Will Duval School Board cash in on riverfront HQ property? New superintendent revives question
Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | By Steve Patterson | September 19, 2024
The Duval County School Board’s headquarters just might be moving, after all.
Six months after the board rejected other locations it had considered, recently hired Superintendent Christopher Bernier told members he wants to look for a real estate firm to sell the school district’s administrative offices on Prudential Drive and find a building inspector to assess potential replacement sites.
“The Southbank of this river is developing and there are people very interested in where we sit as it relates to the greater good of the Jacksonville community,” Bernier told members during a workshop Tuesday.
The Duval County Public School building on the Southbank of the St. John’s River.
School district Chief of Staff Michael Ramirez said an invitation to negotiate for a commercial real estate firm to represent it could be issued as early as next week.
A contract for that work might be awarded by December, he said, with discussions early next year about what the district would need in a new headquarters.
This 2021 photo shows sirt work being done on Southbank property near the Duval County School boards administration offices on Prudential Drive. School district officials want to restart efforts to sell its property and move to another location.
The idea of moving off the river has raised “significant stakeholder interest” as far back as 2006, Ramirez noted during the workshop, but finding a proper replacement for the 43-year-old waterfront headquarters has proven to be an obstacle.
The board agreed in 2020 to formally explore moving to a new building but in March turned down the last two choices on a list of alternatives developed through another invitation to negotiate.
Both of those alternatives involved long-term leases that the board concluded weren’t feasible given the district’s uncertain financial future and choices about consolidating schools as enrollment changes.
Bernier, who took office in July, outlined steps toward a real estate deal that board member Lori Hershey described as “more thoughtful and more methodical” than the district’s last effort.
People gathered at the Schultz Center to discuss issues involving youth depression and suicide in this 2016 photo. Duval County school district property around the center could be considered for housing some district offices now on the city’s Southbank.
The superintendent said district staff have already been told to look for ways that existing district buildings might be repurposed to cut costs of replacing the Southbank property. One area Bernier described as “potentially available” is district property around the Schultz Center, a conference venue on Boulevard Center Drive near the St. Nicholas area.
Board members and Bernier agreed some discussion should happen between the district and the city about any financial incentives that might be avaialble to help keep the district headquarters downtown.
The superintendent said getting a real estate firm signed is a necessary first step to begin making plans that are financially sensible.
“We need someone to run comps for us,” Bernier said. “I’ve received other comparable, comparison offers, I’ve received other details from other individuals, but they’re not run necessarily in the school board’s best interest. We need someone on board to look at the comparable market to set an asking price for this building.”
