Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 135 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Early support mixed for slots
Study shows close to $5.7 annually for city and 1,500 jobs By David Chapman Staff Writer When bestbet Jacksonville opened in 2012, Al Ferraro wasn’t a City Council member. He lived in Arlington near Regency, where the state’s largest poker room opened. He wasn’t a fan. He didn’t want gambling in his neighborhood, fearing it would deteriorate. “I was 100 percent against it,”
he said Thursday. So much so that he went to every meeting they had to oppose it. However, four years later, none of the things he feared would happen actually did. He admits he was wrong. Now the District 2 council member, Ferraro says he’s neutral on the idea of expanding bestbet’s gaming to include slot machines.
“I’m not for it or against it at this point,” he said, “but I am open to listening.” He and other council members will do plenty of listening on the topic in the weeks ahead after Aaron Bowman introduced a bill Wednesday calling for a referendum to allow slots in Duval County at eligible facilities. It would take council’s OK followed by voter approval and a favorable ruling in a case being
heard by the Florida Supreme Court to make the proposition a reality. But unlike last time when he was staunchly against the idea of gambling, Ferraro is ready to debate it. He wants to hear how slot machines would impact the city budget, not just by how much but also where any revenue would be spent. SLOTS CONTINUED ON PAGE A-3
Ferraro
5 Wawa locations are under contract
Curry shares story to prep kids for next year
Special to the Daily Record
By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor
Molly Curry was a guest reader this week at St. Pius V Catholic School. Curry, wife of Mayor Lenny Curry, read “I’m Going to Kindergarten” to a prekindergarten class.
Celebration adding Westside campus
Celebration Church is preparing to buildout a new Westside campus, expanding the ministry reach of the Jacksonville-based church to a fourth area location. Omega Construction Services is listed as the contractor for the $2.5 million project to renovate almost 65,000 square feet at 6500 Youngerman Circle in Southwest Jacksonville. Alex Castro, design and building director for Celebration Church, said Omega is providing pre-construction services. There will be a formal bid to invite contractors for the job. He expects the project to be completed in six months to a year. “Our heart’s desire is in the next six months,” Castro said. He said the church wants to put in a
Public
1,200- to 1,400-seat sanctuary “and really try to impact the whole Westside community.” Castro said the church has been looking at the site for a while. It will lease the structure with an option to purchase. Pastors Stovall and Kerri Weems established Celebration Church of Jacksonville in 1998 after moving from Baton Rouge, La.
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It began in leased space in the Baymeadows and Deerwood area. The main campus, Celebration Arena, is at 9555 R.G. Skinner Parkway, off Baymeadows Road and Interstate 295. Celebration Church of Jacksonville Inc. bought that 28-acre site in 2005. The 74,140-square-foot church and arena was built in 2012. It owns its Deerwood campus and leases its locations in Orange Park and Julington Creek. It bought the Deerwood campus in late 2006 and was based there until the move to the arena. Castro said attendance in the three locations is about 10,000 every weekend. The church also has campuses in Orlando, Zimbabwe and Northern Ireland. MATHIS CONTINUED ON PAGE A-2
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Wawa Inc. has five Jacksonville area locations under contract for its first wave of development — and deals are out on several more. Brian Duke, regional real estate manager for the Pennsylvania-based chain, said Thursday contracts are out for another six to eight sites and there will be more. Duke spoke after the Jacksonville Planning Commission approved a rezoning request for a vacant 2.7-acre site at southeast Beach Boulevard and Central Parkway. Ordinance 2016-297 is in City Council review. The commission approved the rezoning from Industrial Business Park to Planned Unit Development with two conditions concerning approval by the city traffic engineer for the access and for ground signs, calling for no more than one ground sign per road frontage. “This is the first site to go through the process in the city,” Duke Duke said. He said most of the five sites under contract are in Duval County, with a couple in Clay County. Wawa also is looking at St. Johns County. Wawa scheduled a June 9 event at the Main Library Downtown for invited city and development leaders and for media to introduce the chain and outline its Jacksonville-area development plans. The first location is a 6,100-square-foot gas station with a convenience store, 16 fueling stations and a car wash. Wawa expects 20 to 25 Northeast Florida stores, but Duke said the timeframe for development is undetermined. The first wave should open in 2017. He said site work and construction takes nine to 12 months. The company has more than 725 stores. It entered Florida in July 2012. With the grand opening Thursday of its first store in Brevard County, Wawa has 87 Florida locations. kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com @MathisKb (904) 356-2466
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