Aetna moving Downtown operations to Southside

A major local employer is moving its headquarters from the Southbank to the Southside.

Aetna is not renewing its lease at the 22-story downtown building that it has called home since 1999.

Around 800 people will make the move to the new location.

"I remain committed to downtown," Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said.

Action News Jax is told Aetna turned down an offer from the buildings landlord that included $4.5 million in incentives, including $2.4 million from the city.

"I had meetings with their CEO as they we're looking for space. They are committed to Jacksonville which is a win and is important," Curry said.

According to the real estate firm Jones, Lang and La Salle, the vacancy rate for downtown is 14.6 percent, slightly higher than the national average.

The Downtown Investment Authority says it's the lowest rate since 2002.

Aetna is moving to a 90-acre campus on a busy stretch of Southside Boulevard that may create more traffic headaches. It's currently called the Bank of America Office Park, but it's name will change to Gramercy Woods.

Aetna released this statement:

“Aetna cherishes its close relationship with the city of Jacksonville,” said Mark LaBorde, Aetna’s senior vice president of enterprise sales, product and marketing. “As we take steps to address our future needs, we’re very pleased that we’ll be staying in Jacksonville and continuing our commitment to the local community and its organizations.”

The DIA says its confident the 170,000-square foot space that Aetna occupied in the building will get filled.

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