The Duval School Board voted to purchase this office building, currently occupied by Southeastern Grocers, for the district's headquarters. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
Published on November 5, 2025 at 12:44 am
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Duval Schools will sell its Southbank headquarters and move its offices to a building on the Southside, following a pair of 4-3 votes Tuesday night.
The district will sell its Prudential Drive building to Chase Properties for $17.2 million, and it will purchase a building in the Prominence office park off Baymeadows Road for $13.65 million.
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Board members Cindy Pearson, Tony Ricardo and Darryl Willie voted against both the sale and the purchase. Members Reggie Blount, Melody Bolduc, April Carney and Charlotte Joyce voted for them.
Last month, the School Board unanimously rejected a similar plan, with a $20 million offer from retirement community Fleet Landing. The structure of that deal would have split the payment into two parts across three years.
Chase plans to tear down the existing Duval Schools HQ and build luxury condos and apartments on the riverfront site, as well as space for shops and restaurants.
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In a statement Chase CEO Michael Balanky sent to Jacksonville Today following the vote, he called the decision an “incredible honor.”
“This site represents the true gateway to Downtown Jacksonville, and we are committed to creating a world-class development that enhances the skyline, strengthens our economy, and reflects the pride of this city,” Balanky wrote. “I first began pursuing this site nearly two decades ago, envisioning it as a catalyst for connecting the Southbank’s major assets — the Riverwalk, Baptist Health, the JEA campus, and the Kings Avenue Station.”
Exploring the options
Before the vote Tuesday, Superintendent Chris Bernier told board members that, following the October vote not to sell the property to Fleet Landing, the district’s real estate consultant “reengaged with all the prospective buyers” and continued to process new offers.
“This includes additional offers as late as yesterday,” Bernier said. “Even though offers got turned in very late yesterday, we were still making sure we vetted them prior to sticking with the recommendations that are on the agenda this evening.”
Bernier recommended the board accept Chase’s offer of $17.2 million cash.
Chase had offered $17.2 million cash or a trade for the nearby Suddath building and nearly $5 million cash at close.
Higher offer rejected
Local developer Ed Ashurian with Ashco Centers submitted a $17.5 million purchase offer to school board members during the meeting Tuesday, though he acknowledged he wasn’t able to submit it officially to the district’s real estate consultant.
“Over the past several weeks, we have been trying to find the proper and respectful way to submit our offer for the purchase of the Duval County School Board Building. Despite our efforts, we have not been able to present our offer through the established process or directly to the appropriate decision-making body. Out of an abundance of caution, we are therefore submitting our full proposal in this packet to ensure that it is formally received and considered,” Ashurian wrote in a letter to the board with the offer packet.
Documents provided by the district in response to a public records request by Jacksonville Today show Ashco submitted a $15 million version of its offer on Oct. 21, and board Vice Chair April Carney said the board received a copy of an offer from Ashco on Oct. 31.
However, district spokesperson Arwen FitzGerald says, “An additional updated offer was received from Ashco Centers on Nov. 3, after the established deadline. While this offer was shared with and reviewed by Board members and staff, it was not included in the items submitted for Board approval.”
Local real estate lawyer Barry Ansbacher, who’s not involved in the district’s search, said Ashco’s $17.5 million offer showed “real commitment” in the way inspection periods and closing dates were structured, but a requirement that the property be “environmentally clean” could have posed a challenge, as the property sits between two brownfield sites.
Reaction to the move
Tuesday’s meeting included a show of support from Jacksonville City Council member Joe Carlucci, whose district includes the Southbank site of the current HQ building. He called the sale a “generational opportunity.”
“This is going to be a great success for our community, and it’s going to generate a tremendous amount of tax revenue — and therefore more funding for our schools as well,” Carlucci said. “But the more exciting part is that this will continue to amplify the progress we’ve already made Downtown, and it coincides with the plans that we have for the future.”
Board member Darryl Willie, one of the three no voters, said the move to the city’s Southside doesn’t allow the district to continue to be as accessible to all parents, like those who live North of Downtown and lack reliable transportation.
“We can be content with where Prominence is, but I don’t know how we can be happy,” Willie said.
