Hillwood Reports Prospect Wants Smaller Space at Alliance Florida
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WEDNESDAY September 30, 2020 PUBLIC LEGAL jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents NOTICES BEGIN ON PAGE 3 JACKSONVILLE Daily Record THE MATHIS REPORT Tim Baker’s JACKSONVILLE Hillwood reports prospect wants companies targeted in smallerDail space aty Alliance Re FloridacordJEA probe Attorneys leading the JACKSONVILLE city’s investigation produced a list of eight additional witnesses to interview before Dec. 31. BY MIKE MENDENHALL Daily RecordSTAFF WRITER KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR The City Council committee investigating JEA’s 2019 attempt “Positive discussions with JACKSONVILLE to privatize voted Sept. 28 to seek subpoenas for companies linked the prospect were ongoing,” to Mayor Lenny Curry’s former developer says in its political consultant Tim Baker. The Council Special Investiga- quarterly update to the city. tory Committee wants records from Baker’s consulting compa- Hillwood, the developerDail of Alliance- MORE HILLWOODy DEVELOPMENTSRecordnies Bold City Strategic Partners Florida at Cecil Commerce Center, told and Data Targeting Research LLC. the city Sept. 28 that it continues to AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center developer Hillwood also told the city The political consultant refused work with a prospect that wants to lease that during the second quarter, it: to provide the a 270,000-square-foot build-to-suit records dur- ■ facility at the West Jacksonville busi- Received and responded to an reporting period, discussions with the ing sworn tes- ness park. initial inquiry from an unidentified prospect were continuing. timony ear- The unidentified prospect initially prospect interested in leasing about lier this month ■ wanted a 500,000-square-foot cen- 200,000 square feet of industrial Continued discussions, which with Council’s ter when discussions began in March, space. Based on a list of preliminary started in February, with a prospect special counsel according to Hillwood’s second-quarter requirements from the prospect, interested in 350,000 to 400,000 Steve Busey. activity report to the city covering April Hillwood prepared a conceptual site square feet of industrial space. At the At issue is Baker 1-June 30. plan on Parcel P, which is at northeast end of the reporting period, Hillwood Baker’s work As the city’s master developer at Normandy Boulevard and POW-MIA was expecting to soon receive a re- for NextEra Energy Inc. subsid- Cecil Commerce Center, Dallas-based Memorial Parkway. At the end of the quest for proposal from the prospect. iary Florida Power & Light. Nex- Hillwood is required to file quarterly Era offered to pay $11.05 billion reports. for JEA in the city-owned utility’s “Hillwood received and responded to canceled invitation to negotiate an RFP from the prospect, after which development. It also evaluated storm- The project description said that issued in August 2019. Hillwood and the prospect exchanged water, wetland and title issues. along with the warehouse, there will be Busey wants to obtain commu- multiple proposals, including a reduc- The first-quarter report, released parking, truck storage and associated nications and Bold City’s contract tion in the building’s size to approxi- in June, followed Hillwood’s action in infrastructure. with FPL. Baker told Council mately 270,000 square feet,” Hillwood May to file civil engineering plans with Hillwood won a competitive bid in investigators during his deposi- wrote. the city to grade almost 63 acres for a 2009 to become the master developer of tion the consulting contract was “At the end of the reporting period, 517,510-square-foot distribution ware- the 4,474-acre Cecil Commerce Center, active from Dec. 21, 2017, through positive discussions with the prospect house on Parcel F. which is a portion of the former Naval July 31, 2019. were ongoing.” In those plans, Hillwood did not Air Station Cecil Field owned by the Baker gave a presentation dur- The site is on Parcel F along POW- identify a user or tenant for the build- city. ing a July 10, 2019, off-site JEA MIA Memorial Parkway. Hillwood ing, which was shown to be built in two Hillwood Senior Vice President Dan senior leadership team meeting at previously described the prospect as a phases. Tatsch said he had no comment beyond The Club Continental in Orange distribution facility. The property is at southwest POW- the report. Park. Plans were drafted there for Hillwood said it released civil, envi- MIA Memorial Parkway and Water- the resolution that JEA’s board of ronmental, geotech and topographic works Street, next to the JinkoSolar [email protected] directors would