Daily RecordDaily Record Friday, September 4, 2015 www.jaxdailyrecord.com

Financial news &

35¢

By Karen Brune Mathis

Managing Editor

Frank and Frankie Gatlin moved their development head-quarters, families and futures to Jacksonville three months ago, quietly settling in while setting their sights on significant growth.

Father and son see the potential for a Downtown grocery store, redeveloped community centers that now struggle with vacancies and new shopping plazas.

Their focus ranges from Fer-nandina Beach south to St. Augustine and from the Beaches west to OakLeaf.

“I see a very bright future for Jacksonville,” said Frank Gatlin, a New Orleans native who spent the past almost 40 years develop-ing residential, hotel and com-mercial projects from headquar-ters in New Orleans; Del Mar,

California; Tennessee; and, most recently, Fort Lauderdale.

Frank III and Frank IV are the principals of Gatlin Development Co., a nationwide developer with a commercial portfolio of 2.5 mil-lion square feet of retail space under ownership or develop-ment.

Since 1984, the company has developed more than 15 million square feet of retail shopping cen-ters.

The Gatlins are new to Jack-sonville, but Gatlin Development isn’t.

Its portfolio includes six Jack-sonville area properties compris-ing five shopping centers rede-veloped with Walmart Neigh-borhood Markets and a new Walmart Supercenter project

Frank Gatlin didn’t just move his company’s headquarters to Jacksonville. He wants to

Help shape his new city

Jaguar mural gets new home

GATLIN CONTINUED ON PAGE A-3

ONE SPARK CONTINUED ON PAGE A-4

Merchants

OK with

streamlined

One Spark

By Max Marbut

Staff Writer

It won’t be known until April what effect streamlining One Spark will have on the exhibitors, but some Downtown businesses think festival organizers are on the right track.

When the change from six days to three was announced Monday, One Spark board Chair Peter Rummell described taking a day to set up a booth or display and then presenting their product 10 or more hours a day for five days was “a killer experi-ence.”

Merchants say less One Spark could turn out to be an improvement.

“I’m glad they are cutting it to three days. It was exhaust-ing last year,” said Jennifer O’Donnell, manager of Cham-blin’s Uptown Café and Bookstore.

“Three days of One Spark is like six Art Walks,” she said, referring to the four-hour art festival staged Downtown the first Wednesday of each month.

Chamblin’s was a venue for the first three years of One Spark and will be back on the list for 2016.

The crowd grew each year and so did food and beverage sales at the vegetarian and vegan café.

But the schedule last year was grueling.“We worked 70 hours in five days,”

O’Donnell said. “We were exhausted.”At the other end of Laura Street, the

Jacksonville Landing and many of its mer-chants provided venue space for the fes-tival’s first three years and will again in 2016.

By Carole Hawkins

Staff Writer

When the Bostwick Building was sold to Jacques Klempf last year it saved a historic building from ruin.

But, it put another piece of Downtown Jacksonville’s iden-tity in jeopardy.

What would happen to the jag-uar?

The mural painted on the ply-wood-covered windows had in 20 years become its own piece of city history.

On Thursday, the announce-ment came — the jaguar panels would stay Downtown.

The mural’s artist, Jim Draper,

asked that they be donated to FreshMinistries’ J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Center for Community Outreach, located at 616 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.

FreshMinistries is a Jackson-ville nonprofit that seeks to eradi-cate poverty with programs to help people and communities develop economic independence.

The mural, ironically, will be reinstalled on a building that was funded in part through a grant from the Weavers, former owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“We’re absolutely delighted,” FreshMinistries spokeswoman Theresa Johnson said. “Jim Drap-er has been a longtime friend of this organization and is a legend-

ary Jacksonville artist.”With the move, the jaguar will

remain close to the stadium that inspired its creation. The build-ing is so close to EverBank Field, it was used for tailgating parties before FreshMinistries bought it.

The mural could have easily met with a different fate.

Klempf purchased the Bost-wick at a tax sale in July 2014. But earlier, he at had it under contract with the Bostwick family.

“They wanted those paint-ings,” Klempf said. “I could buy the building, but they wanted to keep the paintings of the jaguar.”

When Klempf ultimately came to possess both, he reached out

MURAL CONTINUED ON PAGE A-2

Panels will move to Weaver center at FreshMinistries

Six-day festival wasgrueling experience

Frank Gatlin (seated) and his son, Frankie, are the principals

of Gatlin Development Co.

Pho

to b

y K

aren

Bru

ne M

athi

s

Wilson Square Shopping Center is owned by Gatlin Development Co.

The jaguar mural that was removed from the Bostwick Building will

be hung at FreshMinistries on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard.

File

pho

to b

y D

avid

Cha

pman

O’Donnell

Spe

cial

to

the

Dai

ly R

ecor

d

Friday, September 4, 2015 • Financial News & Daily Record • Page A-3

Development todayThe Daily Record will regularly provide updates about building

permits and development plans filed with the city and other agen-cies. For more permits, see Page A-5.

