FRIDAY September 6, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record BUSINESS SWEET AT AMELIA TOFFEE Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JACKSONVILLE
DOT submits plans for Hart Bridge ramp removal Construction for the project is expected to begin in early 2020.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Special to the Daily Record
Founder and CEO Anita Comisky with her toffee products in Lucky’s Market. They are sold in stores across the country.
CEO Anita Comisky says the company “just started to explode” this year. BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
Amelia Toffee Co.’s “slow season” typically runs from January to October. The first six months of this year, however, have been anything but. At the start of 2019, its products were sold in 225 retailers across the country. Just six months later, Amelia Toffee was sold in more than 400 stores, a growth rate of 80%.
Anita Comisky, founder and CEO of the company, said getting her products into Whole Foods Market and Bealls, as well as larger, more frequent orders from customers, spurred that growth. Because of that, Amelia Toffee outgrew its space at Jax Kitchen, the rental kitchen space on Emerson Street. She plans to consolidate the company’s operations to a 2,200-square-foot space on Amelia Island in the Five Points Plaza on Sadler Road.
Production, storage, packaging, shipping and company operations will be in the same facility. The design will allow for streamlined production, packaging and easier access to dry storage and coolers. Comisky estimated she would add 10 to 15 positions to help with the increased production, including two in sales. One of those sales positions will be
The Florida Department of Transportation submitted its structural plans last week for the removal of the Hart Bridge ramp south of TIAA Bank Field. FDOT’s “Urban Core Riverfront Revitalization & Complete Streets: Hart Bridge Expressway & Talleyrand Connector” will remove the ramp at Liberty Street between Gator Bowl and A. Philip Randolph boulevards, bringing a portion of the expressway to street level. The proposed $38 million project will remove the physical barrier between parking Lot J near TIAA Bank Field and the Shipyards. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has proposed a $2.5 billion redevelopment of both sites, east of Berkman Plaza II to WJCT Studios, and south of Bay Street and Gator Bowl Boulevard to the St. Johns River. Khan and developer Jacksonville I-C Parcel One Holding Company LLC reached an agreement with the city July 31 on a $233.3 million package of taxpayer-backed incentives for the $450 million Lot J development. City officials say the Lot J project and the Hart Bridge ramp demolition are expected to begin in early 2020. The 425-page FDOT report includes plans for a new roadway alignment extending east from the intersection of East Bay Street and A. Philip Randolph Street. That will flow about 0.2 miles southeast of the intersection of Talleyrand Avenue and East Adams Street. The new at-grade traffic flow
SEE TOFFEE, PAGE 2
SEE RAMP, PAGE 2
Lovesac coming to Town Center The Lovesac Co. is bringing a furniture showroom for its e-commerce business to St. Johns Town Center. The 1,575-square-foot space is at 4828 River City Drive, No. 101, the former site of Swim ‘n Sport near Nordstrom. Lovesac, based in Stamford, Connecticut, is publicly traded. It says it is a direct-to-consumer specialty furniture brand with 79 retail showrooms supporting its e-commerce delivery model. Lovesac designs and sells foam-filled furniture, sectional couches and related accessories throughout the world.
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