Regency Centers Announces Retirement of General Counsel Barbara Johnston and Hiring of Successor Michael Herman

Barbara Johnston

JACKSONVILLE, FL,  March 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regency Centers Corporation (“Regency” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: REG), the preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers, announced today that Senior Vice President, General Counsel Barbara Johnston will retire effective May 1, 2020.

 Concurrent with this announcement, Regency is pleased to announce that Michael Herman will join the Company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel Elect on April 6, 2020, and succeed Ms. Johnston as Senior Vice President, General Counsel upon her retirement.

Ms. Johnston became Regency’s first General Counsel in 2010. During her time at Regency, she has advised senior management on legal rights, obligations, and risks for all corporate and other transactions, as well as wide-ranging company matters and general corporate compliance.

                         Michael Herman

Barbara also helped Regency reach several notable accomplishments, including assisting Board and senior management in consistently achieving the highest Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) Overall Corporate Governance Score.

 Barbara helped establish a robust legal department that serves the Company nationally and counseled senior management through significant corporate transactions, including Regency’s merger with Equity One in 2017.

Before Regency, Barbara served as a partner with the national firm of McGuireWoods LLP, practicing in the areas of business law with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and general corporate law matters.

She also served as General Counsel for Florida Rock Industries, Inc. and as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville.

Lisa Palmer

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Regency team, I’d like to thank Barbara for her many contributions to our success. Barbara’s leadership and trusted, wise counsel has strongly benefited Regency for the last decade. We will miss her and wish her all the best in her retirement,” said Lisa Palmer, President and Chief Executive Officer.

 “At the same time, we are very pleased to welcome Michael Herman to our Regency family.” Michael Herman has been Senior Vice President, General Counsel of Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc. (NYSE: RYAM) since 2013, after joining Rayonier as Vice President, General Counsel in 2003.

From 1997 to 2003, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of GenTek Inc., and its predecessor company, General Chemical Corporation, where he started in 1992. Mike holds a BA in economics and literature from Binghamton University and a JD from St. John’s University School of Law.


 CONTACTS: 

Laura Clark Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
904-598-7831 LauraClark@RegencyCenters.com 

Jan Hanak Vice President, Marketing + Communications
904-598-7443 JanHanak@RegencyCenters.com

regencycenters.com.

NAI Realvest | Charles Wayne Principal Steve Costa Appointed to Volusia County, FL Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission for Second Term

Steve Costa

DELAND, FL – Steve Costa, principal with NAI Realvest | Charles Wayne, was recently appointed to a second term on the Volusia County Planning and Land Development Regulation Commission (PLDRC).

The PLDRC is a nine-member advisory board with seven members who are appointed by the Volusia County Council for a two-year term, and two members who are ex-officio non-voting members. 

 Five of the voting members must live in unincorporated parts of the county. 

The advisory board is quasi-judicial and has final action on variances it recommends to County Council on special exceptions, rezoning and changes to various ordinances.

The Commission is a division of the County’s Growth and Resource Management Department whose mission is to facilitate sustainable, safely built communities and conserve natural resources

CONTACTS:

Steve Costa, principal with NAI Realvest | Charles Wayne,

 386-804-7259 scosta@realvest.com

 Patrick Mahoney, President / CEO NAI Realvest,

407-875-9989

 Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications,

407-644-4142 or 407-461-3781 beth@larryvershel.com

Feldman and Tower Announce Acquisition of Sarasota City Center

Sarasota City Center includes two Class A office buildings located at 1819 Main Street in downtown Sarasota, FL

SARASOTA, FL – Feldman Equities, LLC (“Feldman”) and its joint venture partners, Tower Realty Partners (“Tower”) and Equity Street announced the acquisition of Sarasota City Center, two Class A office buildings located at 1819 Main St in downtown Sarasota.

 The centrally located buildings total 247,947 square feet and are connected by a common atrium.

Larry Feldman

Equity Street, a nationally recognized real estate equity syndicator, assisted in financing the acquisition.

The joint venture acquired the property at 80% occupancy and intends to make a multi-million-dollar investment in renovations. The partners expect to complete renovations and achieve lease-up over two years.

“We’ve had our eye on the Sarasota market for years now and we’re thrilled to grow our greater Tampa Bay footprint to one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Downtown Sarasota is hot right now,” explained CEO Larry Feldman.

