Marcus Lemonis fell in love with Jacksonville years ago. The Ponte Vedra Beach resident chose the First Coast as the primary location to produce season one episodes of his new HGTV series, The Renovator.
The CEO of Camping World shared Seminole Club and Sweet Pete's Candy insights, but voluminous was his dismay over Jacksonville’s lagged downtown development. The Business Journal recently caught up with Lemonis to chat about the show, Jacksonville and downtown, more specifically:I wanted to really start working on people’s homes in my neighborhood, and I figured the best way for me to understand how to effectuate change is start inside my own city.
I don’t feel there’s been enough financial commitment from the city or big businesses. Local businesses can’t write $25 million or $35 million checks, but big businesses can turn the beautiful riverfront —which is the jewel of our city — into something we can celebrate.I would love to do something downtown because the gentrification of the city has a balance. I’m a big believer in preservation, and that’s why the Seminole Club mattered.