In 2025, Fleet Landing submitted a $20 million proposal with plans for a retirement community. The School Board’s latest vote marks the third major effort in roughly a year to transfer the waterfront property to a private buyer. The district ultimately rejected the offer.
District officials had reported in September that the company offered $15.6 million, just above a $15.5 million proposal from Bainbridge Communities. The agreement approved by the board lists the purchase price at $15.132 million.
The district says two independent appraisals determined that the price meets or exceeds the property’s appraised value.
The final purchase price is also lower than the figure previously associated with Ashco, states the report.
What comes next for the district?
In 2025, Fleet Landing submitted a $20 million proposal with plans for a retirement community. The next proposal came from Chase Properties, whose $17.2 million bid was approved by the board in November 2025.
The latest deal could eventually open the door to a major redevelopment, with hotels, condominiums, retail and residential projects all possible under the proposed terms, according to an online report by News4JAX. For a property that has already survived two failed sale attempts, the future of Duval County Public Schools’ Southbank headquarters is once again up for negotiation. The Jacksonville riverfront site, covering nearly five acres in one of the city’s most prominent locations, is now headed toward a potential sale after the School Board unanimously approved a new agreement with Ashco Inc. But for now, the property’s next chapter remains far from certain. The School Board’s latest vote marks the third major effort in roughly a year to transfer the waterfront property to a private buyer, states the online report. The district ultimately rejected the offer. Its plans envisioned a broader mixed-use project combining luxury condominiums, apartments, hospitality, restaurants and commercial space. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.