Jacksonville, Florida – The developer of RISE Doro, the apartment complex that caught fire Sunday downtown, is a real estate company called RISE. According to the company's website, it has dozens of apartment complexes located across the country in its portfolio, including several in the Jacksonville area.
The company issued a statement thanking the firefighters and first responders involved, saying it had not yet answered any questions from News4JAX about future plans for the complex.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters, first responders and their families who have been committed to the safety of our community. “We are grateful for their quick and ongoing response to the situation,” the company said in a statement on its website.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she hadn't heard much from representatives of the developers behind RISE Doro.
“I haven't heard much from them other than the fact that they hope that at some point they can come back and rebuild,” Deegan said. “Obviously, at this point, this is going to be a process.”
According to the RISE website, it focuses on developing, managing and financing multifamily and student housing.
The website also says the company does its own construction work for some projects; Doro is one of them.
According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Doro building contractor has been licensed since 2014, and the state's website shows no complaints against them.
RISE is now headquartered in Jacksonville after moving its headquarters from Valdosta.
RISE has six apartment complexes in its portfolio in the Jacksonville area, including Douro.
There's also RISE Julington, RISE Bartram Park, RISE Baymeadows, RISE Glen Kernan Park, and RISE at Nocatee. RISE Glen Kernan Park and RISE at Nocatee are apartment communities with over 55 active apartment communities.
In Gainesville, the company owns two student apartment complexes, RISE Thirty-Fourth and Anthem House Apartments.
The company's CEO told the Jacksonville Daily Record in 2022 that the 247-unit project at RISE Doro was expected to cost $67 million and be completed in the summer of 2023. But now, the immediate concern is keeping the building from collapsing.
After the Doro caught fire on Sunday, News4JAX reached out to the company to ask if people had already signed leases or had move-in dates. We also wanted to know if RISE had any idea what might have caused the fire, but they did not immediately respond.
According to the RISE Doro Apartments website, units in the apartment were available for rent, with some available starting March 1. Apartments.com listed rent at $1,475 to $3,200 with units ranging from studios to two-bedrooms.
A JEA spokesperson said the facility provided two transformers for the RISE Doro Apartments building. “Both services underwent final electrical inspection and were connected in early October,” they said.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the state fire marshal.
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