Historic Kress in downtown Tampa embroiled in legal dispute over attempted sale
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 28, 2016

The father-daughter pair that owns the historic Kress block in downtown Tampa are embroiled in a legal dispute over an attempted sale of the property.

Jeannette Jason on Dec. 23 filed a petition asking the court to void a sale of the property that her father, Doran Jason, negotiated and attempted without her consent. Doran Jason, according to allegations in the filing, was attempting to sell the Kress block to Accardi Development LLC. The petition also seeks a trial by jury.

Accardi Development is controlled by twin brothers John and Jason Accardi, who own 717 Parking Enterprises. Between downtown Tampa and Ybor City, the Accardis own or manage 1 million square feet.

Neither Jason Accardi nor Doran Jason could immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The property is the entire 800 block of North Franklin Street and includes a 1920s-built Kress department store. It has been one of the most closely watched potential redevelopments in Tampa's urban core for years. In 2014, a local group proposed a plan for the block that would have included a hotel in the Kress, but that deal ultimately fell apart.

The Jasons have jointly owned the Kress block since 1996. In 2015, the Jasons sold the block directly north of the Kress to Atlanta-based Carter, which is currently under construction on a 23-story tower on that property.

"It's just an action I have to take to protect my interest in the property," Jeanette Jason said Wednesday.

The petition also alleges that Doran Jason improperly and without valid corporate authority diluted Jeanette Jason's ownership interest in the corporate entities that own the Kress block. He also allegedly appointed a close friend, Joe Harbaugh, a manager of the corporate entities that own the property, the complaint says.

His wife, Patricia Jason, was also appointed a manager, though she subsequently resigned, according to the allegations.

Despite her petition, Jeannette Jason said she remains optimistic that a sale will close in the next year.

"There are four or five good purchasers, Accardi being one of those," Jeanette Jason said. "So as soon as we get determination and direction from the court, I hope that we will issue a call for offers in 2017."

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is senior reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.