Hello Everyone,
I would like to introduce myself. I am Steven Darby, General Manager for Tallahassee Mall. I have read several of the comments posted and truly appreciate your support. I have been a resident of Tallahassee since 2000 and was relocated here to work at Tallahassee Mall. As you may or may not know Feldman Mall Properties (FMP) had a meeting with the county commissioners on September 18th. Our request at this time is for the county to see if there are any options that could be used to help us improve Tallahassee Mall. The "do nothing" alternative for FMP and local government would result in the decline of surrounding area and possible closure of Tallahassee Mall.
Obviously, as owners, we have a large investment in Tallahassee Mall and do not want to see that happen. But also, as a Tallahassee resident, I personally do not want to see this become a blighted area of our community. The Tallahassee Mall is an economic driver for this region, and it would be devastating to lose the nearly 850 jobs, more than $6 million in annual sales tax revenue and more than $1 million in real estate taxes collected. And that does not begin to take into account what has been witnessed in other areas where malls have failed with respect to increased crime and vandalism among other things.
I know many residents are concerned about this issue, and I would like to clarify whatever I can to help educate people about our efforts and our request of the city and county. If you have questions or concerns, I'd be happy to address them on this discussion board.
Thanks again for taking interest in this issue. I'm here to help if I can.
Steven