Jacksonville Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting Summary (April 7, 2026)
Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting – April 7, 2026
The Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 10:27 AM in the Council Chamber. The meeting covered four action items, including an honorary street designation, renaming a portion of Confederate Street, a JTA budget amendment, and a railroad crossing closure, along with six second-read items. The committee approved three ordinances and advanced one with amendments.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Nooney (District 4 CPAC3) spoke on multiple agenda items. For item 2026-0140 (Confederate Street renaming), he requested a deferral to allow the Urban Core CPAC to formally weigh in, noting the CPAC had discussed the bill the previous night. He also raised general concerns about ethics and Office of General Counsel representation at CPAC meetings.
- Blake Harper spoke against the NCSPHS amendment for the Confederate Street renaming, arguing that compromise on the street name represented a surrender of principles and that the proposal to split the street was unacceptable.
- Ernest Smith, Chair of the Urban Core CPAC, stated that the CPAC had discussed the original bill (renaming the entire street) and voted unanimously to support it, as it was a community-driven proposal from the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) organization and the name “Rose Arbor Way” reflected a recognizable feature. He confirmed the CPAC was not aware of the NCSPHS amendment that limited the renaming to a portion of the street.
Discussion Items
1. Honorary Street Designation for Cedric Burrell (2026-0005)
- Ordinance to establish an honorary street designation on 16th St E between Main St and Hubbard St (Council District 7) with two roadway markers, waiving code requirements that the honoree be deceased for at least five years and have resided within five miles for ten years. The public hearing was opened and closed; an amendment updating noticing was approved unanimously. Council Member Johnson spoke in support, citing Mr. Burrell’s community contributions. CM Carlucci and CM Gaffney requested to be added as co-sponsors. The bill as amended passed 6-0.
2. Renaming Confederate Street to “Rose Arbor Way” (2026-0140)
- Ordinance to rename a portion of Confederate Street between Market Street and Liberty Street to “Rose Arbor Way,” commemorating the historic rose arbor in Springfield Park. The NCSPHS amendment (which limited the renaming to that segment and included a waiver of code Section 745.105(h)) was modified by the committee: a motion to remove the waiver (deemed unnecessary because the street sections are not contiguous) was approved unanimously. The resulting TEU amendment passed 5-1 (CM Johnson dissenting). A motion to defer the bill to allow Urban Core CPAC input failed 3-3 (ayes: Clark-Murray, Gaffney, Johnson; nays: Lahnen, Amaro, Carlucci). The bill as amended was approved 5-1 (CM Johnson dissenting). Councilwoman Clark-Murray urged the CPAC to voice opinions at the upcoming full council public hearing. Councilman Carlucci supported the compromise, stating a remnant of Confederate Street could serve as a historical reminder. Councilman Johnson opposed the partial renaming, preferring to rename the entire street or leave it unchanged. JTA Budget Amendment (2026-0146)
- Ordinance to amend the JTA FY 2024/25 budget by appropriating $29.3 million in additional revenues from reserves to cover operating overages. Details: Bus Division - $19.8 million ($9.5M transfer to Connexion, $6M in fringe benefit overages, $5.1M for NAVI operations); Connexion - $9.5 million transfer plus $164K in contingency for Connexion/Connexion Plus costs and fringe benefits. JTA CFO Heather Obora explained the deficits were driven by higher-than-expected health care costs (from a planned 3% increase to 30%), new NAVI service costs, and Connexion Plus expenses. Total reserves are approximately $43 million ($31M in transit ops reserves). The bill passed 6-0.
4. Railroad Crossing Closure and Opening (2026-0188)
- Ordinance authorizing the permanent closure of the 8th St E railroad-highway grade crossing (FDOT No. 713594W) and opening of the Otis Rd public crossing to extend rail capability to the Cecil Commerce Mega Site. An amendment to file a corrected stipulation was approved unanimously. The bill as amended passed 6-0.
Second-Read Items (2026-02155, 02166, 02227, 02268, 02309, 02310)
- Items 5–10 were all read for the second time and rereferred to the appropriate committees without discussion or vote: 2026-02155 (appropriating $75,000 from Solid Waste Disposal Fund for beautification), 2026-02166 (GFL Solid Waste renewal with modification), 2026-02227 (restrictive covenant for portions of Lomax St and Bishop Gate Ln), 2026-02268 (appropriating $77,440 in grant funds for derelict vessel removal), 2026-02309 (vacation of plat and abandonment of unopened roads in Jacksonville Heights), and 2026-02310 (resolution supporting protected bicycle lanes downtown on portions of Beaver, Monroe, Hogan, and Liberty streets).
Key Outcomes
- Item 2026-0005 (Cedric Burrell honorary designation): Approved 6-0 after amendment.
- Item 2026-0140 (Confederate Street renaming): Approved 5-1 after amendment; motion to defer failed 3-3.
- Item 2026-0146 (JTA budget amendment): Approved 6-0.
- Item 2026-0188 (Railroad crossing): Approved 6-0 after amendment.
- Items 5–10: Read second time and rereferred.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. We'll go ahead and get started with the Tuesday, April 7th meeting of the Transportation Energy and Utilities Committee. We'll start off with introductions with uh Mr. Delaney. Good morning, Bill Delaney, Mayor's Office. Stephen Libby, Council Research. Carla Shell, Office of General Council. Edward Lindsky Council Auditor's Office. Kenamor, City Council, District 1. Councilman Reginald Ganford Julian, District 8. Will Lane and District 3. Matt Carluccia at large group 4. Good morning, Tyranno Clap Murray, District 9, and to all the parents out there, yes, there is no school today. Your child must be home with you. Good morning, Rockman Johnson, District 14. Last but not least, the West Side. All right, good morning, everyone. It's my dad's 75th birthday. And Dad, if you're watching, please do something more exciting. Thank you. So uh we don't have any presentations today. Uh next uh committee meeting, our chief resiliency uh officer is gonna come and give a presentation. Uh Councilman Carlucci, that was one of your requests from a while back. So we'll have that going. Uh, other than that, I don't think we have any uh other presentations on the docket. So uh as always, if you do have an uh area of interest that you want to have and come present here, just let me know, and we can uh work through that. Uh we'll go through the the agenda quickly and then we'll have uh some public comments. We have four action items. Item number one, 2026 000 five. We'll have a public hearing open and closed. There's an amendment, and then we'll take final action on this one that's been out there a while. Item two, 2026-140. There's a public hearing on this. We'll open and close. There's neighborhoods amendment, and then we'll take action. Item three, 2026, 146. This is the JEA, essentially the reconciliation bill of the prior year budget that we'll take action on, and then item four, we'll amend and move that one. Items five, twenty twenty-six two fifteen, item six, twenty twenty-six two sixteen, item seven, twenty twenty-six, two twenty-two, item eight, twenty twenty-five, two twenty-six, item nine, twenty twenty-six two thirty, and item ten, twenty twenty-six two three one are all on second read. So with that, uh, what public comment cards do I have? Okay, looks like we have one public comment card, and then we have two. Got it, two for two of five. So, item uh, or I'm sorry, first public comment, John Nooney, you have two minutes. All right. Hello. I am John J. Nooney. Jacksonville City Council Resolution 2023 0819. I'm in City Council District 4 CPAC 3 School Board District 3. Um, yeah, I'll be touching on agenda items 1, 2, 3, 2026, 0146. Anybody remember 2026 0141, JEA Solar Park on Pottsburgh Creek?
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