Question 1

What's the commercial demand story behind a Jacksonville industrial bridge deal?

Accepted Answer

JAXPORT and the logistics base around it, not a market-wide vacancy stat we don't have. JAXPORT moved 10,230,114 total tons and 1,388,841 TEUs in fiscal year 2025, up 1.8 percent and 3.6 percent from fiscal 2024, across 1,611 vessel calls. The port's own 2024 Martin Associates study puts 30,764 direct port-dependent jobs in the Jacksonville area at an average salary of $76,706. That demand shows up in the county wage data too: Duval County had 49,535 transportation and warehousing jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, ahead of finance and insurance at 42,274. We don't have a sourced Jacksonville office, industrial, retail or multifamily vacancy, absorption or cap rate figure to hand you, so we underwrite the asset's actual rent roll and lease terms rather than a market average. See the CRE bridge program for structure.

Question 2

Is there a Navy or JAXPORT jobs number I can cite for underwriting a Jacksonville deal?

Accepted Answer

Use JAXPORT's published figures, not the Navy's. JAXPORT's cargo and jobs numbers are citable; NAS Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport personnel counts are not. The port's own statistics (10,230,114 tons, 1,388,841 TEUs in fiscal 2025) and its 2024 Martin Associates economic impact study (258,800 Florida jobs, 30,764 direct port-dependent jobs locally, $44 billion in annual economic impact) are the port authority's published figures. NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Blount Island Command are real anchors in Duval County, but their installation pages do not publish those figures, and we won't hand you a personnel or ship count we can't source. What we can say: Duval County had 17,049 federal government jobs in December 2025 at an average weekly wage of $1,504, which is federal civilian employment and does not include active-duty military. Talk to us about the specific asset and we'll underwrite what's actually documented.

Question 3

Does Florida's foreclosure process change how a Jacksonville commercial bridge loan is priced?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the same way it does statewide: every Florida foreclosure, commercial included, runs through the circuit court, and that remedy timeline is priced into the terms. Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, materially slower than a non-judicial state like Texas. On the legal-friction side, Florida's insurance regulator's claims-litigation table puts the Jacksonville metro's five counties in its lowest bucket: 8.16 percent of property claims closed in calendar year 2025 were litigated, against 27.27 percent in the Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade region and 14.01 percent in the Orlando-area counties. That's roughly a third of South Florida's litigation rate, and it's one more reason a Jacksonville commercial file underwrites differently than a South Florida one even under the same state foreclosure statute.

Question 4

How does Jacksonville's insurance market affect the carry on a commercial bridge deal?

Accepted Answer

Northeast Florida runs cheaper than the rest of the state, and that shows up in your holding costs. Average homeowners premiums including wind, as of March 2026, ran $2,540 in Clay County and $2,786 in Duval County, against $3,525 in Hillsborough, $3,610 in Orange and $4,063 in Pinellas. That table is residential, not commercial, so treat it as the direction of the inland Northeast Florida advantage rather than a quote on your asset, and get an actual commercial premium before you underwrite the carry.

Question 5

Is there Jacksonville-specific CRE vacancy or cap rate data I should ask my lender to use?

Accepted Answer

Not from us, and be skeptical of anyone who hands you one. We do not have a sourced, published figure for Jacksonville office, industrial, retail or multifamily vacancy, absorption, rent growth or cap rates as of this writing, and we're not going to invent one to make a pro forma look better. What we will underwrite is the specific asset in front of us: the actual rent roll, tenant credit, lease terms and your business plan for stabilizing it. If a broker quotes you a metro cap rate for a Jacksonville deal, ask for the source. Talk to us about the specific property.

Question 6

Why would a Jacksonville value-add or partner-buyout deal go on a bridge instead of a bank loan?

Accepted Answer

Because the county's own permitting and tax structure rewards a lender who can move on the deal's schedule. The City of Jacksonville's Building Inspection Division requires electronic submission of every permit through JaxEPICS and runs on the Florida Building Code's 2023 edition, and Florida's statutory review clock still gives commercial permits under 25,000 square feet up to 60 business days. A partner buyout or repositioning play that needs to close, stabilize and refinance inside that kind of timeline needs a lender who can carry the asset through the process, not a bank underwriting queue. When the asset stabilizes, we place the permanent debt in house so the exit is tested at the front of the file.

Question 7

What can a commercial bridge loan be used for?

Accepted Answer

Bridge capital is for repositioning or stabilizing a commercial property before permanent financing: value-add, lease-up, a partner buyout, or pulling equity out through a cash-out. We lend across property types on terms up to 24 to 36 months, with loans up to $10M.

Question 8

What rates, leverage, and terms should I expect?

Accepted Answer

Our commercial bridge pricing starts around 9%, interest-only, up to roughly 75% loan-to-value, on terms up to 24 to 36 months. Published bridge pricing generally runs 8% to 12% with 1 to 3 points. Final terms depend on the asset, the business plan, and sponsor strength.

Question 9

How fast can a commercial bridge loan close?

Accepted Answer

Commercial deals usually close in 2 to 4 weeks. They take a little longer than residential because of the appraisal, the rent roll and operating-statement review, and any third-party reports. We move as fast as the diligence allows and keep one point of contact on your file.

Question 10

Do I need positive cash flow (DSCR) to qualify?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily at closing. Bridge loans are often underwritten interest-only to the as-stabilized business plan rather than a minimum in-place DSCR, since the property is being repositioned. We do want to see a credible path to stabilization and enough in-place income or reserves to carry the loan.

Question 11

What documents do you need for a commercial bridge request?

Accepted Answer

Typically the purchase contract or current debt, a rent roll and trailing-12-month operating statement, your business plan and renovation budget, and sponsor financials. Larger assets may also need a property condition report and an environmental review. We will give you a clear checklist up front.

Question 12

Is the loan recourse, and is cash-out available?

Accepted Answer

Most bridge loans are recourse with a personal guarantee, while lower-leverage non-recourse can be possible on stronger assets. Cash-out is available when there is equity to support it. We structure recourse and leverage around the specific deal.

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