16 bidders for DCPS administration building include BCBS, CSX, JTA

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools has received 16 bids for the riverfront building that’s currently the district’s headquarters.

It’s part of a plan that’s been considered for years to move the administrative offices to a smaller building and sell off the Southbank site.

There are 16 entities that have said they want to start negotiations with the district about buying the building and the property on which it sits.

Here is the list of bidders:

1. Amkin West Bay LLC

2. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc.

3. CSX Transportation Inc.

4. EastGroup Properties Inc.

5. Jacksonville Transportation Authority

6. Merritt Acquisitions LLC

7. Midtown Centre Office LLC

8. PSF 1 Jax Metro LLC

9. Related Development LLC

10. Ryan Companies US Inc.

11. Silver Hills and the Edwards Companies

12. Spectrum Properties Ltd.

13. Suddath Van Lines Inc.

14. The Easton Group

15. Southside Industrial Development Group

16. Vanderbilt Office Properties and SREIT Deerwood Park South LLC

It’s far from a done deal, but Wednesday was the deadline for private businesses and other entities to answer the district’s invitation to negotiate.

The sixteen entities listed above answered that invitation — including Ryan Companies, which is also the owner and developer of JEA’s new headquarters downtown.

Duval County school district leaders have long considered packing up the five-story, 122,000-square-foot building, selling the property and moving administrative offices to a smaller, consolidated space.

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Duval County School Board member Lori Hershey, who represents District 7, has backed this plan to move the headquarters.

“I think one of the biggest things is the fact that it opened an expansive tax base for Duval County. When this building was built in the ‘80s, it was not prime property,” Hershey said. “In fact, if you notice, on the east side of the building, there are no windows, and it was built that way because it was believed that no one would want to look out over the JTA site.”

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But then, last May, ground was broken on a major development project right next door called “Rivers Edge, Life on the St. Johns,” which promises hotels, offices, apartments, a waterfront park and more.

That’s why Hershey says the time is ripe for a move, as the value of the DCPS property has grown by millions.

In 2014, the property was worth around $8.7 million. Last year, it was assessed at more than $11.1 million, and Hershey says that’s expected to keep appreciating.

“It’s only going to increase and it’s all about timing. Listen, people have wanted to have talked about relocating the board office or said, why’s the school board building on the waterfront, for years,” Hershey said. “But it’s the first time that any board’s ever taken a serious, made a serious commitment to explore that opportunity.”

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The way this process works is that right now, the bidders are known, but not how much they’re bidding. That will be released after a decision is made.

As far as what’s next in the process, the district’s real estate advisory group will review the bids and a separate committee will score them. Then that will go up for a vote before the school board, which could also vote to scrap the idea and keep its headquarters at the current location.