Finalists for DIA CEO Revealed

[Ken_FSU]

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/jun/02/finalists-to-replace-jacksonville-dia-ceo-lori-boyer-to-be-interviewed-june-9/

Hot take, with full self-recognition of the irony here:

Beg Lori Boyer to stay on for another year or two.

All due respect, no one on this list has the qualifications we need for our next DIA CEO, and Lori Boyer has legit been cooking since the new administration took over. In terms of four of our most important projects at the moment - UF, Riverfront Plaza, Snyder Memorial, and Pearl - she is CLEARLY the smartest one in the room from the city.

I think if we get a few more wins under our belts, the jobs becomes a lot more attractive.

[jaxlongtimer]

DIA needs an urban city planner, first and foremost, not an economic development person.  Economic development will follow good planning and execution of same.  We have tried our hand at pure economic development, sans planning, and where has that gotten us?  A lot of failed renderings and very expensive incentives to get anything to move forward.  Meanwhile, in totality, Downtown as been on a continuous slide backwards.

If not for Gateway's project, Downtown would not have much to show.  While I hope Gateway succeeds, for the most part, they are sticking their neck out all by their lonesome self and, basically, creating a "downtown" within a downtown, doing their own urban planning. No thanks to City Hall other than letting them feed at the incentives trough. 

If UF ever gets their project done (currently projected out 10 years or more with no clear plan what they are up to), it appears it will be another "downtown" within Downtown.  If Khan does an entertainment district at the stadium, ditto.  The City gets little to no credit for coherently tying all this together in some grand plan at this time.

If they are going to choose from these 3 candidates, I think Fritts leads based on her resume... she has worked in Annapolis, Richmond and Salt Lake City and appears to maybe have some urban improvement experiences but I can't tell how much or if she carried the ball.

Tarbert from Baltimore would be next based on the published background.  Again, I don't see much depth to his urban experiences but do like that he has a degree in architecture.  Maybe he would put the City's foot down on decent building designs instead of all the glass or painted boxes we have been building as of late.  A small win  .

Interesting that these 2 both currently hail from Maryland.  Hope those blue staters can pass muster with our very red City Council partisanship.

Last place goes to Chavez:  Nothing personal but EIGHT MONTHS in his current job... are you kidding me?  In Waco?!  I would hate to see the rest of the applicant pool  .

...Chavez served as Waco's top economic development officer from April 2024 to December 2024, according to a resume provided by the city of Jacksonville...

.
To add, if I were a candidate for this job, I would insist on having a role in JTA's strategic planning as the lack of good public transit in the urban core is one of the biggest holdbacks to its advancement.  As U2C demonstrates, JTA is clueless.  DIA needs to be tied to JTA at the hip at least with respect to the urban core.

But, what do I know?  I didn't make the final cut... LOL.

[CityLife]

A little underwhelming, as there is only one candidate that appears to be viable, imo. Two of the three candidates are better suited for Aundra Wallace's position with JaxUSA. With UF coming and office vacancy issues, it is important to have an economic development/recruiting background in the position; but the toughest part of the job is dealing with development, park projects/capital projects, and disposition of vacant land. Only Tarbert appears to have experience in that realm. 

Fritts does have some decent economic development experience in Salt Lake City from 2016-2019, but she is currently director of economic development for Frederick County. The county seat Frederick is closer to Gettysburg, Pa than it is to DC or Baltimore though and the county population is only 300k.

Chavez is risky. He has some good experience from an early age in San Antonio, McKinney Texas, and Charlotte; but he only lasted 9 months in Waco and left without another job lined up. It's the only time in his career he's been the chief executive/department head. He might be a great number 2 for DIA focusing on economic development and recruiting, but I don't see any way you can hire him for this with his lack of management experience and his short tenure in Waco. 

Tarbert on paper looks like the best candidate by a mile, imo. He has an undergrad in architecture and masters in architecture and urban design. The DIA appears to have been severely lacking in understanding quality urban design. He could hopefully elevate things in this area. He has also worked in Baltimore since 2006 and risen the ranks over time. Clearly a sign he is competent and is able to navigate challenging political environments. If you've seen The Wire, you can really appreciate how complex things are in that city. Assuming he speaks well and has the right vision for the job, it certainly looks like it's his job to lose.

