Daily Record Financial News &
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 163 • Two Sections
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Two Doors Down seeks new site Two Doors Down Restaurant is on the move. Literally. The Brooklyn restaurant popular with elected officials, business executives, construction workers and neighborhood residents, needs to relocate because Norman Abraham leases the site and the block is slated to be sold. His lease will be terminated Dec. 29, but he could move sooner if he finds a site. And he’s looking. “We have our own equipment. We are willing to move it, and that helps,” he said. Abraham wants a site in Brooklyn, LaVilla or Riverside that can
Abraham
Talks on HRO may follow budget
accommodate a 5,000-square-foot restaurant that can seat 125 diners, along with plenty of parking, at least 40 spaces. “Parking is the main thing,” Abraham said. Wherever he lands, there probably will be a downtime of 30-40 days for the move. Ware Family Realty LLC owns the 400 block of Park Street,
where Two Doors Down leases a building. Abraham officially was notified Monday he will need to move, although he has been aware that the decision was possible. Abraham said he and former owner Walter Ware, who died in 2013, discussed the lease terms when the restaurant opened in July 2009. “They knew that at some point they would sell it. I took a chance, he took a chance. It lasted almost seven years. They’ve lived up to their end and I lived up to mine,” Abraham said. Abraham said the sale of the
property is anticipated later this year. He referred questions about the prospective buyer to Ware trustee Chris Ware, who declined comment. Two Doors Down shares the 400 block with another business and part of Johnstone Supply. Chris Ware, Walter Ware’s son, owns most of the 500 block, which he purchased from the family trust this year. He is renovating and consolidating the Johnstone heating, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment functions there that serve area contractors. Mathis continued on Page A-2
Poll: City has most LGBT residents in state
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Starting a new life in a new country Italian motorcycle builder Fabrizio “Sugar” Favre opened a shop in Jacksonville in May, realizing his dream of coming to the United States. He’s pictured with a Honda Gold Wing he built as a memorial to a friend. See his workspace on Page A-6.
Hillwood ‘in the black’ at AllianceFlorida
By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor
Developer Hillwood Investment Properties reports the February sale of the GE Oil & Gas plant property marked a milestone at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center. Hillwood’s first-quarter report to the city, released Monday, said the monetization of the building put AllianceFlorida “into the black” from a profit-and-loss standpoint and allowed it to deliver an additional-consideration check of about $1.5 million to the city. Dallas-based Hillwood is the city’s master developer at Cecil Commerce Center, a former naval air station. Hillwood is under contract for a building development schedule at the Westside business park.
legal notices begin on page
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Special to the Daily Record
There aren’t federal anti-discrimination laws explicitly for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. There aren’t any Florida laws, either. But if Jacksonville’s elected officials want to include sexual orientation and gender identity in anti-discrimination laws, they can, according to a legal review released Tuesday. It’s a main point in the 19-page review issued by the Office of General Counsel, which studied discrimination laws at the behest of Mayor Alvin Brown. In April, Brown said he wanted all federal, state and local discrimination laws reviewed to help City Council have all available information it needs. Council in 2012 rejected an anti-discrimination ordinance that would have added language for sexual orientation and gender identity. Brown didn’t take a public stance during those discussions. “It remains to the discretion of Jacksonville lawmakers whether LGBT antidiscrimination laws are appropriate,” the report by city General Counsel Jason Gabriel states. And there’s a new wave of officeholders starting today. The office of new Mayor Lenny Curry released a statement shortly after the review was released, saying the mayor, staff, council and others will be able to review it going forward. “As we have said, on any issue that relates to Jacksonville’s future, Mayor-elect Curry will lead an inclusive discussion among all stakeholders as we chart a path forward,” Curry spokesman Bill Spann said Tuesday. New council President Greg Anderson said Tuesday afternoon he hadn’t had the chance to read the report and refrained from comment until he had the opportunity to review it. Others in the community had, though.
Photo by Bobby King
By David Chapman Staff Writer
A rendering of the GE Oil & Gas plant at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center.
The city’s September 2010 agreement with Hillwood contains built-in performance benchmarks and provides for the city to receive a portion of Hillwood’s net proceeds from development. Hillwood bought the GE Oil & Gas
Published
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site from the city in August 2013 for $294,290 and then developed a speculative 510,000-square-foot structure. It sold the 40-area property and building to a San Diego investor in February for Hillwood continued on Page A-2
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