Hospital, institutional•Baptist Medical Center, 11026 UNF Drive, contractor is Perry-

McCall Construction, build 17,000-square-foot emergency center at St. Johns Town Center, $8,500,000.

Hotel, motel, dormitory•Omni Jacksonville, 145 Water St., contractor is Harris Construc-

tion Co., add two ADA ramps, $129,081.

Office, bank, professional•Lutheran Services Florida, 9428 Baymeadows Road, No. 320,

contractor is All Construction and Developers North Florida, ten-ant build-out, $38,702.

Roofing•Edward Waters College, contractor is K&G Construction, permits

to re-roof 10 structures, $48,000.•3100 University LLC, 3100 University Blvd. S., contractor is Ben-tonIntegrityRoofingSystems,$56,000.

Compiled by Staff

SPACE SPONSORED BY 8777 San Jose BoulevardSuite 903

Jacksonville, FL 32217(904) 739-7100

www.TheLegendsOfRealEstate.com

Real Estate

Sale of the Day

COMPILED BY DAILY RECORD STAFF. SEE PAGE 7 FOR LISTINGS OF ALL SALES.

ADDRESS OF PROPERTY:

7865 Collins Grove RdSALE PRICE:

$809,509 MORTGAGE:

$725,971LENDING INSTITUTION:

EverBankSELLER:

DR Horton Inc Jacksonville BUYER:

Kara P Riley Et VirDATE OF TRANSACTION:8/14/2015

GatlinCONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

under construction in Southwest Jacksonville.

Gatlin has been a Walmart developer for almost 30 years and introduced the Neighborhood Markets to Jacksonville in Arling-ton, Westside, Mandarin, St. Johns County and Clay County.

Gatlin Development bought half-filled shopping centers with vacant Food Lion grocery stores and redeveloped them with Neighborhood Markets and other tenants, raising occupancy to almost 95 percent. The first two markets opened in 2013.

Gatlin Development owns 700,000 square feet of space in Northeast Florida.

The Gatlins see the possibility of developing at least 1 to 2 mil-lion square feet more in the area. Here’s what they plan:• They envision redevelop-

ment of largely vacant shopping centers that need rejuvenation, perhaps some with Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Gat-lin said they are looking at sev-eral opportunities of 100,000 to 150,000 square feet, but declined to identify them.•Gatlin said he is committed

to finding a Downtown area loca-tion he hopes Walmart would approve for a Neighborhood Market. He also hopes to identify several more sites for markets in the metro area, pending Walmart, city and community approvals.•They are looking for oppor-

tunities to develop or redevelop community shopping centers to bring in tenants desired by the neighbors.

“There is nothing I like more than to bring a community ser-vices and tenants and restaurants that are needed and that they want,” Gatlin said.

The Gatlins work with many big-name retailers, including Home Depot, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, PetSmart, Michaels and others, in addition to Walmart.

They also want to bring new names to Jacksonville. Frankie Gatlin is creating “void reports” to assess which retailers are not in Jacksonville and where they might want to locate.

Frank Gatlin said every site they develop undergoes a void review to determine which retail-ers might fit best.

Gatlin Development’s expe-rience also includes housing, hotels, light industrial and self-storage facilities.

Frank Gatlin isn’t ruling out any type of opportunity. He also intends to continue development in other communities.

One of Gatlin’s largest rede-velopments is Shingle Creek Crossing in the Minneapolis area. Much of the large, indoor Brook-dale Mall, a 65-acre project built in 1962, was demolished and rebuilt as an open-air retail plaza, a popular move even in the win-tertime freezing Upper Midwest.

Ken Wilson, vice president with Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum Co., a significant land-owner, said he met Gatlin four years ago “by happenstance” when Gatlin called to talk about potential sites in Northeast Flor-ida.

He said Gatlin sees the long-range potential in a development site, “knows exactly what he’s looking at and how to get it out of the ground faster than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Wilson said Gatlin’s reputa-tion with large national retailers is another plus. “I think Frank will bring some excitement to Jacksonville’s retail economy,” he said.

Wilson said that in his 35-year career, Gatlin “ranks as possibly the most expeditious and effi-cient retail developer I have ever encountered.”

Moving north to return south

The Gatlins had not visited Jacksonville before their Neigh-borhood Market developments. They liked what they saw, but it wasn’t until they rented a Ponte Vedra home for Thanksgiving last year that they decided to relocate.

It was a long road for Frank Gatlin, who turns 60 in May. He grew up in Metairie, La., near New Orleans and dropped out of school in 10th grade.

Gatlin said he worked a $1.65-an-hour job as a brick mason, forming a masonry busi-ness, which led to homebuilding and then hotel and commercial development.

