JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The owners of Regency Square Mall paid their outstanding bill Wednesday, narrowly avoiding having the mall’s power cut off by JEA, the utility confirmed to News4Jax.
As News4Jax originally reported, Namdar Realty Group had fallen so far behind on payments to JEA that it owed the utility $349,000. JEA threatened to cut off power to the mall if the bill wasn’t paid by Nov. 30.
But by Wednesday evening, the utility and developer were able to avoid a disconnection of services.
Melissa Bujeda with the Florida Department of Emergency Management said any power shutoff would not have affected the COVID-19 testing site at the mall — which is the largest testing site in the area.
“We have been in contact with JEA already about the situation,” Bujeda said.
The Regency Square Mall was once the busiest retail site in Jacksonville, but the troubled property has seen dwindling numbers of shoppers and tenant after tenant leave the mall, including large anchor stores like Sears and J.C. Penney.
The mall is also home to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office substation. The assistant chief told News4Jax Wednesday that she has been assured the bill would be paid. She said officers would have worked out of their vehicles if the site lost power.