OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee Meeting - May 4, 2026

City Council — Monday, May 4, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, May 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:45:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I got them.

0:03

Good afternoon and welcome to our rules, City of Jacksonville Rules Committee.

0:08

Today is Monday, May 4th.

0:10

Let the time reflect that it is 2 p.m.

0:12

And we will start with introductions to our left.

0:15

Good afternoon, Garrett Dennis Administration.

0:18

Colleen Hamsey, Council Research.

0:20

Carla Shell, Office of General Counsel.

0:23

Krista Carriher, Council Auditor's Office.

0:27

Terrence Freeman at large group one.

0:32

Ron Salem, group two at large.

0:34

Mike Gay, District Two.

0:37

Michael Boylan, District Six.

0:38

Good afternoon, Rory Diamond, District 13.

0:40

The beach is just visiting.

0:43

Which bill are you here visiting for?

0:45

Is it would that be uh 268?

0:49

Okay, thank you.

0:50

All right, we'll go through kind of the lay of the land and then we'll get everything going.

0:54

We'll get our appointees out of here.

0:57

Um first items that we'll take up will be uh page four item seven be the appointment of Kim Black.

1:04

The next item will be page four, item eight, uh 2026 0244.

1:09

That is the appointment of Miss Martha Moore.

1:12

Um, and the first one is 2026 0241.

1:15

The next one is on page nine, item 15, 26, 2026 0277, appointment of um this looks like is it Philippe uh Peterson uh for the position of council auditor?

1:29

Um we're gonna have uh we're gonna I'm sorry, Philip.

1:35

We're gonna have a little curveball thrown here.

1:37

We're gonna at move I'm moving item seven up, uh page seven, item 21.

1:42

That is 2026 0265.

1:45

Uh that'll be taken up after Mr.

1:47

Peterson's appointment.

1:49

Uh then we'll have page I 6, item 10, 2026 0260.

1:55

Um that's councilman Johnson's bill that was heard in neighborhoods.

1:58

He won't be here, but I'm the only new one, and I was at neighborhood today for to hear the discussion.

2:03

And then the next item will be nine page nine, item 13, 2026, 0268, um, Councilman Salem's bill, and then the rest of the agenda will go as planned.

2:14

Um item one, 2024, 26627 will be deferred.

2:19

Um I do have some questions about the deferrals.

2:22

I think it's a it's a 24 month rule, uh, and then they roll off.

2:26

Is that is that still correct?

2:28

Okay.

2:29

Um I'm very curious.

2:30

I know that bill might need two-thirds votes, uh, Councilman Diamond, but I'm very curious in a bill like this moving forward.

2:37

Um I do believe that if we're gonna live in a political climate where the administration is gonna pick and choose when they want to execute, then whatever powers we have as a body, uh we must and we may have to start leveraging them.

2:51

And I know that's gonna take 13 votes, but um we're gonna continue to see how they respond to bills that we pass and if they're willing to execute.

3:00

Um item two, 2024, 0966 will be deferred.

3:04

Item three, 2025 0775 will be deferred.

3:07

The request of Councilman Carlucci.

3:09

Item 4, 2026, 192 is deferred, 2026, 023, 203 is deferred.

3:16

Uh 2026 0227 is deferred.

3:19

Request for diamond.

3:20

Um action item will be 20 item seven, item eight will be an action item.

3:25

We've already said that.

3:26

Item nine is gonna be an action item, item 10, 2022 0260 is an action item, 11's an action item, 12's an action item, 13 is amend move, 14's an action item, 15's action item, 16's an amendment move, uh, and then the following bills will be seconded.

3:44

2026 0317, 2026, 0318, 2026, 0319, uh 0330, 0327, 0335, 0336, 0337, 0338, 0339, 0340, 0341, 0342.

4:10

I'm on item 30, 0343, 2131 is 0344, 0346, 0347, 0348, item 35 will be an action item.

4:22

That's 2026, 0349.

4:24

Uh the following again will be seconded 2026 0350 0351 0352 0355 0356 0357 0358 0359 0360 item 45 will be in the next item action item up.

4:45

That's 2026 0361.

4:48

And then the last three are all seconded 0362, 0363, and 0364.

