GuideWell, the parent company of Florida Blue, is on track to hire for 750 new jobs at its Riverside office in Jacksonville.

The jobs are a mix of full-time and contract positions and will bring the health solutions company to more than 1,750 employees at its Riverside Avenue location.

GuideWell employs more than 6,500 people in Northeast Florida, the majority of whom are based in the company’s Florida headquarters on Jacksonville’s Southside.

This project is a prime example of the partnership between the City of Jacksonville and private companies to look for creative ways to encourage private investment and improve public access to popular commercial and retail areas.

Mayor Lenny Curry and his executive team worked for several months to negotiate a land development agreement that helped facilitate this expansion. The city conveyed a current retention pond on 2.3 acres on Forest Street between Park and Magnolia streets where GuideWell will build a $21 million parking garage. Many GuideWell employees had been parking in a surface lot and the garage will now free that waterfront parcel up for commercial redevelopment.

Once the garage is complete, the city will provide a $3.5 million facilities grant because there will be public access to the parking. The garage will be available to the public on nights, weekends and holidays for use during events and for nearby restaurants.