consider July 23, consultants to prepare due-diligence solar-panel manufacturing plant. The @MATHISKB reports in support of the potential city owns the land. (904) 356-2466 SEE JEA, PAGE 2 Patterson named UNF interim provost The University of North Florida named Karen Patterson interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs effective Oct. 1. Patterson will lead UNF’s academic affairs and oversee the university’s full-time faculty members and six colleges, according to a UNF news release. Patterson has been at UNF since 1999, most recently serving as the associate vice president for faculty development responsible for leading the Office of Faculty Enhancement. She also serves as co-chair of UNF’s Commission on Diversity & Inclusion. VOLUME 107, NO. 223 • ONE SECTION 2 JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 JaxDailyRecord.com JaxDailyRecord.comJACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 1 approval to interview former Council President Anna Lopez Brosche; Pub- JEA lic Financial Management Managing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Director Michael Mace; JEA Chief Legal Counsel Jody Brooks; former board chair, 2019, to issue the ITN. lobbyist and JEA employee Mike Hight- JACKSONVILLE JACKSONVILLE “We found in our investigation huge ower; interim JEA CEO Paul McElroy; ethics issues that should be investigated,” and a representative from the Holland & Busey said. “When you look at the fact Knight law firm. Daily Record Daily Record that Mr. Baker was under contract with Council member Ron Salem and FPL and participated during the cone of DeFoor asked attorneys to set up inter- silence period at that Club Continental views with past JEA board members who HOW TO REACH US HOW TO REACH US meeting on July 10, that raises why he was hired the later-fired CEO Aaron Zahn, JACKSONVILLE there and who was paying him to do what focusing on Camille Lee-Johnson. 121 W. Forsyth St., Suite 150, Jacksonville, FL, 32202 121 W. Forsyth St., Suite 150, Jacksonville, FL, 32202 raises huge ethical issues.” She delegated authority to Zahn to Phone: (904) 356-2466, Fax (904) 353-2628 Phone: (904) 356-2466, Fax (904) 353-2628 Busey added that a $7,500-per-month administer a canceled bonus plan tied Daily Record jaxdailyrecord.com jaxdailyrecord.com consulting contract with former city to the value of JEA that could have cost Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mou- ratepayers more than $600 million had ABOUT US ABOUT US sa by FPL to lobby Council members and the utility been sold. JACKSONVILLE signed the day of the ITN vote also raises Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Observer Media Group Inc. ethics concerns. BUDGET BUMP Observer Media Group Inc. Busey’s team Council President Tommy Hazouri Daily Record deposed Mousa under issued a memo Sept. 25 extending the Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit oath Aug. 27. committee’s work through Dec. 31. JACKSONVILLE “There’s just a fertile The committee unanimously approved Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County. Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County. field of ethics issues a $300,000 increase in Busey’s budget there and related pro- Sept. 28 to cover the cost of the time Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Downtown Jacksonville and key business nodes throughout Jacksonville. To find a DowntownDail Jacksonville and keyy business Re nodes throughoutco Jacksonville.rd To find a curement issues, the extension and additional interviews. location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations. Busey entire manner in which Council approved a $1.8 million cap for location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations. the ITN was handled, outside counsel in its JEA probe when it including the Club Continental meeting, voted Dec. 10 to hire Smith Hulsey & Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, and the degree to which the whole ITN Busey. real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local process was in large part masked from the The committee’s 3-0 vote increases and state government affects business. and state government affects business. public,” Busey said. the firm’s anticipated budget to $1.45 STAFF STAFF Baker invoked constitutional privileges million. as a defense for not releasing Bold City’s The city has paid $1.075 million for the Publisher / Matt Walsh Director of Advertising / Jay Lesowitz Publisher / Matt Walsh Director of Advertising / Jay Lesowitz contract and communications with FPL, investigation to date, according to the [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] according to Busey. general counsel’s office. Publisher Emeritus / James F.