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CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: YOUR INSIGHT
THE MATHIS REPORT
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KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
GEM Products pursues expansion The Jacksonville-based boat and yacht supplies maker and distributor says business “is holding up well.”
Special to the Daily Record
Joe Carlucci, president of the San Marco Merchants Association, also co-owns Brightway, The Carlucci Agency with his brother, Matthew Carlucci Jr.
“The No. 1 thing a lot of these businesses need right now is money to keep things going,” says Joe Carlucci, president of the San Marco Merchants Association and co-owner of Brightway, The Carlucci Agency. BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
While Brightway, The Carlucci Agency hasn’t seen a hit from the coronavirus, co-owner Joe Carlucci says he’s worried about what will happen if closures continue long-term.
“We’re very closely tied to the housing market,” Carlucci said. “From what we’ve seen so far, people are still closing on homes but if this continues on, we don’t know how the housing market is going to play out. I don’t know if they’re going to continue to buy homes at the pace they normally do.” Carlucci owns the agency at 3535 Hendricks Ave. in San Marco with Matthew Carlucci Jr., his brother. It provides home, flood, auto and business insurance. Some clients have called to cancel their policies or request delays on payments. The agency can’t grant those requests itself, so it is submitting them to the insurance companies.
KEEPING CLOSE – FROM A DISTANCE Since March 13, city event venues, stores, restaurants, malls, entertainment centers, churches and businesses shut down and laid off workers or sent them home to telecommute to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Daily Record will report how local small business owners are dealing with the imposed social isolation.
SEE CARLUCCI, PAGE 2
GEM Products Inc., which makes stainless steel marine and hardware supplies for boat and yacht builders, is moving forward with expansion plans in Flagler Center. “We shall see what the virus hangover looks like. Nobody knows,” GEM Products President and CEO Matthew Bridgewater said by email Bridgewater April 19. While yachts are subject to recessionary trends, Bridgewater said Jacksonville-based GEM Products “is holding up well.” “While many boat builders shut down for a few weeks, most are now planning to reopen soon. We will welcome that and we are ready to support them,” he said. Bridgewater said its retail SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
Construction permit for San Marco Bearded Pig The city issued a permit April 16 for the $1.42 million construction of the new Bearded Pig BBQ restaurant in San Marco. Course Contracting LLC will build the 5,417-square-foot building at 1808 Kings Ave. EnVision Design + Engineering LLC is the civil engineer. The Bearded Pig announced in November it had outgrown its space at 1224 Kings Ave. and that construction had begun 0.3 miles south at the new address. It said it would open the new location in late spring 2020 and remain operating at its existing site until then.
VOLUME 107, NO. 110 • ONE SECTION