JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Public Schools’ headquarters building could be sold sooner rather than later, and officials with the purchasing group said they plan to build a retirement community after tearing down the Southbank building.
According to News4JAX partner Jacksonville Today, Fleet Landing, a local nonprofit, has submitted a $20 million offer for DCPS’s headquarters. If finalized, it would become the nonprofit’s third community in the Jacksonville area.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DCPS’s headquarters building is currently up for sale. A councilman wants school leaders to it move downtown | DCPS board to vote on Southbank headquarters sale, buying Baymeadows building to become new home
“Negotiations and due diligence for the Southbank site are in the early stages, and much work remains, including final School Board approval. Fleet Landing anticipates sharing more details about the potential development by the end of 2025,” a statement sent by Fleet Landing to Jax Today read.
The sale process, which was completed through an open market, competitive bid process, was done by Trinity Commercial Group, the organization told News4JAX. The real estate agency adds that the offer from Fleet Landing was selected out of 10 groups that submitted offers.
A vote by DCPS school board members on the sale of the property on Prudential Drive is expected to take place on Sept. 2. The board’s agenda also includes an item for consideration involving the purchase of 8928 Prominence Parkway, from Dream Finders Homes Providence LLC.
There’s a decades-long history of trying to move the school board building off the South Bank. Councilman Matt Carlucci drafted a resolution back in July asking the board to consider staying downtown. But he ultimately took that resolution off the table.
”I don’t want to keep the school board downtown at the expense of it staying on the river," he said. “But if they’re going to move, I’m just saying it should stay downtown, if at all possible, in the Jacksonville governmental area.”
Councilman Carlucci shared that losing the school board downtown won’t hurt the momentum the city has.
“We’re not a city of renderings so much anymore. We are a city of realities downtown. We got parks, we got the stadium. The Four Seasons, we got some large residential apartments coming up, residential communities, restaurants. There’s a lot of great things going on downtown,” Carlucci said.
The Jacksonville Daily Record reported that Dream Finders submitted a demolition permit for another one of the buildings there, but not the one DCPS is looking into.
8928 Prominence Parkway is currently the location for the office of Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie & Harveys.
During a Tuesday workshop with the school board members, Duval County Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier cited the ongoing development of the Southbank as an indicator of the land’s value.
Bernier added that any extra money made in the sale of DCPS’s headquarters would be put toward repairs and renovations for school buildings.
“The sale would potentially close on August of 2026,” Bernier said. He went on to explain that of the $20 million, $12.5 million would come at closing, and the additional $7.5 million would come 36 months after closing.
He also said this would be the best deal to meet the districts’ needs.
“The school board has asked me to make a determination about getting off the river, they asked me over a year ago,” Bernier said. “We’ve come with what we believe is a good deal for them (the school board) to consider.”
Government Law Attorney Chris Hand spoke with News4Jax on this week’s episode of This Week In Jacksonville about how the buying and selling process could make the district money.
“The school board is going to consider two proposals. One that would sell their existing building to a developer for approximately $20 million, and then they would turn around and use those proceeds to buy a new building in the Prominence Office Park,” he said. “They would buy a new building, but buy it for $6 million less than the building they have sold.”
Jax Today writes that, according to Bernier, all parent-facing offices would be moved to the Schultz Center, and school board meetings would be held there as well.
Let us know below what type of property you would like to see built at the site of DCPS’s headquarters.