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Council President Tommy Hazouri Comes Under Fire After Contentious Lot J Meeting

City Council President Tommy Hazouri
Bob Self
/
Florida Times-Union file photo
City Council President Tommy Hazouri

After a tense meeting Thursday night, Jacksonville City Council President Tommy Hazouri is coming under fire from some of his fellow councilmembers.

In a heated Committee of the Whole meeting on Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s proposed Lot J development, members debated two proposals that would bring the Downtown Investment Authority into the process, which led to a sharp exchange between Hazouri and Councilman Aaron Bowman.

Related: Council President Criticizes Mayoral Administration’s Handling Of Lot J Project

“You are unprepared for this job,” Bowman said, obviously frustrated with how the meeting was going.

“Well, you’re welcome,” Hazouri replied sarcastically. “I’m sorry that you’re still not the president.”

After Thursday’s unproductive meeting, Councilman Rory Diamond Tweeted that Bowman had captured “the sentiment of the entire Council.”

He even seemed to suggest removing Hazouri as President in a response to another tweet.

Meanwhile, prominent Democrats in the city have been quick to come to Hazouri’s defense.

Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.

Special Projects Producer Brendan Rivers joined WJCT News in August of 2018 after several years as a reporter and then News Director at Southern Stone Communications, which owns and operates several radio stations in the Daytona Beach area.