Daily Record Financial News &
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 112 • One Section
Photo from news4jax.com
Out of the ashes Olive Garden, and that soup, are back in Arlington after January 2014 fire
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Feeling sick Downtown? New clinic opening Facility should see patients by July 1
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Flanked by members of his staff, Terry Nolan, the Regency Olive Garden general manager, speaks during the restaurant’s reopening ceremony Monday. Nolan’s restaurant career began as a busboy with the company in 1978. The Arlington restaurant was destroyed by fire in January 2014, top.
Photo by Kevin Hogencamp
By Kevin Hogencamp Contributing Writer LaShaun Daniels’ life is back in order now; the Regency Olive Garden is open and Zuppa Toscana soup is still on the menu. For about two decades before being destroyed by fire in January 2014, the Italian eatery at 9465 Atlantic Blvd. was a lunchtime staple for Daniels. “They always have treated me excellent here and this soup, well, there’s nothing like it, anywhere,” Daniels said of the Olive Garden’s creamy broth with spicy Italian sausage, kale and russet potatoes. “I tried to make it one time at my house, but it wasn’t the same,” she said. Daniels, who lives about five minutes away, was among dozens of early birds on hand when the Regency restaurant’s doors opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. The rebuilt eatery is among the first to feature the Orlando-based Darden Restaurants Inc. chain’s new prototype. Nationwide, the Fortune 500 firm is investing up to $180 million in its Olive Garden transformation. “It’s a great feeling to be back and the place looks great,” server Erika Hernandez said after taking Daniels’ soup, salad and bread sticks order. She has worked at Olive Garden for 13 years. The new 7,930-square-foot Regency restaurant, which is smaller than its predecessor, seats 240 people. It has about 150 employees, including nine who worked at the River City Marketplace location in north Jacksonville, and six who have worked at other Darden restaurants since the fire. Lindsey Brock, the JAX Chamber‘s Arlington Council president, said Monday the rebuilt restaurant is a shot in the arm for the area. “There were many voices that cried out Olive Garden... Continued on Page A-3
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A walk-in medical clinic with a location in Jacksonville Beach is planning to open a second treatment center Downtown. First Stop Urgent Care Clinic has leased space along West Adams Street in The Elks Building. Jenkins Construction Inc. applied for a permit to build out the 772-square-foot space at a cost of $104,356. Practice Administrator Mandy Gast said the clinic should open by July 1. Preliminary hours will be 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, but the schedule may be adjusted based on demand from Downtown residents and workers, she said. According to the clinic’s website, firststopurgentcareclinic. com, the clinic is owned by Alexis Vazquez, a former professional tennis player who attended medical school at Nova Southeastern University. He is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, the website Vazquez said. Vazquez completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and was an assistant professor at UF Health Jacksonville. He is affiliated as a pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Baptist Health Beaches and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. The clinic at 1230 Third St. S. in Jacksonville Beach provides treatment for common illnesses such as colds, flu, allergies, earaches and bladder infections. Minor injuries such as burns, cuts, insect bites and splinters also are treated. Education- and employment-related physical examinations, immunizations, pregnancy evaluation and wellness visits are listed as services available. mmarbut@jaxdailyrecord.com @DRMaxDowntown (904) 356-2466
Law firms standing tall at BofA Tower
As Downtown supporters yearn for more investment in the core city, they can look to law firms to invest in renovations in the city’s tallest building — the Bank of America Tower. One firm, Holland & Knight, is wrapping up a $2.2 million renovation, not including technological upgrades, while Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough is preparing to start a $500,000 build-out that likely will end up higher when furnishings and other interior work is included.
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And they’re not the only firms planning to upgrade their space at the 42-story Class A office building, built in 1990 and the newest high-rise Downtown. Jenny Wilkes, property manager for landlord Hertz Jacksonville One, said at least two more law firms are preparing to file renovation plans there. “That’s a good sign,” she said. “Keeping tenants in the building is a good thing.” Law firms are among the most prominent tenants at the tower,
legal notices begin on page
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accounting for more than a third of its space. Wilkes said 15 law firms lease a total 225,000 square feet, or 34 percent, of the 660,000-squarefoot building. The Holland & Knight law firm is renovating its three floors,
while Nelson Mullins will move from about 10,000 square feet it subleases on the 28th floor to the full 13,700 square feet on the 41st floor, which gives it the highest view in the city. Nelson Mullins also has the option to expand to the 42nd floor, which features a conference center and the closed Skyline Dining cafe. Wilkes said tenants can use the space for meetings. Managing Partner Daniel Nunn said previously the firm has 10 lawyers, one associate and
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four staff positions in Jacksonville. It plans to grow to about 20 lawyers in the next 18 months to two years. Building plans show at least 13 partner offices, seven associate offices and three paralegal offices as well as conference and break rooms and a club room. Wilkes said Nelson Mullins should move into its larger offices by Aug. 1, and one of the other firms planning a renovation should complete it by that Mathis... Continued on Page A-4
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