Since 2020, former Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera’s family company has developed and sold three Jacksonville industrial parks, filed plans for another and now appears to be exploring an additional project in North Jacksonville.
City utility JEA issued a service availability determination letter March 2 for Airport Industrial Park West to comprise two warehouses on a 35.31-acre site between Pecan Park Road and International Airport Boulevard, east of Jacksonville International Airport.
A JEA request means a project is being explored. The request does not specify the size of the warehouses.
Engineering, planning and environmental firm GAI Consultants Inc. is the applicant for the request.
The deals are grounded with Coral Gables-based Pan American Cos., which PanAmGroup.com says was founded in 1990 as a full-service real estate development and investment firm for projects throughout South Florida. It says it now is the second-largest industrial land developer in Miami-Dade County.
Lopez-Cantera, as executive vice president, leads Pan American’s Industrial Development Division and is responsible for all aspects of project development, including contract negotiations, entitlements processes and construction management. He has been part of the organization since 1998.
In general, Pan American creates limited partnerships to buy properties and limited liability companies to serve as their general partner. Lopez-Cantera is one of the managers of those LLCs.
So far, at least five are involved in Jacksonville deals.
In North Jacksonville, Pan American, through Jax Industrial Four Ltd., acquired the Airport Industrial Park West property in 2022 for $494,000 through a special warranty deed from Prudential Enterprises Inc.
Pan American Jax 4 LLC, whose managers include Lopez-Cantera, is the general partner of the limited partnership.
The site is directly west of International Airport Boulevard from JAX Airport Logistics Center, which Pan American sold in January. It originally was referred to as Airport Industrial Park East.
Lopez-Cantera’s company bought the property in October 2022 and completed two warehouses of almost 229,000 and 204,000 square feet in 2025.
Through Jax Industrial Three Ltd., Lopez-Cantera’s group sold the 30.18-acre logistics center at 14825 International Airport Blvd. to CIP Real Estate in Irvine, California, on Jan. 6, 2026, for $53.86 million.
A Colliers real estate team led by Executive Vice President Guy Preston in Jacksonville represented Lopez-Cantera in the sale and now handles project leasing.
Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed Lopez-Cantera as lieutenant governor in January 2014, succeeding Jennifer Carroll, who resigned in 2013. Voters elected Lopez-Cantera to a full term with Scott in November 2014, serving 2015-19.
Since his term in state government ended, Lopez-Cantera also has been involved in three more Jacksonville projects in addition to JAX Airport Logistics Center and Airport Industrial Park West.
The names are not connected with a specific project, but Lopez-Cantera’s company is pursuing development of a business project in Westside.
Pan American Group Inc. filed civil engineering plans with the city Jan. 5 for Westlake Parcel 14 and 15 in Westlake Industrial Park.
England-Thims & Miller Inc. of Jacksonville is the civil engineer.
Plans show a proposed 617,760-square-foot building on 58.28 acres along Pritchard Road. The site is part of a larger piece of property, 265.6 acres, west of the BJ’s Wholesale Club distribution center.
The ETM report filed with the city says Pan American Group Inc. proposes the development of a 58-acre site east of the intersection of Cisco Drive West and Pritchard Road.
The Colliers commercial real estate team in Jacksonville will represent that project, called Westlake Logistics Center.
Westlake Land Management Inc., part of Norfolk Southern Corp. of Atlanta, owns Westlake Industrial Park, which is west of I-295 and north of I-10.
Lopez-Cantera could not be reached for comment.