Julian LeCraw and Co. proposed the 14-story luxury condominium project overlooking a scenic Jacksonville waterway with access to a marina located at the south end of San Jose Boulevard at Mandarin's Julington Creek Marina. Onced approved, this would be Mandarin's first high-rise condo.

The developer needs the 10-acre marina and yacht sales site rezoned so the condominium can be added with units priced at $500,000-plus. A condominium is a permitted use under the city's zoning code. This proposed 104-unit, 210-foot-high building project would keep most of the Julington Creek Marina's boat slips and all of its dry storage accessible to the public. It may also change the area's character and add more traffic to two crowded commuter routes, San Jose Boulevard and Julington Creek Road.

The existing marina has dock space for 102 boats, room to stack 190 more in a storage building, and boat sales and service at 12807 San Jose Blvd. The yet-to-be named condominium would consist of one building on the southern end of the site, with 13 residential floors and two parking levels, one below ground. The top floor would be a penthouse, with the other units averaging about 1,600 square feet each. An overall dollar amount for the project hasn't been determined.

The marina would remain with most of its boat slips and all of its dry storage accessible to the public. The dry stack storage building would be shifted north to make room for the condominium, its entrances planned on San Jose Boulevard and around the corner on Julington Creek Road. No more boat sales would occur, but boat repairs would. The project would take about a year to build.

Fraudulent Homestead Exemption

Florida's homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a property by $25,000,
but too many residents unlawfully try to get the savings on more than one home.
State lawmakers are cracking down, and Florida House Speaker Allan Bense says
he supports any effort to increase penalties for fraudulent homestead filers.

Legislation has been proposed that would make it a felony to claim more than one homestead exemption. The offense is a third-degree misdemeanor.

The property appraiser can recoup taxes on nonqualified homesteaded property dating back 10 years. There is a 50-percent penalty on the overdue taxes, plus 18-percent interest. The property appraiser also puts a lien on the property until the debt is paid.