Jacksonville may impose a tax on gasoline to fund up to $930 million in improvements to roadways, drainage and transit, according to WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union, which reported Wednesday that Mayor Lenny Curry has been meeting with City Council members.
Funding for the projects would come from a 6-cent tax increase on each gallon of gasoline purchased in city limits.
In Florida, counties are allowed to add a tax of up to 12 cents per gallon of gasoline to fund local transit projects. Duval County already has a 6-cent gas tax, so this increase would make Duval the thirty-second of Florida’s 67 counties to use the maximum 12-cent rate.
A list of proposed projects acquired by WJCT News include improving sidewalks, making pedestrian crossings safer and more accessible for people with disabilities, fixing up bus stops, and installing drainage systems across the city.
Of the proposed $930-million spend, two-thirds are for projects that are city-wide or take place across multiple city council districts. The largest, totalling $102 million, would go towards resurfacing some of the 3,682 miles of roadways that the city of Jacksonville is responsible for maintaining.
According to JTA’s description of the project, “Resurfacing includes full milling and resurfacing, micro?surfacing and rejuvenation of City roadways. All of these treatments extend the lifespan of existing city roadways.”
Related: Click here to view the complete list of proposed projects.
JTA designated the remaining third of possible projects by City Council district. Funding by district would be as follows:
- District 1: $12 million
- District 2: $63 million
- District 3: $4.6 million
- District 4: $23.9 million
- District 5: $41 million
- District 6: $4.9 million
- District 7: $21.6 million
- District 8: $1.5 million
- District 9: $6 million
- District 10: $1 million
- District 11: no specified projects
- District 12: $40 million
- District 13: $25.5 million
District 2, represented by City Councilman Al Ferraro, would receive by far the most upgrades. The two largest proposals for District 2 are a $40 million traffic study and concept design for road improvements along New Berlin Road, and $17 million for widening, milling and resurfacing Sawpit Road from Cedar Point Road to Shark Road.
There were no projects listed for District 11. District 10, represented by City Councilwoman Brenda Priestly Jackson, would receive the next lowest funding. A proposed $1 million would go towards installing traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, and drainage improvements on intersection approaches.
A bill for the City Council to consider for implementing the gas tax has not yet been introduced.
Contact Sydney Boles at sboles@wjct.org, or on Twitter at @sydneyboles.
