The 11th Hour

Here we are again, with the last chance to save this beautiful piece of history................
A developer from in Nassau County, who is from Jacksonville and seeks to relocate here, wants to acquire the station, move it nearby, and restore it to its former glory completely on the exterior, and make some modifications to the interior to accommodate his needs to use it as his office. I spoke with John Stokes, who seeks to do this, and am behind his plans and desires. The only problem is the city.
He can move the station for $300,000.00, and it would cost at least $80,000.00 to bulldoze it. That means for an extra $220,000.00, this station will be saved. The city has been slow to even return his calls. Notwithstanding the point that Fidelity got this deal against City Charter, and the deal itself being a dirty backdoor sweetheart deal for Fidelity, this makes sense for everybody. If Stokes gets the building for say one dollar, and Fidelity and the city kick in the extra $220,000 to move the station, he still has to spend for property and to restore the building, so it is more than fair that Fidelity and the City of Jacksonville spend the extra money.
Remember now, Peyton and his buddies passed this dirty deal, and Fidelity got Station Five and a good chunk of land that can be built on, and the city got mostly the retention pond that Fidelity needs, and now we have to pay to maintain their retention pond, and that is for the most part still under Fidelity control.
The right hing to do is clear, but knowing that the City Council will actually do the right thing is debatable. Everything that follows has been left unmodified so you, the reader, can see what the history of our fight to save the station has been.......