Daily Record Financial News &
Vol. 103, No. 068 • Three Sections
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Finding highest and best use The Downtown Investment Authority is looking for professional input on the best way to use the city-owned land at the very tip of the Southbank. Wedged between the Main Street and Acosta bridges, the riverfront parcel includes tenants River City Brewing Co. and the Museum of Science and History. What does DIA want to know?
“Have we totally maxed out that property in the right way just with River City Brewery being there and just with MOSH?” CEO Aundra Wallace said. The DIA has asked the Urban Land Institute to conduct a TAP for the property. TAP stands for Technical Assistance Panel and is an advisory service ULI offers to help redevelop or revitalize districts. ULI assembles eight or nine of its members for a two-day session to study a site. The group typi-
cally includes real estate developers, planners, engineers, an attorney and a government official. They interview stakeholders, tour the area, answer questions and at the end, give recommendations based on what DIA wants to address. “We’ll tell them what the highest and best use is for the property and what they might want to do for future development,” ULI North Florida Executive Director Carolyn Clark said. Southbank continued on Page A-2
Special to the Daily Record
DIA to study options for city-owned Southbank site
By Carole Hawkins Staff Writer
The Museum of Science and History has been located on the Southbank for decades.
Council wrestles with deal for Keane Committee OKs compromise offer
Photo by Karen Brune Mathis
By David Chapman Staff Writer
Returning home to pursue her passion
Jacksonville artist Blair Hakimian stands in front of one of her art pieces at her Mandarin gallery and studio. “Oro” is aged gesso, acrylic and 24-carat gold leaf. She created it as the focal piece at her studio entrance, but it has found a corporate home. The 26-year-old artist returned to Jacksonville after receiving a fine arts degree from The George Washington University. See her workspace on Page A-7.
JEA planning solar policy changes By Max Marbut Staff Writer The business relationship between JEA and its customers who use solar panels to generate electricity brought about 50 advocates for solar energy to the utility’s board of directors meeting Tuesday. JEA is in the process of modifying its solar energy strategy, which includes the Net Metering and Distributed Generation Policies involving the utility buying excess power generated by private solar panel owners. When solar panels installed on homes or businesses generate more electricity than is needed, JEA collects the excess electrons through a two-way electric meter. Those
Public
electrons are then sent to JEA’s power grid. Solar system suppliers and owners are concerned that JEA purchases the excess electricity at wholesale prices, but charges customers the retail price for electricity the utility provides. The big question for JEA is the fair value of electricity generated by a private solar system compared to JEA’s cost to generate and deliver the same amount of electricity. Mike Anthiel, executive director of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, described JEA’s proposal under review as “an attack on residential solar.” Melissa Dykes, JEA chief financial officer, reported the utility has been working for a month with stakeholders, including the Sierra Club, U.S. Green Building Coun-
legal notices begin on page
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cil, local solar energy contractors and home energy designers to develop policies for net metering. That’s the process by which JEA bills customers for their net usage of electricity based on how much is supplied by the utility and how much is transferred to JEA by the customer’s solar system. Dykes said electricity can be generated by a home solar panel for about 25 percent of the cost of the same amount of electricity provided by JEA, taking into account the cost of generation plus infrastructure expenses. While the solar panel transfers excess electricity at its location directly into the grid, JEA’s costs include fuels used at JEA continued on Page A-3
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Bill Gulliford doesn’t like the position the City Council is in when it comes to settling the issue of John Keane’s retirement benefits. Neither does Lori Boyer. Or Aaron Bowman. Or John Crescimbeni. Or the other three members of council’s Finance Committee who had a decision to make Tuesday on the controversial issue. Keane is the now-retired administrator of the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund who spent 25 years at the helm. He’s scheduled to take home more than $234,000 annually in benefits, many accrued through a senior staff plan his board created that city attorneys later said was illegal. The situation hasn’t sat well with many council members — they sued last year on the matter. A settlement was before the group. One that cut Keane’s benefits a little more than 2 percent, or $6,000. It’s the amount Keane would have paid to the city for being in a general employee plan over the three years after the Keane senior staff plan was deemed illegal. For council members, it’s what to do, what to do. Begrudgingly hold their noses and push the approval button, ending a high-profile saga once and for all, maybe at the expense of angering parts of the community? Or continue to pursue the matter in court and take the chance for validation, perhaps risking more than $1 million in legal fees on the effort with no clear outcome? “I have wrestled with this one, folks,” Gulliford began the conversation Tuesday. “I understand both sides of the position.” The finance chair had done some calculations. If Keane had been in the general Keane continued on Page A-2
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