JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council will decide Tuesday whether to waive fines that stand in the way of the Laura Street Trio being sold to new owners.
The property is currently owned by Steve Atkins and the Southeast Development Group, but Paul Bertozzi and Live Oak Contracting said they are ready to buy the property that is swamped with $800,000 in city code violation fines and liens.
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Councilman Kevin Carrico will introduce emergency legislation at Tuesday’s meeting to waive the fine and get a deal moving forward.
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Carrico said seeing the property’s advancement is important to him.
“I’ve said it many times this property is really the linchpin of the business district of downtown when you come downtown it’s the corner of Laura Street in Bay Street,” Carrico said. “It’s right there for everyone to see it’s nice or it could open a lot of things [...] there’s just a lot of potential to really ignite this central business district.”
The legislation would need 2/3 of the vote to pass. The council’s vote could mark a turning point in the decade-long effort to restore the Laura Street Trio.