Jacksonville City Council

Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council agenda was sparse, but three hours of public comment on two bills made up for it.

City Councilmen Bill Gulliford and Tommy Hazouri are both sponsoring bills that could expand the city’s human rights ordinance to protect people in the areas of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is looking for victims of self-proclaimed child sex abuser Roy Bay.

Bay told the Jacksonville City Council during public comments on a proposed human-rights ordinance last week that he had committed several sex acts with children.

The JSO says a preliminary investigation shows some of the victims may live in Jacksonville, and the attacks may go back as far as 1980.

Investigators say victims are likely white men who were between 10-and-18-years old when Bay molested them.

Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee approved a proposed $90 million deal with the Jaguars for stadium renovations, a multi-purpose indoor practice field and a new amphitheatre — even though Jacksonville already has one at Metropolitan Park.

The plan calls for the city to evenly split the bill with Jaguars owner Shad Khan. The city would use two cents of a six percent tax charged to Jacksonville hotel guests to pay its part. That money is earmarked for sports complex maintenance by a bill passed through Council in 2009.

Arlington is in store for a total makeover now that the Jacksonville City Council has approved a redevelopment and renewal plan for the area.

The 70-plus page plan addresses issues like walkability, infrastructure and public safety. Councilman John Crescimbeni says he remembers Arlington at a different time.

The Jacksonville City Council will begin considering a bill next Tuesday that could limit when and where food trucks can operate.

Councilman Reggie Brown is introducing the bill, which if passed, would amend the city ordinance so that food trucks would not be allowed to operate within 50 feet of a brick-and-mortar business unless the brick-and-mortar business gives the mobile business written consent.

The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee voted to replace City Planning Commissioners Lisa King and Joey Mckinnon Tuesday afternoon. The matter now passes to the full Council.

Mayor Lenny Curry asked both members to resign mid-term, saying their goals do not align with his, but they refused.

Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a former Democratic Jacksonville mayor, was the lone member to vote against replacing them. He says they did nothing wrong and should be allowed to finish their terms.

Jacksonville City Council districts in the Northwest parts of the city will hold town hall meetings, Thursday.

Councilwoman Katrina Brown represents District 8 on the Westside. She says after a lot of people called her office, she wanted to get the community together.

"People have questions about their sidewalks, trash pickups and code enforcement," Brown said. "[I want to] really find out what some of their needs are and what are their true concerns."  

She says they'll also tackle the area's crime issues, and she's invited Sheriff Mike Williams to attend.

The Jacksonville City Council and city planners met Tuesday to work on rules governing non-euphoric medical marijuana.

Last year, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed off on the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, which allows patients on a special state-registry to use marijuana that won’t make them high, but can help with issues like seizures.

The Council is taking a slow and deliberate approach to regulating its growing, processing and dispensing in Jacksonville. Councilman Jim Love suggests the medicine be dispensed through pharmacies.

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee considered funding for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Thursday.

Sheriff Mike Williams was on hand to answer council members’ questions.

“We’ve done a lot of work prior to today to prepare you know working with the council and the mayor’s office,” Williams said. “But I think this is the kind of meeting you get when you have a council and a mayor and a sheriff that really do work together every day.”

Jacksonville city officials want to make it easier for parents of school children to find out about social services.

Duval County School Board and City Council members talked Monday about how to publicize available programs.

Paula Wright and Connie Hall represent school board Districts 4 and 5 in the north and west areas of Jacksonville. The districts have a lot of kids on free and reduced lunch.

Atlantic Beach City Commissioner Maria Mark is running for re-election this month after occupying the position for the past four years.

Mark is best known for leading the effort to pass the first and only inclusive human rights ordinance or HRO in Northeast Florida. The ordinance bans acts of discrimination against LGBT residents and visitors in Atlantic Beach.

Jacksonville City Councilman Tommy Hazouri says he’ll sponsor an expansion of the city’s human rights ordinance to ban discrimination against gay and transgender people.

Hazouri talked about the HRO on WJCT’s “First Coast Connect” Thursday morning.

At-large City Councilman Tommy Hazouri says he’s confident Mayor Lenny Curry will partner with him on the issue of human rights once budget negotiations are done. Hazouri says Jacksonville should be a place where no one is left out, but today, gay and transgender people are left out of its anti-discrimination policy.

On Tuesday night the Jacksonville City Council began considering a bill to clear up funding issues surrounding Hemming Park.  

It’s one of the first items before the new City Council, which is back in session with 11 newly elected members.

New Council President Greg Anderson says the year is off to a good start.

“I think we got the job done tonight,” he said.

And he says things will be getting more interesting.  

“I think the Hemming Park bill is going to generate some conversation,” he said.