“Still, we managed to acquire these buildings at less than half of replacement cost and we don’t expect any new supply to come online in downtown Sarasota for at least four or five years.”

Than Merrill 

Thousands of new apartment units and luxury condominiums are under construction in downtown Sarasota and the city includes some of the wealthiest zip codes in Florida. Employment grew by 2.6% over the past year, far outpacing the national average.

“We’re excited to announce this investment with Larry and his team," said Than Merrill and Paul Esajian, founders of Equity Street Capital.

"We only partner with best in class operators who specialize in their market. In greater Tampa Bay, that’s the Feldman team. We’re looking forward to another successful deal.”

Paul Esajian

JLL marketed the property on behalf of the seller, The Dilweg Companies.

 Additionally, JLL worked on behalf of the new owner to obtain a loan with NXT Capital. Loan proceeds funded the acquisition and will be used by the borrower to substantially upgrade the building.

The JLL Capital Markets team representing the seller included Senior Managing Director Hermen Rodriguez, Senior Director Ike Ojala and Director Matthew McCormack.

The JLL Capital Markets debt placement team was led by Managing Director Bryan Clark and Analyst Daniel Pinkus.

Feldman will oversee extensive renovations to the buildings, including modernized common corridors, an energy-efficient chiller, and main lobby enhancements.

Hermen Rodriguez

The vacant suites will be dramatically upgraded, and some will be pre-fitted with offices and reception areas for tenants seeking an immediate move in.

The joint venture expects to spend approximately $10 million in capital and tenant improvements to upgrade the building. 

The improvements are expected to help drive leasing and improve operational efficiency.

 “Sarasota City Center is already the best building in downtown Sarasota. Our goal is to bring the building up in quality to a Class A+ condition,” added Feldman.

About Feldman Equities, LLC

Over the past 30 years, Feldman Equities has developed or acquired over eleven million square feet of office and retail properties with an aggregate value in excess of $3 billion. 

Ike Ojala

Feldman is a “re-inventor” of the office building and specializes in turning around distressed office assets. 

Feldman Equities and its partners own and manage 2.3 million square feet of office space in the Tampa Bay area.

www.feldmanequities.com

About Tower Realty Partners

Tower Realty Partners is a privately held, commercial real estate investment & management company based in Orlando, Florida. 

Founded in 1987 by principals Cliff Stein and Reid Berman, Tower Realty Partners has been involved in the acquisition, leasing, and management of over 20 million square feet of real estate totaling in excess of $1.6 billion in transactions.

www.towerrealtypartners.com

Matthew McCormack

About Equity Street

Equity Street Capital is a privately held commercial real estate investment company that invests in retail, apartments and office properties. 

The company partners with local operators and has provided equity for over $465 million dollars of commercial acquisitions in the last couple of years.

www.EquityStreetCapital.com

 

CONTACT:

Adam Gower Ph.D.
Websiite: GowerCrowd
Podcast: The Real Estate Crowdfunding Show
Book: Leaders of the Crowd

Merrick Manor Names Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty Exclusive Residential Sales and Marketing Representative

Henry Torres

CORAL GABLES, FL– Merrick Manor, the only brand-new, move-in ready condominium offering in Coral Gables, announces Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty as the luxury building’s exclusive residential sales and marketing representative.

Ron Shuffield

The renowned Coral Gables-based brokerage has more than 55 years of experience selling high-end residences in the “City Beautiful.”

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty Senior Vice President Patrick O’Connell oversees the Merrick Manor residential sales and marketing team, which also includes Maria Kakouris Somoza, Nadjalisse Rodriguez and Zenaida Figueroa.

Patrick M. O’Connell 

O’Connell is immediate past Chairman of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce and co-founded “Illuminate Coral Gables,” a festival of fine art light displays coming to the city in January 2021.

 Prices for available Merrick Manor residences start from $397,990. Remaining units range from 574 square feet to more than 3,400 square feet.

Maria Kakouris Somoza

The one-to-four-bedroom residences feature exceptional finishes, including Italian cabinetry, Bosch appliances, white quartz countertops and spacious terraces.

