Friends, Colleagues, Partners:

Yesterday evening (11/7/23) I attended a presentation at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce delivered by Jake Gordon, the CEO of Downtown Vision, Inc., here in Jacksonville.  He presented the 2023 State of Downtown Report to a room packed full of mostly young professionals (including me).  Needless to say, it was the first time I had met Jake and heard about absolutely everything in terms of master plans and projects both currently underway and planned for the north bank and the south bank.  Jake did an absolutely outstanding job at presenting and he carried tremendous energy and excitement about downtown Jacksonville!

Up until this point, I have largely dwelt and worked in the suburbs of Jacksonville and its beautiful beaches.  I currently work and reside on what I call the “west side” of Jacksonville, yet I try to find reasons to go downtown as much as possible.  I grew up in Jacksonville, so it is easy for me to have strong opinions about the city and the downtown development progress/plan.  I know there are a lot of people working very hard with city to make downtown a place that is safe, appealing, clean, and livable, as well as a destination for tourism, hospitality, and entertainment.

I could not help but consider my own role in real estate as a broker here in Jacksonville.  I have not been involved with any land acquisitions in the downtown area (quite yet).  Much of the space seems to be spoken for.  So, I help both individual lot buyers as well as large acreage acquisition groups find locations for development typically outside the downtown urban core.  I also help value and market land sites for owners and sellers who might want out of their current land investment situation.  My company is only about six months old, but I have helped buyers and sellers from central Florida to northeast Florida.

I am willing to get involved with downtown growth, planning, and development if there is a group that would want to work with our company, but I am certainly not exactly the political type.  That said, there is tremendous opportunity here in Jacksonville.  Downtown might not be fully finished in the next, say, 20 years, but I seek to make an impact somehow in the community for the better.  With all of the discussions about converting office buildings to residential, you always must keep in mind highest and best use.  If that means tear down old buildings and build new ones, that could be a possibility.  If it means creating residential ownership downtown rather than forcing residents to rent, that could also be a possibility.

As the fourth quarter comes to an end and we enter the holiday season and the end of the year, keep our company in mind for anything land related, whether it be related to downtown Jacksonville’s land use or any other land needs throughout the state of Florida.  And if you happen to own some acreage somewhere and are considering an exit strategy, keep us in mind for finding a buyer and for opinions of valuation.

All the best,

-Adam