Sporting Club Jacksonville will build a 15,000-seat stadium near St. John's Town Center to serve as a home for its Sporting JAX men's and women's soccer teams. The stadium and the full site will be part of a mixed-use sporting and entertainment district. Sporting JAX teams played their inaugural games in March.
Leading UNF
The University of North Florida named Angela Garcia Falconetti as its interim president as it continues its search for a new president.
Former president Moez Limayem became president of the University of South Florida in February.
Falconetti had been president of Polk State College in Polk County since 2017. She is a Jacksonville native and received a master's degree and a doctorate in educational leadership from UNF with specializations in instructional leadership, postsecondary education and adult learning. She also previously worked at UNF in several roles.
Falconetti says that she does not plan to apply for the permanent position as president.
HEALTH CARE
- AdventHealth will build a 12-bed emergency department in St. John's County that's set to open next year at the World Commerce Center in St. Augustine, where AdventHealth already operates a 3,000-sq-ft. clinic.
- Baptist Health is collaborating with Brooks Rehabilitation to build an 18-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. Baptist Health will own the facility, and Brooks will oversee day-to-day management. It will be the first inpatient rehabilitation facility within a Baptist Health hospital and will treat patients recovering from strokes and other neurological conditions. The unit will start seeing patients next spring.
- Tony Jenkins was named North Florida market president for Florida Blue. He succeeds Darnell Smith, who announced his retirement after 35 years with the company. Jenkins most recently served as Central Florida market president for Florida Blue.
- Harvey Dikter, the CEO of GuideWell Source in Jacksonville, will retire later this year. He has been with the administrative business solutions company for 21 years.
DEVELOPMENT
- The new Pearl Square area of Jacksonville has announced its first residential building, called Vandeveer. The building will include 205 apartments located above 22,000 square feet of retail space. The first residences are expected to be ready for move in by this summer.
- First Coast YMCA is operating a 6,000-sq.-ft. wellness center in the newly developing Jacksonville Shipyards neighborhood. It is the 16th YMCA branch for First Coast YMCA. Jacksonville Shipyards is also home now to the Jacksonville Jaguars team office and the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences.
AUTOMOTIVE
- Two Tesla properties in Gainesville and Kissimmee were sold to private buyers from New Jersey for a combined $49.47 million. The properties include sales, service and delivery facilities and were acquired from the development and investment firm O'Connor Capital Partners.
MERGERS
- Rayonier and PotlachDeltic shareholders approved the merger of the two companies. The company will keep the name Rayonier for now but may announce a different name. The combined company will have its headquarters in Atlanta but will maintain a presence in Wildlight in Nassau County as well as Spokane, Wash.
AI
- Urban SDK of Jacksonville has received $65 million in funding from Riverwood Capital of Menlo Park, Calif., to facilitate expansion. Urban SDK provides local and state governments with geospatial AI. The company has already worked with 300 civic leaders in 40 states.
TOURISM
- Daimler Coaches North America, a subsidiary of the Germany-based Daimler Buses, opened an 11-acre U.S. headquarters in Jacksonville in a 43,000-sq.-ft. facility. The facility houses 100 of its Tourrider motor coaches as well as administrative offices, a training center and a maintenance and service center.
CEO of Rebuilding
Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, a 25-year-old nonprofit group that focuses on rebuilding and repairing homes to make them safer, has entered the Jacksonville market. CEO Jose Garcia shares insights into his interests and background.
BACKSTORY: "I began my career in housing after moving to Washington, D.C., where I worked my way up to become executive director of the Latino Economic Development Corporation. That experience introduced me to the impact of affordable housing and community development. After relocating to Florida, I initially focused on the education component of housing, but I eventually transitioned into the preservation of affordable housing."
REWARDING MOMENT ON THE JOB: "Hearing directly from a homeowner after their repairs are complete. When they share their gratitude and relief, it reinforces why we do this work."
HOBBIES: "In my free time, I enjoy cigars and attending wine tastings on the weekends. I appreciate the opportunity to slow down, connect with others, and enjoy good conversation in a relaxed setting."
Rural Nursing
A new initiative from the University of Florida College of Nursing will expand nurse workforce experience and care in rural areas.
Through Elevating Care by Empowering Nurses, the college will connect nursing students with experienced UF nurses throughout their training, broaden its nurse residency program, expand simulation training and support nurse-led clinics in underserved areas.
The nurse residency program will focus on technical and leadership development and use virtual and augmented reality tools to build skills. Meanwhile, nurse-led rural health services, including UF Health Archer Family Health Care in Archer, will have expanded hours, more mental health services and more student involvement.
The initiative received $8.6 million from DeLuca Philanthropy and is the largest gift in the history of the College of Nursing.