[Ken_FSU]

Tarbert on paper looks like the best candidate by a mile, imo. He has an undergrad in architecture and masters in architecture and urban design. The DIA appears to have been severely lacking in understanding quality urban design. He could hopefully elevate things in this area. He has also worked in Baltimore since 2006 and risen the ranks over time. Clearly a sign he is competent and is able to navigate challenging political environments. If you've seen The Wire, you can really appreciate how complex things are in that city. Assuming he speaks well and has the right vision for the job, it certainly looks like it's his job to lose.

^Yeah, his resume provided by the Daily Record seems a little underwhelming for a city of Jacksonville's size and potential, particularly when you consider what a boondoggle CFG Bank Arena was for like 30 years.

Tarbert is entering his sixth year as head of the Baltimore Development Corp., for which he lists such accomplishments as negotiating a public-private partnership to complete a $250 million redevelopment of CFG Bank Arena, leading completion of a $45 million market that includes nearly 50 local vendors and overseeing the issuance of 2,000 grants totaling more than $30 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 35-member development organization has a budget of $6 million.

But doing some additional research, he seems to be very well respected in Baltimore, with a lot more under his belt than mentioned in the article.

https://i95business.com/releases/6834

To me, I kind of view this position in the same way I view the Jags head coaching position at the end of last season. For candidates looking to make a name or a legacy for themselves, I cannot imagine a better opportunity that exists out there right now than Jacksonville. The city is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its public riverfront. The stadium district is being reimagined with $1.2 billion in investment for the stadium, and a new Four Seasons under construction. The Emerald Trail is coming online. Gateway Jax is transforming multiple blocks. The city has proven itself willing to invest in downtown. And there is so much vacant real estate to work with.

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

[thelakelander]

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

The best of the best also have options. There's some major cons (especially the meddling that council has been doing)  that would have anyone with multiple viable options at their disposal, thinking twice about jumping at this particular opportunity too quick.

[CityLife]

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

The best of the best also have options. There's some major cons (especially the meddling that council has been doing)  that would have anyone with multiple viable options at their disposal, thinking twice about jumping at this particular opportunity too quick.

Agreed with this. It doesn't take much research by prospective candidates to figure out that it is an insanely hard job, possibly even the most difficult public sector job in Florida. There are so many moving parts going on that I don't know how Lori Boyer sleeps at night. It's an incredibly taxing job with so many things that can easily blow up into controversy if you don't stick the landing. The City Council is also passing legislation that will enable them to fire the CEO with a simple majority. That means you have 19 bosses and have to keep at least 10 happy at all times. One election goes wrong and now you have a new set of bosses that didn't hire you. The same dynamic happens for City Managers, but you generally only have to keep 3 of 5 (or 4 of 7)  happy and even that is very challenging and stressful. Turnover and burnout rates in roles like that are insanely high.

Most people with successful careers aren't going to be willing to take the risk for it. Especially not for the amount of pay in relation to the stress of the job. Lori Boyer is only making $221k. That may sound like a lot to the average joe, but it's nothing for the type of people that are well regarded Partners/Principals at private firms or make similar or more money at less challenging public jobs. Jax will have to pay a ton of money to attract a bigtime candidate.

I almost posted in the Downtown Development Update thread the other day that Jax should pay something like $400-$500k for the DIA Director. I feel even more strongly about that after seeing the candidate pool. Nat Ford makes $458k and Eric Green makes $440k. Given the amount of investment and importance of downtown, I don't see any reason the City shouldn't pay a similar salary to the DIA Director.

[fsu813]

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

The best of the best also have options. There's some major cons (especially the meddling that council has been doing)  that would have anyone with multiple viable options at their disposal, thinking twice about jumping at this particular opportunity too quick.

Agreed with this. It doesn't take much research by prospective candidates to figure out that it is an insanely hard job, possibly even the most difficult public sector job in Florida. There are so many moving parts going on that I don't know how Lori Boyer sleeps at night. It's an incredibly taxing job with so many things that can easily blow up into controversy if you don't stick the landing. The City Council is also passing legislation that will enable them to fire the CEO with a simple majority. That means you have 19 bosses and have to keep at least 10 happy at all times. One election goes wrong and now you have a new set of bosses that didn't hire you. The same dynamic happens for City Managers, but you generally only have to keep 3 of 5 (or 4 of 7)  happy and even that is very challenging and stressful. Turnover and burnout rates in roles like that are insanely high.

