla. That was an early-90s project. It’s taken nearly 30 years, but it’s happening. From a tax base standpoint, it’s finally going to produce what it was always promised to produce. It’s just taken a while to get there,” he said.
Gillam also cited two projects along the St. Johns River being considered for development agreements by the authority, the Shipyards on the Northbank and The District on the Southbank.
“We’ve got all that unused property on the river, which is probably the most valuable natural resource we have in Northeast Florida. It’s old, dilapidated, closed courthouses and unused parks. It’s the greatest opportunity yet to be tapped,” he said.
Being board certified by The Florida Bar in business litigation, Gillam’s career meshes with the work of the authority, particularly development agreements that are a prerequisite to groundbreaking ceremonies.
“We have a business practice. My partner, Alan Howard, and his associates do corporate and real estate transaction work. The rest of us here are in the commercial litigation business. If you do commercial litigation in Northeast Florida, you generally work for real estate developers and architects and engineers. A lot of my client work involves development work.
“We see appraising and valuing property, getting projects moving – and problems with getting projects moving – those are things we see every day. And I know what’s likely to put someone in court,” he said.
Gillam’s appointment was enacted Aug. 8 by City Council for a term that will expire June 30, 2019. He said he’s looking forward to his service to the city.
“We’re in a time that I’ve seen the most improvement and the most hope for Downtown in the 20 years that I’ve lived here,” Gillam said.