For the second time in two months, the Downtown Investment Authority staff is recommending that the city end negotiations with the developer of the Laura Street Trio on the latest round of requests for public incentives to resurrect the historic buildings.
A staff report scheduled to be discussed Friday at the DIA board meeting states that “staff cannot recommend continuing negotiations for approval of city funding in the Laura Street Trio redevelopment provided” by SouthEast Development Group LLC.
Steve Atkins, principal of SouthEast and owner of the buildings since 2013, said during a phone interview Wednesday that he and his group had learned about the report in the media and were caught off guard by it. He said the group had been negotiating in good faith and felt the talks were progressing.
Read the rest of this story at the Jacksonville Daily Record, a Jacksonville Today news partner.