Most people with successful careers aren't going to be willing to take the risk for it. Especially not for the amount of pay in relation to the stress of the job. Lori Boyer is only making $221k. That may sound like a lot to the average joe, but it's nothing for the type of people that are well regarded Partners/Principals at private firms or make similar or more money at less challenging public jobs. Jax will have to pay a ton of money to attract a bigtime candidate.

I almost posted in the Downtown Development Update thread the other day that Jax should pay something like $400-$500k for the DIA Director. I feel even more strongly about that after seeing the candidate pool. Nat Ford makes $458k and Eric Green makes $440k. Given the amount of investment and importance of downtown, I don't see any reason the City shouldn't pay a similar salary to the DIA Director.

Agreed on pay.

I talked to a couple locals who would be great candidates - neither interested due to potential political shenanigans.

[heights unknown]

Lakelander should take the job; just kidding. From what I can see, there's much too many "bags of worms" for this position/job. If this type job/position was in my field, no amount of money would be enough for me to accept it.

[thelakelander]

Lol you couldn't pay me to take that type of job. Too much petty political play involved that you'd have to deal with and kiss up to on a consistent basis. You'd spend more dealing with foolishness than the real task at hand.

[Jax_Developer]

Hard to understand why the DIA still exists when we've given/donated/sold (you're welcome Jags) just about all the major downtown parcels & fight about the few remaining ones with City Council. How much do we really care about what happens to 0.1 acres on Broad street for example when theres a contiguous owner adjacent to it?

Or like the jail, in what world is City Council not involved somehow with that outcome? DIA feels more obsolete every time one of these big projects locks up land.

https://dia.jacksonville.gov/getmedia/c8e8ef56-5f76-4bc0-8eb3-a88b3429191b/20221006_City-Owned-Parcel-Map_1.pdf

[CityLife]

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

The best of the best also have options. There's some major cons (especially the meddling that council has been doing)  that would have anyone with multiple viable options at their disposal, thinking twice about jumping at this particular opportunity too quick.

The City Council is also passing legislation that will enable them to fire the CEO with a simple majority. That means you have 19 bosses and have to keep at least 10 happy at all times. One election goes wrong and now you have a new set of bosses that didn't hire you.

Quick update on this. City Council removed the provision from their legislation that would have enabled them to fire the DIA CEO with a simple majority. The hiring/firing power will remain with the DIA board. Good move and glad it got cleared up before the CEO interviews next week.

Also, FYI, in case you didn't click on the link Ken shared earlier, Colin Tarbert already resigned from his job in Baltimore. Sometimes you have to do that when interviewing elsewhere, but he may have already been given indications he's the guy. I'd be surprised if he's not chosen.

[Charles Hunter]

Also, FYI, in case you didn't click on the link Ken shared earlier, Colin Tarbert already resigned from his job in Baltimore. Sometimes you have to do that when interviewing elsewhere, but he may have already been given indications he's the guy. I'd be surprised if he's not chosen.

Or ... his time in Baltimore has run its course.

[jaxlongtimer]

Also, FYI, in case you didn't click on the link Ken shared earlier, Colin Tarbert already resigned from his job in Baltimore. Sometimes you have to do that when interviewing elsewhere, but he may have already been given indications he's the guy. I'd be surprised if he's not chosen.

Or ... his time in Baltimore has run its course.

Or.... he fell into the UF President trap... you have the job but you don't.  Too bad you believed us and resigned your cushy former job and now you have nothing.

[vicupstate]

You'd really think that the absolute best of the best, from some major, major markets, with stacked resumes, would be fighting to take this opportunity on.

The best of the best also have options. There's some major cons (especially the meddling that council has been doing)  that would have anyone with multiple viable options at their disposal, thinking twice about jumping at this particular opportunity too quick.

Couldn't agree more. The partisan driven nonsense in Jacksonville city government has LONG been a major downfall. And no, it is absolutely not that bad everywhere. Jacksonville is one of the worst examples you will find. The Ron Salem's and there ilk do a lot more damage than anyone realizes. This is one such example. 

[CityLife]

Interviews were today and Tarbert was head and shoulders above the others. DIA Board is discussing now and seems to be unanimous that he's the top candidate.

I only caught a bit of Tarbert's interview, but he was impressive. Should be a great addition to Jax.