outdoor living 101
John Hawley
Feb 11, 2025
To determine who knew what and when regarding the proposed UF campus land swap involving the Interline building and city-owned waterfront property, we've filed FOIA requests with the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Board of Governors.
Questions surround the timing of the land swap announcement between the City of Jacksonville, Gateway Jax, DLP Capital, and the University of Florida (UF) regarding the Interline building and city owned waterfront property. Specifically, there are concerns about potential concurrent negotiations. Did Mayor Deegan engage in discussions with UF for the campus and Gateway Jax/DLP Capital about the Interline building (which they acquired in October) in the weeks leading up to the December announcement of Jacksonville's winning bid? When did the mayor and the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) begin negotiations with Gateway Jax and DLP Capital regarding the land swap, which was only publicly revealed in February?
To clarify these and other related questions, we have filed additional Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the City of Jacksonville seeking the following information:
- Any communications between Mayor Deegan, Gateway Jax and/or DLP Capital, their subsidiaries, and associated LLCs and attorneys related to the Interline building purchase and the proposed UF campus between Jan 1, 2024 and Feb. 11, 2025.
- Any communications between DIA, Gateway Jax and/or DLP Capital, their subsidiaries, and associated LLCs and attorneys related to the Interline building purchase and the proposed UF campus between Jan 1, 2024 and Feb. 11, 2025.
We’ve also made a FOIA request to the Florida Board of Governors for:
-All documents dating back to 2024 listing the properties offered by the City of Jacksonville representatives in the negotiations for the proposed UF downtown Jacksonville campus that was announced on Dec. 12, 2024.
-All documents dating back to 2024 that include specific reference to the “801 W Bay St, Jacksonville, FL” property address in those negotiations with the city of Jacksonville.
Numerous community members have contacted us with their questions regarding the timing and manner in which these negotiations and announcements about them have rolled out. We look forward to learning and sharing more about these consequential negotiations.