“Those houses turned into real estate and that evolved into where I am today,” he said.

He has been self-employed since he was 17. He never returned to school.

His father, a disabled veteran, sold insurance but quit working in his 50s and died in his 70s. His mother died of breast cancer at 54, when Gatlin was 25.

Gatlin said he was raised in a middle-income family with one sister, but didn’t see an opportu-nity to attend college.

He married at 18 and had two children, Frankie, now 34, and his older sister, Shay, 38.

He formed Gatlin Develop-ment in 1976. “I’ve been a vision-ary all my life. I had a passion to develop,” he said.

Ties to Northeast Florida began back then.

He said Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. anchored the first center he developed in New Orleans in 1984.

Gatlin and his young family left New Orleans in 1989 for Cali-fornia, his development base for 20 years. He then headed back to the Southeast, stopping for a few years in Nashville, where he owned a farm.

That was during the recession. He said he saw much opportu-nity in Florida and the Southeast.

In 2011, he moved to Fort Lau-derdale, where he maintained his headquarters the past four years. Looking for a move north, but still within the Southeast, he said they considered Charleston but chose to spend a holiday week in that rented Ponte Vedra home.

He was familiar with the area because of his Walmart develop-ments.

The Gatlins said Jacksonville offered the oak trees, historical architecture and waterfront scen-ery like New Orleans, while the temperate weather offered a taste of four seasons.

Being from Louisiana, Frank Gatlin also was familiar with the Panhandle and its beaches. Still, Jacksonville was different.

“I never thought we would travel 300 miles north to return to the south,” he jokes.

Both Gatlins say Jacksonville’s lifestyle and educational oppor-tunities for their children were driving factors in the relocation decision.

Gatlin, who is divorced from Frankie’s mother, married Chris-tina 10 years ago and they have two sons, Dylan, 6, and Elton, 3.

Frankie Gatlin and his wife, Jenna, are raising 2-year-old Franklin Charles Gatlin V and are expecting another child in March. His older sister remains in California.

Frank Gatlin’s move to Jack-sonville surfaced publicly when office space for the company was being prepared on the 19th floor of the Southbank Riverplace Tower.

He also made news in June when he and Christina bought the riverfront Swisher estate, built in 1931, along River Road. The $4.2 million purchase was the largest sale of a single-family home in Duval County this year.

Frankie and Jenna Gatlin also bought a home in San Marco, and an entourage of relatives and employees moved as well.

Frank Gatlin’s sister, two neph-ews and niece; his father-in-law; and Christina’s grandmother moved to Jacksonville. Frankie Gatlin’s mother-in-law relocated from Georgia.

Frank Gatlin said 15 staff mem-bers followed him in a third corporate move, while a few remained in South Florida.

In his first week at River Road, four neighbors stopped by to wel-come the family.

“We’re very humbled and grateful for the reception we’ve received here from the personal and business community,” Gatlin said.

“It’s been an extremely warm welcome to Jacksonville.”

kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com@MathisKb(904) 356-2466

From The News Service

of Florida

The Florida Department of Children and Families lost one of its six regional managing directors this week, when David Abramowitz resigned from his post overseeing child-welfare ser-vices in 20 counties in Northeast and North Central Florida.

“After almost 4 years as the DCF director, I have decided it is time to offer my resignation,” Abramowitz, a retired Army colonel, emailed to department Secretary Mike Carroll.

“I have the deepest respect for our employees and the dif-ficult challenges they handle each day to improve the lives of this state’s children and families,” said Abramowitz, whose terri-tory included Jacksonville.

He did not give a reason for his resignation, which was effective immediately.

“We appreciate Dave’s service to the department,” Carroll said in a statement.

He appointed longtime DCF employee Pattie Medlock as inter-im regional managing director.

An anonymous complaint

was filed against Abramowitz last year with the state Office of Inspector General, alleging that he created a hostile work environment and made remarks insulting to women and blacks, calling DCF employees “hoochie mamas” and “hoes” and nick-naming them after popular rap artists.

Defenders claimed it was just Abramowitz’s salty way of talk-ing after 30 years in the military. He was cleared of the charge.

DCF spokeswoman Alexis Lambert said Abramowitz had completed additional training recommended by the inspector general before stepping down.

One of the highest-profile cases during Abramowitz’s tenure involved Don Spirit, a Gilchrist County man who murdered his daughter and six grandchildren before committing suicide almost exactly a year ago.

According to the department, the family was involved in 18 child-protective investigations in the eight years preceding the murders. Spirit was involved in six of the investigations and alleged to be the perpetrator in three of the cases.

Jacksonville DCF

leader steps down

Spe

cial

to

the

Dai

ly R

ecor

d

CLASSIFIEDS WORK! CALL 356-2466

Frank and Christina Gatlin bought the Swisher estate home in San Marco for $4.2 million. The River

Road home is just over 9,000 square feet.