4:57

Um with that being said, are there any public comments?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████████39%
Pending Litigation████████████████████20%
Miscellaneous█████████████13%
Community Engagement████████8%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Zoning And Land Use████4%
Economic Development██2%
Youth Programs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee Meeting - May 4, 2026

The Rules Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM in the Council Chamber, City Hall. The meeting was chaired by Vice Chair Terrance Freeman (since Chair Chris Miller was excused) and adjourned at 3:45 PM. Six of seven committee members were present (Freeman, Amaro, Salem, White, Gay, Boylan), along with visiting Council President Kevin Carrico and Council Members J. Carlucci, Matt Carlucci, and Rory Diamond. The committee handled a large agenda including appointments, ordinance amendments, and a controversially debated resolution authorizing a survey of JEA employees.

Consent Calendar

  • 2026-0241 – Appointment of Kim Black to the Eastside Grants Committee: Approved 7-0.
  • 2026-0244 – Appointment of Martha Moore to the Mobility System Working Group: Approved 7-0.
  • 2026-0277 – Appointment of Phillip Peterson as City Council Auditor: Approved 7-0 with multiple co-sponsors added.
  • 2026-0349 – Resolution declaring May 16-22, 2026 as National Safe Boating Week: Approved 7-0.
  • 2026-0361 – Resolution honoring ECS4Kids on its 60th anniversary: Approved 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maya Francis (address on file) spoke in support of Kim Black’s appointment, citing her volunteer work with the Historic Eastside Resident Alliance.
  • Suzanne Pickett (president/CEO of Historic East Side Community Development Corporation) also supported Kim Black and urged the committee to consider the affiliations of those opposing the appointment.

Discussion Items

  • 2026-0268 – JEA Survey Contract (SelectionLink, Inc.): Council Member Ron Salem, chair of the Special Investigative Committee (SIC), explained the purpose of the survey: to investigate cultural issues and potential racial discrimination among JEA managers and above (approximately 144 employees) and about 15 former employees. The contract is for $9,250, funded from the Council Secretary’s existing budget. Key points:

    • Salem stated the survey will be separate from the 2,200-employee survey JEA is conducting, and that former employee responses will be kept separate.
    • Council Member Ken Amaro questioned the methodology, particularly including former employees, but Salem clarified data will be separated.
    • Council Member Michael Boylan opposed the survey, arguing it constitutes overreach into JEA personnel matters, which are exclusively JEA’s authority under Article 21 of the City Charter.
    • Council Member Rory Diamond strongly supported the investigation, asserting the Council’s charter-given investigative authority and noting that state and federal agencies have not asked them to stop.
    • Council Member Matt Carlucci urged pausing the SIC work until other investigations (by JEA, state attorney, inspector general) conclude, warning of potential confusion and bond rating impacts.
    • An amendment by Council Member Boylan was adopted, requiring that the survey results be presented in at least one executive presentation to the JEA Board. The amendment passed with a voice vote. The bill as amended then passed 6-1 (Boylan the only nay).

  • 2026-0258 – CRA Advisory Board Membership Amendments: The committee adopted a Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety (NCSPHS) committee amendment revising qualifications for the Renew Arlington CRA Advisory Board (business owner must be in Council District 1, citizen members must live in District 1) and correcting scrivener’s errors. Approved 7-0.

  • 2026-0265 – Jacksonville General Apprenticeship Association (JGAA) Funding: The committee adopted an NCSPHS amendment extending the contract term to September 30, 2028, and requiring repayment of $2,500 per enrollee who is not still in the program one year after payment. Administration representative Garrett Dennis confirmed the Mayor’s support. Approved 7-0.

  • 2026-0260 – Historic Stanton School Grant ($143,710): Approved 6-0 (Miller excused).

  • 2026-0267 – Fingerlake Street Rename to Fairfield Way: Amendment adopted removing unnecessary noticing waiver. Approved 7-0.

  • 2026-0270 – Resolution Denouncing Cesar Chavez Day Recognition: Passed 6-1 (Boylan nay).

  • 2026-0288 – Opioid Settlement Proceeds Grants Amendments: Adopted technical amendments (page limit, terminology, scrivener’s errors). The bill was then reconsidered to allow Council President Carrico to abstain due to conflict (his employer, Boys & Girls Clubs, applies for these grants). The amended bill passed 6-0-1 (Carrico abstaining).

