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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
THE MATHIS REPORT
UF Health says interim leader has not been named
Hanania has contract to Daily Record buy Stein Mart building JACKSONVILLE
CEO Dr. Leon Haley Jr. died July 24 in a personal watercraft accident.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
building Downtown to put a name on it. Hanania said July 25 he hopes it encourages others to do the same, saying such investment indicates to outside companies that local Hanania investors are willing to put money into the community. “It will help stimulate more Downtown projects,” he said. Hanania and investment partner Joe Hassan
Following the sudden death of UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley Jr., the hospital said July 26 the situation is uncertain and an interim leader has not been named. UF Health Jacksonville spokesman Dan Leveton said in an email UF Health leaders in Gainesville and Jacksonville likely would make the decision this week. A memorial service has not been scheduled. Haley died in a personal watercraft accident July 24 in Palm Beach, according to a July 25 statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Haley Commission. University of Florida College of Medicine Dean Colleen Koch said in a July 25 message to the school that more information would be available soon on how the university plans to honor Haley. Haley became the first black CEO of UF Health Jacksonville in January 2018. He joined the college in 2017 as the dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville. A Pittsburgh native, Haley received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. Haley was appointed to serve on the JEA board of directors in 2020. He was a key leader in the city’s
SEE MATHIS, PAGE 3
SEE HALEY, PAGE 2
JACKSONVILLE
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The 10-story former Stein Mart headquarters at 1200 Riverplace Blvd. on the Downtown Southbank has 200,627 rentable square feet and an adjacent six-level, 525-space parking garage with covered access to the building.
The auto group owner wants to pay almost $21M for the structure and relocate his HQ there.
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Jacksonville-based Hanania Automotive Group owner and CEO Jack Hanania has a contract to buy the former Stein Mart building on the Downtown Southbank for $20.6 million. He intends to move his corporate headquarters there and put the Hanania name on the building. “I have a lot of passion for our Downtown and our community,” said Hanania, who grew up in Lakewood and lives in San Marco, both neighborhoods near the Southbank. “I think Downtown is poised to explode.” It also is the first time in memory that a single individual has purchased a high-rise
Jacksonville Icemen Igloo renovations to begin The city issued a permit July 23 for initial work toward converting the Jacksonville Ice & Sportsplex into the Jacksonville Icemen Igloo for the city’s professional hockey team. The Igloo, at 3605 Philips Highway, is part of San Marco East, at Interstate 95 and Emerson Street. Bluewater Builders Inc. of Coral Springs is the contractor and Chiodini Architects of St. Louis, Missouri, is the architect for the estimated $400,000 project for demolition and interior structural work. Icemen President Bob Ohrablo said at a news conference March 30 that construction will start in August and take 10 to 12 months.
VOLUME 108, NO. 177 • ONE SECTION