THURSDAY
Shad Khan: Hotel will elevate Downtown that’s gone downhill
December 16, 2021
PAGE 5
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JASON TEAL
Daily Record LEADER OF JACKSONVILLE
THE CITY’S LAW FIRM
Photo by Dan Macdonald
Pete’s Bar, at 117 First St. in Neptune Beach, opened soon after the end of Prohibition in 1933.
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JACKSONVILLE
More than 40 attorneys represent Jacksonville’s consolidated government in all areas except criminal defense and immigration. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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Photo by Max Marbut
City General Counsel Jason Teal has been an attorney for the city of Jacksonville for more than 21 years.
ith 44 lawyers and more than 20 support staff, the city Office of General Counsel is one of Jacksonville’s larger law firms. Its client is the consolidated government. The attorneys in the office specialize in all practice areas except criminal defense and immigration law, but much of their work happens behind the scenes. “We get into areas a lot of people don’t think about. I think of us as the most high profile, under-the-radar law firm in the city,” said Jason Teal, whose appointment as the city’s top lawyer was confirmed Oct. 26 by City Council. Teal, 51, a city of Jacksonville lawyer for more than 21 years, succeeds former General Counsel SEE TEAL, PAGE 8
What’s ahead for Pete’s Bar After many rumors, the smoke has settled and the new owner of the Neptune Beach landmark offers insight into its future. BY DAN MACDONALD STAFF WRITER
When word leaked Dec. 13 that Pete’s Bar had been sold, rumors of its demise were as thick as the perpetual cigarette smoke cloud that lingers near its ceiling. Pete’s Bar, at 117 First St. in Neptune Beach, has closed for a week to allow time for the new owners to install two additional well bars to increase serving efficiency. It plans to reopen Dec. 22 or 23. When it does, owners said changes will be hard to find. Pierre’s LLC of Jacksonville Beach bought Pete’s Bar, an 80-year-old landmark watering hole that opened right after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, from Etienne Lagniappe Inc. of Jacksonville at a cost of $8 million to $10 million, according to Robert Tilka, one of the partners in Pierre’s LLC. He declined to disclose the SEE PETE’S, PAGE 8
THE MATHIS REPORT
Scooter’s Coffee plans for Northeast Florida Plus: Wawa adding two locations. PAGE 4 VOLUME 109, NO. 23 • TWO SECTIONS