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Northeast Fla., Jacksonville Business Briefs - June 2008
CLAY COUNTY
Preliminary findings in a countywide Quality of Life Indicator Study showed only 27% of residents “very satisfied” and 49% of residents “somewhat satisfied” with the overall quality of life in the county. Residents said the small town/laid back atmosphere is what they like best. Overwhelmingly, they most disliked traffic congestion and inadequate public transportation. The county is recruiting residents to help establish a long-term indicator project similar to the Jacksonville Community Council’s.
JACKSONVILLE
» As part of Mayor John Peyton’s anti-crime initiative, more than 100 community leaders met throughout the spring to make recommendations for law enforcement, safety, education, intervention and rehabilitation. Their work is now the subject of town hall meetings throughout the community. Implementation and funding get under way this summer.
» The non-profit group American Rivers put the St. Johns River on its 10 “Most Endangered Rivers” report, citing the threat of proposed water withdrawals in central Florida to the river’s estuarine system in northeast Florida.
» CSX Corp. (NYSE-CSX) posted record first-quarter revenue of $2.7 billion, up 12% from a year earlier. Profit soared 63% to $351 million, attributed to increased shipments of ethanol, grain and coal. Meanwhile, the company, along with four other railroads, is the target of a federal antitrust lawsuit by agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland, which accuses the carriers of conspiring to increase fuel surcharges regardless of market fluctuations.
» Jacksonville’s Hassan & Lear Acquisitions launched a $59-million joint venture with private equity firm Carlyle Group to acquire and remediate brownfields throughout the Southeast. Its first acquisition: A 1,800-acre parcel in Clay County.
» Jacksonville officials are working to land a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station. The coveted carrier is one of 13 alternatives laid out by the Navy for basing an assortment of ships at the 3,400-acre facility at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Another alternative leaves Jacksonville with no new ships. The Navy is expected to release its preferred option by the end of the year. Jacksonville officials said the feds would spend as much as $400 million locally if the nuclear carrier lands on the First Coast.
» Michigan-based Schafer Development sold its 75-acre New Berlin Commerce Park to Georgia-based Oakmont Real Estate, which plans to develop a 386,000-sq.-ft., LEED-certified industrial complex. Also in Jacksonville, Schafer is developing Main Street Commerce Park, an 810,000-sq.-ft. industrial and distribution park serving Jaxport.
OCALA
Gainesville developer Billy Scheel, principal investor in Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille and other properties, is finishing a $1-million renovation of the old Reno’s steakhouse on Ocala’s downtown square. Scheel and his partners are bringing in a second location of Mark’s Prime, a popular, high-end steakhouse in Gainesville. >> Duratek Precast Technologies, a maker of precast concrete walls, plans to build a 120,000-sq.-ft. plant at Ocala International Airport Industrial Park. The move will bring 150 jobs to the area.
ST. AUGUSTINE
Skybus Airlines, the Columbus, Ohio-based carrier that brought cheap flights into St. Augustine and 14 other cities around the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Rising fuel costs and a slowing economy “proved to be insurmountable,” says CEO Michael Hodge.
