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Downtown businesses near old City Hall make plans for implosion day

Employees at a restaurant across from the site said they'll be watching from a safe spot. The St. Johns River Taxi has a cruise lined-up to showcase the implosion with coffee and donuts.

The countdown is on for the implosion of the old Jacksonville City Hall site along Bay Street this month.

RELATED | City: stay indoors and shelter in place during Jan. 20 implosion

“We’ve got prime location here and hopefully these windows hold up," Ian Northcutt said.

Ian Northcutt says he’s ready for an up-close look of the implosion. His boss at Olio said the restaurant will safeguard the windows closer to the implosion.

Within the blast zone, JSO says they’ll have officers going street-by-street making sure everyone is safely hunkered down.

First Coast News reached out to the Hyatt Regency, which neighbors the property. A representative said they are telling guests they’ll need to stay in place for about three hours, possibly affecting some of its services.

The St. Johns River Taxi captain Jim Gardner says the company expects a full boat offering donuts, coffee, and mimosas to passengers on about an hour cruise, which will run $35.

“We’re going to have the perfect view to watch the building be imploded this view gives you a look at the top to the ground,” Gardner said.

Gardner says the final viewing spot will come down to weather conditions and where JSO has them set up. As for water traffic, he says it could be busier than usual for a Sunday.

“I think it’s a great opportunity – I do suspect there will be a lot of people on boats,” Gardner said.

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