WEDNESDAY October 9, 2019 jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
City considers hiring attorney in JEA sale PAGE 2 Public legal notices begin on page 4
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
D.H. Griffin applies for permit JACKSONVILLE to demolish Jacksonville Landing
Economic directors share their challenges
Daily Record
Representatives from areas surrounding Duval take part in a panel discussion sponsored by CREW Jacksonville.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY CAREN BURMEISTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Photos by Monty Zickuhr
Workers were operating equipment Tuesday at The Jacksonville Landing in preparation for its demolition. One of the “L’s” in the Jacksonville Landing sign is missing and BBVA Bank, the Landing’s final tenant, has closed.
The three-phase project will start with structures on the south side of the property near the St. Johns River. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. applied to the city Monday for a permit to demolish The Jacksonville Landing. The application shows D.H. Griffin will demolish the city-owned Landing in three phases, starting with buildings on the south side of the property closest to the St. Johns River. The second phase is the removal of pavement in the Landing’s courtyard area. The main building will be demolished in the final phase. SEE LANDING, PAGE 2
Regional economic development directors welcome growth in the Jacksonville metro area, but they’re frustrated about the lack of infrastructure, housing and workforce. Cathy Chambers, economic development manager with Florida Power & Light Co., moderated a panel discussion Oct. 1 at The River Club Downtown. About 100 people attended the program sponsored by CREW Jacksonville. Several of the directors spoke about Northeast Florida’s “huband-spoke” economic model, referring to Jacksonville as the central hub and the outlying counties as spokes. Health care dominates the region’s growing industries, followed by financial services, IT, logistics and advanced manufacturing. But the region’s economic directors are challenged to accommodate those industries. While Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties struggle with infrastructure, Clay County faces housing challenges and Nassau County lacks an adequate workforce. Here’s what the directors said:
NASSAU COUNTY
Signs from the city and D.H. Griffin announce the demolition inside the chain link fence that blocks the entrance to The Jacksonville Landing at 2 Independent Drive W. The fence is covered with banners promoting the Jazz Festival, air show and other area events.
Laura DiBella, executive director of the Nassau County Economic Development Board, said the health care industry is making huge advances. SEE CHALLENGES, PAGE 3
Derby House Diner in Five Points shuts down Derby House Diner, the former Derby on Park restaurant at 1068 Park St. in Five Points, announced Tuesday it has closed. Michael Schmidt, who co-owns the restaurant with Chad Munsey, said they closed the restaurant because they “were not getting the numbers, people were not coming in.” The restaurant opened June 17 and closed less than two weeks after its grand opening celebration. Schmidt and Munsey also own The Bearded Pig restaurant in San Marco and the Rec Room bar and arcade, also in Five Points.“We are going to focus on the Bearded Pig,” Schmidt said.
VOLUME 106, NO. 229 • ONE SECTION