New Members Garrison and Hassan Seated on Downtown Investment Authority Board
April 21, 2023
A Jacksonville contracting executive and a longtime local real estate professional have joined the Downtown Investment Authority Board of Directors.
Joshua Garrison, the co-owner and CEO of Miranda Contracting, and Joe Hassan, a Florida real estate developer/investor and owner of Ten-H Investments, were seated on the board this week after being appointed by Mayor Lenny Curry and City Council President Terrance Freeman, respectively.
Garrison fills the unexpired term of former Board Member Stephanie Burch, who stepped away when she joined the board of the Jacksonville Transit Authority in the fall of 2022. Hassan fills the position previously held by former Board Chair Ronald K. Moody.
Garrison joined Miranda Contracting in 2003 on his way to becoming a co-owner and CEO in 2012 and then president in 2018. He guides a company that has completed more than 65 major projects totaling more than $48 million in capital improvements since 1998.
A University of North Florida alumni who holds an MBA from the university’s European Business School, Garrison also has served on numerous civic and professional organizations, including as president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, board member of Trinity Rescue Mission, and member of the UNF International Business Advisory Council and College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Council.
He also is a former member and chair of the Jacksonville Planning Commission.
“Our Downtown is the heartbeat of Northeast Florida,” Garrison said. “I’m honored and excited to help bring further prosperity to our central district.”
Hassan, a UNF graduate and Jacksonville native, brings over 30 years of experience as a licensed Realtor in the region. His business interests center on the development of professional office space and climate-controlled storage from the ground up. Moreover, he specializes in acquiring and refurbishing historic buildings, such as the Dyal Upchurch Building and the Florida Title and Trust Building in Downtown Jacksonville.
Before transition to real estate investing and development, Hassan was the senior vice president of Scott Alarm, a Jacksonville-based company where he played an instrumental role in expanding the organization to become the largest independently owned security company in the U.S. Additionally, he founded Certified Security Systems, which went on to become one of the top 100 independently owned security companies in the nation.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Downtown Investment Authority Board during this dynamic time for our Downtown,” Hassan said. “There’s a tremendous amount of interest and opportunity in Downtown Jacksonville, and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Board to keep up the momentum.”
“Speaking for myself and for my colleagues on the board, we’re excited that Mr. Garrison and Mr. Hassan have joined us,” said DIA Board Chair Carol Worsham. “With their decades of experience as business leaders and their deep connections to Jacksonville, they’re well-suited to keep the transformation of Downtown moving in the right direction.”
As DIA Board members, Garrison and Hassan will help guide a Downtown revitalization effort that has seen $500 million in development projects completed since 2021, with another $1.5 billion under construction and $245 million approved or in review. The Board oversees a 12-member DIA staff responsible for carrying out a Downtown master plan that provides a comprehensive set of goals, policies and initiatives to keep redevelopment moving forward.