Renderings: Florida Blue’s Forest Street Parking Garage

[vicupstate]

They should make it a Dog Park. That makes as much sense as the one on Main St across from the Library.

[JPalmer]

They should make it a Dog Park. That makes as much sense as the one on Main St across from the Library.

The John Gorrie dog park is a half mile from here.  No need for another dog park.

[KenFSU]

^Just want to again point out that it was a pretty dick move to boot all the homeless people out of the Main Street Pocket Park under the auspices of building a new dog park, only to have the property sit vacant for the 9 months since. I get the visual blight aspect, but those people had built a little community that wasn't hurting anyone. Booting them to build a new amenity for downtown? Fine. Booting them just for the sake of booting them? Don't like it.

[acme54321]

That homeless camp, err park, was a serious eyesore right on Main St.  As much as everyone claims otherwise, the homeless are a huge problem with the perception of downtown.  Did anyone actually think they were converting it to a dog park for any other reason?   

[KenFSU]

That homeless camp, err park, was a serious eyesore right on Main St.  As much as everyone claims otherwise, the homeless are a huge problem with the perception of downtown.  Did anyone actually think they were converting it to a dog park for any other reason?   

^I get it. I just think think it's tacky and a bit mean-spirited to put the silly orange plastic fencing around the park, have police officers tell all the homeless people that they're not allowed in the park anymore because of construction of the new dog park, and then literally let the site set empty for nine months and counting.

[Steve]

This is the challenge:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/guidewell-says-it-will-add-750-jobs-at-riverside-avenue-tower

If the DDRB pushes back, it will be seen as getting in the way of job growth, not as enhancing the environment for everyone, including the 750 new workers.

[thelakelander]

Easiest way to resolve the retail issue with the garage is not to alter it to include retail within the structure. The property is large enough to handle retail in another fashion without rising the cost of the garage or delaying its construction.

[KenFSU]

^For what it's worth, Guidewell decided on the move long before the agreement was in place on the garage.

I posted about it months ago, and GWC has already moved a ton of employees into temporary space off Baymeadows while work is done on the tower.

Not necessarily all net new jobs to the tower either.

I can't remember the exact company (I wanna say Black Knight), but a significant number of employees from another company that leases space in the tower are being displaced.
 

[Steve]

I can't remember the exact company (I wanna say Black Knight), but a significant number of employees from another company that leases space in the tower are being displaced.

I've heard that too. I think the idea is:

 - FIS gets out of the space in the tower at 601 Riverside and goes to the new building on the current Florida Blue parking lot
 - Black Knight moves out of the Florida Blue tower and back into the 601 Riverside
 - Florida Blue moves employees into the Tower

There definitely will be a net increase downtown among Florida Blue as well as FIS, though I believe some of the FIS folks will be coming from the Prudential Building on the Southbank (but there are some in the suburbs too I think).

Either way good for downtown. Now let's do a garage that actually works there.

[Captain Zissou]

I just drove down Riverside Ave and 5 or 6 women ran in front of my car from the FNF building to the Florida Blue building.  I couldn't read their badges, but they were way down by FNF and not even close to the crosswalk.  Drivers and these employees will appreciate the consolidation into one building.