The Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) Board has selected Colin Tarbert as its new CEO.
The DIA Board interviewed Tarbert and two other finalists on Monday, June 9, in a public meeting for candidate panel interviews. These interviews marked the end of a nationwide search and subsequent vetting and interviewing process launched this past March, which drew nearly 200 applicants.
While all three candidates – Lara L. Fritts, Danny Chavez and Tarbert – came with a wealth of experience backed by strong resumes, Tarbert emerged as a clear favorite during the board conversation following the three interviews.
“Mr. Tarbert, to me, is the one that we need,” said Governance Committee Chair Sondra Fetner. “That type of experience, from redevelopment to architecture and economic development – those are all really important qualities for this role.”
Tarbert will join the Bold City from Baltimore, Maryland, where he has lived and worked for the last 20 years. Tarbert has spent that time building a breadth of experience in economic development, including several years working at the mayor’s office, both as the deputy mayor for the Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development and then as deputy chief for the Office of Strategic Alliances. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the economic development agency for Baltimore.
“It feels like the last two decades have been preparing me for this exact role,” Tarbert told the board as he concluded his interview. “…Some in the profession kind of go from city to city. I don’t do that, I haven’t done that. That’s not really my goal here. This is the only position I think I would relocate for, otherwise I’d stay in Baltimore. But I think it’s because I can see kind of see the opportunity with clarity and I think what you guys have done over the last, I guess, 10-plus years, you really set it up for success. I think it’d be awesome to be able to hopefully get it there.”
At the end of the meeting, current DIA CEO Lori Boyer informed the board that contract negotiations would begin once Tarbert was notified. Tarbert will succeed Boyer, whose six-year tenure at the helm of DIA ended June 30.
Legislative Updates
The day after DIA’s public meeting, the Jacksonville City Council passed legislation concerning the community redevelopment agency.
Bill 2025-0395 passed in a 17-0 vote at the council’s June 10 meeting, with City Councilmembers Reggie Gaffney, Jr. and Ju’Coby Pittman absent. Among its provisions, the bill grants DIA authority “to request introduction of proposed legislation from the council president” versus going through the mayor’s Budget Review Committee. DIA will now have the authority to approve Recapture Enhanced Value (REV) Grants without requiring council approval. Alternately, approval from the city council is now required for incentive packages – excluding REV grants – exceeding $10 million.
Emerging from the Special Committee on the Future of Downtown and introduced by City Councilmembers Joe Carlucci and Kevin Carrico, the legislation originally included language granting authority to the city council to confirm and fire the DIA CEO. Met with heavy opposition, this language was ultimately struck from the bill through a Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee amendment introduced at its June 2 meeting. Later that same day, in the Rules Committee. Carrico supported the amendment.
“First, I want to thank the members of the committee and especially all of the public participation – we sat in chambers maybe six or seven times over the last year, heavily debating and discussing many different ideas on how to better land the plane with DIA to make it a little more autonomous so they can get things done, but still wanted to have our oversight, which is why we had the provisions in there that have been amended out – which I’m fine with,” Carrico said. “You know, at the end of the day, there are some really good pieces to the bill that aren’t really getting a lot of attention, but happy to get it passed.”
