The Streetlights will be coming back on in Jacksonville’s industrial and commercial areas under legislation proposed by Mayor Alvin Brown.
The lights were shut off last year due to budget cuts.
Mayor Brown says funding comes from unspent dollars from the previous fiscal year.
There’s also money in the bill to maintain city right-of-ways, help the Fraternal Order of Police pay for job related education expenses, and to boost funding for economic development near Jacksonville International Airport and in Northwest Jacksonville.
Brown says budget savings throughout the year made the changes possible.
There were complaints from business owners and their customers in the areas effected by the lights being shut off. They said it was unsafe and bad for business. The city set up a web page to deal with the complaints.
Local President of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks Traci Jenkins welcomed the news about the streetlights and said it can help improve economic development. About two-thousand street lights were to be turned off and she says there were safety concerns.
Mayor Brown says the city will work with JEA and commercial property owners to see if LED lighting would be appropriate to replace the more expensive photo cell bulbs.
