The head of Downtown Vision Inc. is leaving the organization.
On July 7, CEO Jake Gordon said he would leave DVI effective Sept. 30 after 11 years leading the nonprofit that supports Downtown Jacksonville.
In a phone interview, Gordon described his departure as part of a “natural process.”
“I’ve kind of lived my job, and I think it’s the right time right now for me to step away and for the organization to get some fresh perspective and do a lot of planning and discussing about the future and what’s happening with Downtown,” he said. “I think that’s a natural process. I have been telling a couple people, I am very proud of the progress we made. We really worked hard over the last 11 years and did a lot of amazing things, but at some point it’s always the right time to step away, right?”
Gordon said DVI Chief Operating Officer Eric Miller would step in as interim CEO beginning Oct. 1. The board has not decided on a process to find a long-term successor, he said.
Gordon said that during his time at DVI, the organization has grown from a budget of about $1 million to about $5 million. In 2021, Jacksonville City Council expanded DVI’s district from 0.5 square mile to 1.3 square miles, a 160% increase in territory.
His departure comes amid discussion of again expanding DVI’s district as far west as LaVilla, to include the site of the University of Florida graduate campus, and as far east as the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences under construction in the Shipyards area.
Asked if the proposed expansion factored into his decision to step down, he said the organization’s evolution helped lead him to believe it was time for a change.
“You can’t do this job halfway, and I do think the organization is going to expand,” he said. “I think we have a phenomenal team and we’ve grown a ton, and I just think, for me personally, it’s just my time. I personally see it as a positive and I’m excited to watch the organization grow.”
Gordon’s departure will come weeks before a statewide vote in November on whether to increase Florida’s homestead exemption on property taxes. Council auditors say the increase would reduce the city’s tax revenue by more than $300 million by fiscal year 2029. Downtown advocates, including Mayor Donna Deegan, say passage of the constitutional amendment would cripple the city’s ability to incentivize Downtown redevelopment.
“I think that’s unfortunate, and we see a lot of people talking about it,” Gordon said.
Gordon said that when he arrived in Jacksonville, Downtown and the community at large were still dealing with effects of the 2008 recession.
“There was almost no interest in Downtown development generally,” he said. “When people found out that I kind of moved here for love — because my wife is from Gainesville and she wanted to move to Florida — they were, like, ‘Oh, that makes more sense now.’ It’s funny, because I don’t think it was a time when there were a lot of people relocating to Jacksonville.”
Looking back on Downtown development since then, Gordon pointed to a number of projects and events that have been established. Among them are the Riverfront Plaza park on the site of the demolished Jacksonville Landing, the UF campus project, the Sip & Stroll event series on the Southbank Riverwalk and the discontinued Jax River Jams concert series.
“I really do think Downtown Vision is in a better place, and Downtown Jacksonville is in a better place” than it was in 2015, he said. “I believe in leaving a place better than you found it, and I really think we did that with the organization and also with Downtown.”
Gordon has been a visible leader of DVI, appearing at Downtown events, speaking at Council meetings and representing Jacksonville at conferences in other cities.
He is known partly for his style of dress, which includes sneakers with suit jackets.
The announcement of his departure is the second significant personnel change for DVI and its 13-member staff in recent months. In April, Laura Phillips Edgecombe joined the organization as vice president of urban systems.
Edgecombe’s previous roles included principal for Downtown open spaces at the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and co-founder of Build Up Downtown. She is the immediate past president of the JAX Chamber Downtown Council board and a member of The Florida Theatre’s board.
Hired in 2015 after a national search, Gordon came to Jacksonville after serving in economic development roles in New Jersey. Before that, he was an associate attorney for the O’Melveny & Myers LLP law firm in Los Angeles.
At DVI, he oversaw an organization that promotes and advocates politically for Downtown while also facilitating events, producing research and providing maintenance, beautification, security and hospitality through its Downtown Ambassador program.
DVI is funded primarily by Downtown property owners through a property tax self-assessment. Established by City Council in 2000, DVI is a 501(c)6 nonprofit business association and a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
Gordon said he had not determined his next step beyond DVI.
“I knew it was the right time for me right now, but there’s a little bit of bittersweetness that I can’t be around for all this stuff,” he said, referring to openings of projects on the horizon. “I think I’m going to really appreciate seeing it every time a big project opens Downtown. It’s just so great to see.”
He said he viewed his departure “like a baton I’m passing off to the next person that’s going to take it to the next level up.”