Linzee Ott

As Build Up Downtown’s CEO, Linzee Ott leads the organization in its mission to advocate for and facilitate smart development, preservation, and great public spaces in Downtown, Jacksonville. The nonprofit communicates with and informs current and future investors, developers, businesses, and stakeholders in Downtown; educates the greater Northeast Florida community about developments, project updates, and activities within Downtown; and collaborates on community-wide efforts for Downtown revitalization.  

A proud native of Jacksonville, FL, she graduated from Florida State University with bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and political science. At FSU, she interned for Representative Ross Spano and Senator Rob Bradley, and upon graduation, interned in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of State. Ott then returned to Tallahassee, FL, where she worked in the legislative offices of the Florida Department of Health and Governor Rick Scott, and later in governmental affairs with The Fiorentino Group before returning to her hometown in 2016.

For nearly eight years, Ott worked at the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit as the Director of Community Impact, where she was hired by State Attorney Melissa Nelson to pioneer an innovative position—the office’s first role dedicated solely to community outreach—with the aim of better connecting the office with the community, leveraging community resources, and restoring the public’s trust in the office.

Ott is an Emeritus Director of the San Marco Preservation Society and the current chair of Jacksonville’s Downtown Development Review Board.