  • Exchange on JSAB Microgrants: During discussion of item 2026-0362 (Youth Empowerment funding), Chair Freeman asked Administration representative Garrett Dennis whether the administration would support an additional $200,000 added to the $5 million youth initiative. Dennis responded that the administration will follow the law but disputed Freeman’s characterization that the administration was “holding up” funds. A brief, sharp exchange occurred, and Freeman adjourned the meeting shortly after.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Appointments: Kim Black, Martha Moore, Phillip Peterson (all by 7-0).
  • Approved Ordinances:
    • CRA Advisory Board amendments (2026-0258)
    • Historic Stanton School grant (2026-0260)
    • JGAA apprenticeship funding (2026-0265)
    • Fingerlake Street rename (2026-0267)
    • JEA survey contract (2026-0268) – 6-1
    • Opioid settlement grant amendments (2026-0288) – 6-0-1
  • Approved Resolutions:
    • Denouncing Cesar Chavez Day (2026-0270) – 6-1
    • National Safe Boating Week (2026-0349)
    • Honoring ECS4Kids (2026-0361)
  • Deferred Items: Six items were deferred at the request of various council members (2024-0627, 2024-0966, 2025-0775, 2026-0192, 2026-0203, 2026-0227).
  • Second Readings (Rereferred): Numerous ordinances and resolutions were read a second time and referred to other committees for further hearings, including items related to the Emerald Trail, solid waste contract, Edward Waters University track improvements, surplus vehicle, towing regulations, and several board appointments.
  • Next Meeting: The next regular Rules Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I got them. Good afternoon and welcome to our rules, City of Jacksonville Rules Committee. Today is Monday, May 4th. Let the time reflect that it is 2 p.m. And we will start with introductions to our left. Good afternoon, Garrett Dennis Administration. Colleen Hamsey, Council Research. Carla Shell, Office of General Counsel. Krista Carriher, Council Auditor's Office. Terrence Freeman at large group one. Ron Salem, group two at large. Mike Gay, District Two. Michael Boylan, District Six. Good afternoon, Rory Diamond, District 13. The beach is just visiting. Which bill are you here visiting for? Is it would that be uh 268? Okay, thank you. All right, we'll go through kind of the lay of the land and then we'll get everything going. We'll get our appointees out of here. Um first items that we'll take up will be uh page four item seven be the appointment of Kim Black. The next item will be page four, item eight, uh 2026 0244. That is the appointment of Miss Martha Moore. Um, and the first one is 2026 0241. The next one is on page nine, item 15, 26, 2026 0277, appointment of um this looks like is it Philippe uh Peterson uh for the position of council auditor? Um we're gonna have uh we're gonna I'm sorry, Philip. We're gonna have a little curveball thrown here. We're gonna at move I'm moving item seven up, uh page seven, item 21. That is 2026 0265. Uh that'll be taken up after Mr. Peterson's appointment. Uh then we'll have page I 6, item 10, 2026 0260. Um that's councilman Johnson's bill that was heard in neighborhoods. He won't be here, but I'm the only new one, and I was at neighborhood today for to hear the discussion. And then the next item will be nine page nine, item 13, 2026, 0268, um, Councilman Salem's bill, and then the rest of the agenda will go as planned. Um item one, 2024, 26627 will be deferred. Um I do have some questions about the deferrals. I think it's a it's a 24 month rule, uh, and then they roll off. Is that is that still correct? Okay. Um I'm very curious. I know that bill might need two-thirds votes, uh, Councilman Diamond, but I'm very curious in a bill like this moving forward. Um I do believe that if we're gonna live in a political climate where the administration is gonna pick and choose when they want to execute, then whatever powers we have as a body, uh we must and we may have to start leveraging them. And I know that's gonna take 13 votes, but um we're gonna continue to see how they respond to bills that we pass and if they're willing to execute. Um item two, 2024, 0966 will be deferred. Item three, 2025 0775 will be deferred. The request of Councilman Carlucci. Item 4, 2026, 192 is deferred, 2026, 023, 203 is deferred. Uh 2026 0227 is deferred. Request for diamond.

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