Daily Record Financial News &
Friday, March 25, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 095 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Airbnb could boost tourism fund Talks underway for online company to pay Duval County bed tax
By David Chapman Staff Writer Jacksonville could be in line for a boost in tourism dollars once an agreement with popular online accommodations company Airbnb comes to fruition. The company serves as a “community marketplace” for people to list rooms, homes and even castles for rent. It has hundreds in Jacksonville. Those bookings, though, don’t collect Duval County’s 6 percent bed tax that is applied to traditional lodging like hotels.
Tax Collector Michael Corrigan was contacted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is working with Airbnb, seeking an agreement for the lodging company to begin collecting and remitting the tax. Jacksonville’s bed tax is equally divided three ways, with portions going toward the Duval County Tourist Development Council for marketing; paying off construction of EverBank Field; and overall improvements to the Sports Complex. Visit Jacksonville CEO Paul Astleford calls the Airbnb devel-
opment a promising way to grow the needed bed tax. The local tourism marketing arm is funded through such dollars. He said Airbnb has been willing to work with communities in an organized approach. It’s a positive step, given how popular the model has become. “In short order, Airbnb will be the largest hotel company in the world,” said Astleford. “We’ve known they are growing.” It’s what customers want, he said. Jacksonville needs to be able to provide that service, Astleford said. Otherwise, travelers might
end up looking elsewhere. “If you don’t heed the customer, you can watch your destination dwindle,” he said. But it also means playing by the same set of rules hotels do, which means paying Duval County’s bed tax. Christopher Nulty, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based company, in a statement said Airbnb is eager to work with officials in Duval County and across the state to collect and remit taxes. The business already has done so for nearly two dozen Airbnb continued on Page A-3
Brooks planning housing facility
It’s not just about
Photo by Max Marbut
how many spaces It’s more about
A parking garage is being proposed for this corner of Forsyth and Main streets, which is between three existing garages.
how close they are By Max Marbut Staff Writer A question sometimes may be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” When the question is whether a new parking garage is needed Downtown, the answer is “it depends” and “it could be a good idea.” That’s the reaction from people who find tenants to lease office space in the urban core and the opinion of a parking consultant who works with companies that are moving Downtown. Southeast Development Group is proposing construction of a 551-space parking structure at 28 W. Adams St., the current location of a surface parking lot owned and operated by the city. Southeast would use about half of the
Public
spaces for tenants at the former Barnett Bank building and would offer the rest for long- and short-term parking. Southeast retained Atlanta-based management company Parksimple to survey the level of interest in the garage project. According to Parksimple Vice President of Sales Robert Day, based on the response to the survey, there is “a lot of interest” in having more parking options for Downtown tenants. That’s not a surprise to Bob Retherford, senior leasing director at Cushman & Wakefield. “You need to have convenient and secure parking to lease office space Downtown,” Retherford said, adding it’s a topic that always comes up during lease negotiations. “It’s very important to critical” for poten-
legal notices begin on page
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Astleford
tial tenants, he added. Oliver Barakat, senior vice president and broker at CBRE, agreed. He’s also a member of the Downtown Investment Authority board of directors. “For office requirements, parking is one of the top-three criteria, he said. Barakat said not only does a Downtown tenant want enough spaces to lease, they have to be in the right location. “Typically, there is a ‘diameter of desirability.’ Closer is better,” he said. Retherford agreed, saying, “People don’t want to walk three or four blocks to their car.” Parking consultant Mark Rimmer is president of Realistic Transportation Alternatives Inc. He has worked with clients including Parking continued on Page A-3
Published
for
Brooks Rehabilitation patients and their families who aren’t from the area should have their own dedicated place to stay by year-end or early 2017. Brooks intends to start site work in April and construction in May on a $4 million, 40-bed extended-stay housing facility along Beach Boulevard, across the street from its rehabilitation hospital. The total investment is $6 million. The two-story project should be completed about seven months after construction starts. Fickling Construction Inc. is the contractor. Pond & Co. is the architect and McVeigh & Magnum Engineering Inc. is the engineer. Twenty-two percent of Brooks Rehabilitation’s patients come from outside the Jacksonville area, according to the healthcare organization. CEO Doug Baer said the majority of those have suffered from a traumatic injury or illness. “They are under an enormous amount of stress and are now traveling to an unfamiliar city for care,” Baer said in a statement. “Providing a temporary family housing option is our way of making their journey a little easier.” The building will feature fully furnished accessible units, a large community kitchen, laundry room, business center, small gym and an open floor plan with views of a large dining space. Brooks said the building is being designed to promote interaction among the families experiencing similar circumstances to create a support system. The housing will be available for a maximum 30-day stay. The lodging fee will be on a sliding scale based on a family’s ability to pay. Being next to the Brooks campus, the patients and their families will have immediate access to the facility’s programs Mathis continued on Page A-2
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