WEDNESDAY July 29, 2020
Public
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
JEA board to examine invoices in failed sale
Breweries, taprooms want to reopen Daily Record According to the Florida Brewers Guild, the state could lose 100 of its breweries in the next two weeks if the statemandated shutdown continues.
JACKSONVILLE
About $8.75 million of the more than $13 million cost of the invitation to negotiate will be reviewed.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
Lemonstreet Brewing Co. owner Joaquin Baez said he stands to lose his business and the $500,000 he personally invested in it if the state keeps breweries closed for on-premise consumption. Baez said he has been open for two weeks since shutdowns in March began. The rest of the time, he and other breweries, bars and taprooms have been open for to-go sales only. For Baez, that has meant 10% of his normal sales. “It’s hard to survive with that,” he said. On June 26, the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered any vendor licensed to only sell alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption to stop, allowing to go sales only. Businesses with a food license and an alcohol license may continue to operate. The intent of the order was to address “noncompliance by bars and other vendors” to the point where “individualized enforcement efforts” were “impractical and insufficient.” In the three weeks bars were open in Florida, customers and staff reported COVID-19 cases and infections spiked statewide. “We must forcefully flatten the curve,” said DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears in a June 26 tweet announcing the closures. But brewery and taproom owners across the state feel they were unnecessarily included in that
JACKSONVILLE
File photo
Lemonstreet Brewing Co. owner Joaquin Baez says he sees little difference between the atmosphere of a restaurant and a brewery. “How does food make service safer?” he says.
order. They argue the environments in their establishments are tamer and lend themselves to smaller crowds than a typical bar or nightclub. “We understand the intent of the order is to limit crowds and people being shoulder to shoulder,” said Jax Craft Beer bottle shop owner Joe Byrns said. “But if you’ve ever come into a bottle shop or a brewery, it’s very relaxed.” Baez said he does not see much of a difference between a brewery’s atmosphere and a restaurant’s atmosphere. “We cannot discern the difference between a brewery that sells beer and a restaurant that sells beer and food,” he said. “How SEE REOPEN, PAGE 2
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Jax Craft Beer owner Joe Byrns is working to add hot dogs to his draft and bottle shop in Mandarin so he can reopen.
The JEA board of directors took a step at its meeting July 28 toward settling invoices related to the proposed sale of the public utility that was terminated in December. According to a memo presented to the board by interim Managing Director and CEO Paul McElroy, JEA received invoices totaling more than $13 million for services rendered related to the invitation to negotiate that led to McElroy 16 companies expressing interest in purchasing JEA. Services comprise legal and consulting fees, engineering, banking, data management, public affairs and human resources. To date, $3.2 million has been paid. The board unanimously recommended paying an additional $1.5 million of the invoices. The board also recommended retaining outside counsel to review the remaining balance of about $8.75 million. The invoices that will be further reviewed include about $5.85 million from the Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Foley & Lardner, Holland & Knight and Milam Howard law firms and $2.9 million from the McKinsey & Co. management consulting firm. Also reviewed will be charges by firms retained by the law firms SEE JEA, PAGE 2
Plans filed for Dennis + Ives Developer Arch Partners LLC filed civil engineering plans with the city July 20 for its proposed Dennis + Ives development at 1505 Dennis St. near Downtown in the Rail Yard District. Arch Partners intends to start with a first phase of 29,280 square feet of creative office space and a separate cafe. The second phase comprises the remaining redevelopment of the former Caribbean Cold Storage building. Dennis + Ives is designed to be anchored by creative office space, a brewhouse-taproom or distillery, a full-service restaurant, a cafe and outdoor event space.
VOLUME 107, NO. 179 • ONE SECTION