What area is your expertise? • This report is for Jacksonville, Florida. Specifically, the geographic area of Duval and Northern St. Johns counties. What trends do you see presently in office development in your area? • As space becomes absorbed new construction is being planned for downtown and on the Southside. With the relative lack of new construction for 2006, current vacancy rates have hit an all time low of 11.6 percent, at the end of the third quarter. At some point in the first half of 2008, the market should see the vacancy rate drop to 10 percent indicating a reasonable healthy office market. Higher occupancy levels will likely mean an uptick in asking rents by next year. For the first half of 2007, investors spent over $212 million dollars for various prime Jacksonville office buildings. This is a new sales record for the city during a six-month period. Their actions represent a solid vote of confidence in Jacksonville’s future and a clear signal that better times are ahead for the local office market. Supporting improving conditions in the office sector is the overall strength of the local economy. Jacksonville’s location, diversified workforce and its anticipated port expansion, combined …