It was a busy — and at times contentiouss— night for the Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday as legislators passed three ordinances over varying levels of opposition from local residents, along with making good on commitments to ethics reform when it comes to nonprofits and tax dollars.
Here are highlights from the six-plus-hour meeting:Baymeadows
As is typical for City Council meetings, the most contentious issue is usually saved for last. In a nail-biter 9 to 8 vote, the council voted to create a special taxing district in the Baymeadows community, the first of its kind for Jacksonville.
Special districts have been created in the past to provide for the upkeep of waterways, but this district is unique in that it will levy additional taxes on Baymeadows residents to maintain and repair private roads and sewer systems.
Residents in newer developments were fiercely opposed. At a special public hearing before the vote, many laid the blame at the feet of negligent homeowner associations in older neighborhoods and questioned why they should have to pay extra.
Speakers from those old neighborhoods, along with bill sponsor Danny Becton, countered that busted roads and stormwater drains could affect the community at large.
Becton faced a last-minute revolt from council members who previously supported the bill in committee, but after intense pushback from homeowners against the taxing district, were a no-vote.
"It's contrary to the notions of consolidation," Councilwoman Brenda Priestly Jackson said. "We're not going to make any one group pay a little bit more than others, and there is no precedent."
The ordinance gained a boost from Matt Carlucci, who defended the idea and admonished the opposition for not proposing a viable alternative in the two years Becton had worked to create the district.
"Never criticize somebody's legislation unless you got a better mousetrap, and I've not seen a better mousetrap," Carlucci said. "I think [what] he's put together may be tough to swallow. But the answer to bringing that Baymeadows community back to where it needs to be.”
The ordinance doesn't set tax rates, but instead creates a board of seven supervisors made up of local property owners to represent the Baymeadows community. The board, within certain parameters, has complete control to determine the size and structure of the additional fees.
The initial seven members of the board are council-appointed, having been selected by Becton. After the City Council passes its next budget this year, the legislation calls for an immediate election by Baymeadows residents to elect a new tax district board, with regular election cycles thereafter.Broward Point peninsula
Against the almost-universal condemnation of local residents, City Council also voted to rezone a sparsely housed portion of the Broward Point peninsula, near the Jacksonville Zoo on the Northside, in order to make way for a new development of 243 single-family houses.
The residents say more homes is a safety hazard, since the only entrance into the neighborhood is a single street occasionally blocked by trains. They decried other issues like the destruction of the peninsula's nature, and the planned development being in opposition to the city's climate change resiliency plan, since the area is in a flood zone.
All of that is moot, however, in the eyes of Charles M. Broward, who owns the land that is already zoned for 380 units. The property, about 113 acres, can be developed to hold 80 single-family houses and 300 multifamily apartment dwellings.
The fact that Broward and the developer want just single-family homes, nearly 250 units, requires a designation change. But, it's technically a downzoning of the development that could already take place, a fact noted by Councilman Rory Diamond.
"Look, I get it. These are million-dollar homes on the river," Diamond said, admitting he would oppose the development too if he lived there. "I 100% understand that people want to protect the value of their home. But the choice, as far as I can tell, is 243 single-family homes or 380 multifamily and single-family homes. That's an easy decision to down zone."Ethics
City Council is keeping up commitments to ethics reform surrounding nonprofits, voting to add new financial disclosures to the city's public service grant process.
The ordinance requires nonprofits applying for city tax dollars through the public service grant to provide two years of fiscal reports, including expenses, revenues and what the organization achieved.
Last year, the council received public backlash after federal COVID-relief funds went to multiple nonprofits operated by council members and individuals with personal or professional ties to council members.
The response prompted more regulations requiring a competitive bidding process for public dollars controlled by the city, along with additional disclosures and public hearings for contracts being awarded to nonprofits that employ council members.
An aspirational goal of $7 million in the budget for the public service grant was also established, though it's not a binding commitment.Sulzbacher Center
Another Sulzbacher Center for the homeless may be coming to Jacksonville. Similar to the Downtown campus for children and families, the new center, along with 100 units of affordable supportive housing, would be built in the Brentwood area north of Springfield.
City Council gave emergency approval to a plan that doesn't fund the venture but allows Sulzbacher to apply for a state grant from the Florida Finance Corp.
Councilwoman Ju'Coby Pittman represents the area and at the town hall Monday heard the concerns of many residents who opposed the plan without assurances from Sulzbacher for economic development.
The immediate area suffers from disinvestment and unemployment higher than surrounding boroughs.
Steven Diebenow, a lawyer representing Sulzbacher and the developer it's partnering with for the center, tried to assuage those concerns.
"We're not looking to do a study; we're looking to do concrete things to change and improve the neighborhood. They include landscaping, sidewalks, jobs, may include education programs and health care services," he said.
If Sulzbacher gets the grant, it would still need to come back before council with a rezoning bill in order for the project to happen.
Pittman provided tentative support to the plan and set a list of conditions she says Sulzbacher needs to satisfy for her to sign off on future zoning efforts.
"I was really opposing this," Pittman said. "But I need to make sure that you all are going to promise that you're going to keep your promise. Because this district needs no more broken promises. I need you to promise me that."
According to Diebenow, if Sulzbacher is successful with the initial development, the plan is to construct a 100,000-square-foot warehouse and manufacturing facility to provide jobs to housed residents and stimulate economic activity in the community.