 In the months since Merrick Manor’s spring 2019 opening, interest from local prospective buyers in the remaining residences has dramatically increased. Those individuals and families recognize the building’s unparalleled quality, value and location just steps away from the Shops at Merrick Park.

Nadjalisse Rodriguez 

“We are thrilled to partner with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty and look forward to a successful sellout of Merrick Manor’s limited inventory of available residences,” said Merrick Manor developer Henry Torres.

“The firm is uniquely positioned to address the demand from local buyers, as well as accommodating our international inquires.” 

Zenaida Figueroa

 Led by President and CEO Ron Shuffield, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty is extremely active in the Coral Gables real estate and business communities.

 “We are seeing widespread local interest spanning multiple generations, from young professionals who work in Coral Gables to families with children and empty nesters,” Shuffield said. 

“Merrick Manor represents the only opportunity for such buyers to move into brand-new luxury residential product for under $1 million.”

 Award-winning interior design firm Interiors by Steven G. designed and furnished the building’s lobby, common areas and model residences.

 Merrick Manor amenities include 24-hour valet parking, 24-hour front desk concierge service, lobby lounge area, Parcel Pending lockers, a business center with four computer-ready desks and multimedia screens for presentations, a club lounge and news café lounge on the fourth floor, state-of-the-art fitness center and resort-style pool with barbecue gathering areas.

The building also offers nearly 20,000 square feet of prime, Class A ground-floor retail and restaurant space marketed by Manny Chamizo III, Global Commercial Director at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty.

For commercial and retail opportunities available at Merrick Manor, contact Chamizo at (305) 666-0562 or email Flacommercial@gmail.com.

Manny Chamizo 

 To learn more about the residences, visit www.merrick-manor.com or call the Merrick Manor Sales Gallery at (305) 779-6870.

 . For more information, please visit the project Sales Gallery at 301 Altara Ave., Suite 119, call (305) 779-6870 or email info@merrick-manor.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrickManor/

CONTACT:

Eric Kalis

Vice President, BoardroomPR

ekalis@boardroompr.com

O 954-370-8999 

C 305-794-5123

www.ewm.com.

JLL closes $96 million sale of Southwest Florida apartments

The Retreat at Vista Lake, a 640-unit, garden-style apartment community in the fast-growing Fort Myers, FL market

TAMPA, FL – JLL Capital Markets announced it has closed the $96 million sale of The Retreat at Vista Lake, a 640-unit, garden-style apartment community in the fast-growing Fort Myers, Florida, market.

Matt Mitchell

JLL marketed the property exclusively on behalf of the seller, and procured the buyer, a US-based private partnership. 

At $96 million, the transaction was the second largest multi-housing sale in the Fort Myers MSA on record. 

In 2018, the same JLL team sold Carlton Arms of Bradenton for $110.5 million, the largest multi-housing sale ever completed in Southwest Florida.

The Retreat at Vista Lake was originally completed in 1990 and has undergone recent capital improvements. The property’s 32 two- and three-story value-add buildings are situated on 35.2 acres at 3701 Winkler Avenue. 

Zach Nolan

Units average 867 square feet across a variety of one- and two-bedroom floor plans and the property includes a total of 1,011 parking spaces. 

In addition to the tranquil lakeside setting, The Retreat at Vista Lake features two resort-style pools, a large fitness center building, a gazebo with grilling area, tennis courts, racquetball court, lakeside basketball court, dog park and business center.

The JLL Capital Markets team representing the seller included Senior Managing Director Matt Mitchell, Senior Directors Zach Nolan and Brett Moss, Associate Drew Jennewein and Analysts Jarrod Smith and Bailey Smith.

 Brett Moss

 JLL Capital Markets is a full-service global provider of capital solutions for real estate investors and occupiers. 

The firm's in-depth local market and global investor knowledge delivers the best-in-class solutions for clients — whether investment advisory, debt placement, equity placement or a recapitalization. 

The firm has more than 3,700 Capital Markets specialists worldwide with offices in nearly 50 countries.

For more news, videos and research resources on JLL, please visit the firm’s U.S. media center Web page: U.S. newsroom.

Contact: 

Olivia Hennessey
JLL Senior Associate
 Public Relations  

Phone: +1 713 852 3403

Email: Olivia.Hennessey@am.jll.com

jll.com.