Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting - July 21, 2026
Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting - July 21, 2026
The Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, from 9:01 AM to 9:13 AM in the Council Chamber. Chair Ken Amaro presided, with members Ju'Coby Pittman (excused late arrival), Raul Arias (excused), Matt Carlucci (excused late arrival), Tyrona Clark-Murray, Reggie Gaffney, Jr., and Jimmy Peluso present. Council President Nick Howland attended as a visitor. The meeting featured a single legislative item on second reading, a discussion of new attendance rules, and a preview of future emergency legislation.
Discussion Items
- New Council Attendance Rules: Carla Schell, Office of General Counsel, explained that effective July 1, 2026, no more than one Council Member may be excused from a regular standing committee meeting, with exceptions for medical reasons or military service. Quorum for standing committees is now five members. Chair Amaro stated he would be lenient on last-minute excusal requests but preferred advance notice. CM Clark-Murray reminded members that standing committee meetings now start at 9:00 AM, not 9:30 AM.
- Council President's Remarks: Council President Howland welcomed the committee to the new council year and expressed a desire to assign more legislation to the committee, particularly regarding JTA and JEA. CM Carlucci appreciated this direction and noted the committee's importance for infrastructure, utilities, and septic tank replacements.
- Future Agenda and Presentations: Chair Amaro stated he would like to receive informative presentations during the year on topics such as septic tank phaseout, JTA, and JEA, and was open to suggestions from committee members.
- Preview of Future Marina Legislation: Paul Harden informed the committee about a pending marina construction project near the Four Seasons. He described an amendment to an existing submerged land lease between the City and the State, adding approximately 1,200 square feet and new amenities. The proposed legislation would be introduced as an emergency at the next City Council meeting on July 28, 2026, to allow availability before the first football game. Council President Howland noted that Mr. Harden was visiting committees in advance to answer questions.
Legislative Item
- Item 2026-0540 – Street Renaming for Dr. Devegowda Gopal: An ordinance to establish an honorary street designation for Dr. Devegowda Gopal on Kingsbury Street in Council District 9, install two honorary roadway markers, and rename a portion of Kingsbury Street between Fountain Road and Ellis Road South to “Gopal Way.” The ordinance also waives the requirement that street name changes apply to the entire length of the street. The item was read a second time and rereferred without discussion or public comment. A public hearing pursuant to Chapter 745, Ordinance Code, is scheduled for August 4, 2026, and a public hearing pursuant to Chapter 166, Florida Statutes, and Council Rule 3.601 on July 28, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comment cards were submitted.
Key Outcomes
- The committee read Item 2026-0540 a second time and rereferred it, with no action required at this meeting.
- The committee was briefed on upcoming emergency legislation (submerged land lease amendment) to be introduced at the July 28, 2026, City Council meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning everyone. I'm gonna gavel in the uh transportation energy and utilities committee meeting for July 21. It is 9 01 at the moment. Um I will have introduction starting from my left. Stephen Libby, Council Research. Harla Shell, Office of General Counsel. Good morning, Tower 1 o'clock, Murray, District 9. Kenamara, City Council, District 1. Councilman Reginald Guy Fanny Jillian, District 8. Nick Holland at large, group three, just visiting. Welcome, Jimmy Peluso. Introduce yourself, Councilmember. Good morning. Jimmy Pulso District 7. Okay. Thank you. I'd like to recognize our council president, Mr. Nick Howland for remarks uh in reference to our committee and function. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh I have just been attending every standing committee just to welcome everybody back for the new council year. Uh hope everyone had the opportunity to get some rest um and prepare for the council year ahead. Uh we all sat through a terrific meeting yesterday, um, getting a copy of the proposed budget. I'm sure everybody has started to pour into it already, not just Ed and team. Um gosh, but the council author's got their work cut out for them. Um that said, uh TEU light agenda today, but um by no means uh should it be that way. Um I'll have a conversation or maybe we'll conversation with the rules uh chair's ECA and maybe see if we can't uh figure out how to ensure that more legislation gets through TEU because it's a pretty broad committee with transportation transportation, energy and utilities and um anything in particular related to uh JTA and JEA often comes through this committee. So I think it'll probably be a fairly busy year. Um that said it's a strong stellar team with a great chair and vice chair, and uh really appreciate everyone um serving on this committee. Look forward to a great council year. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to welcome Councilmember uh Matt Carlutri. Thank you. My apologies to you, Council President for being late. As of July 1, some uh new rules regarding attendance and excuses were uh went into effect. I'll have Ms. Carla Shell um cite uh the changes. Good morning through the chair to the committee. So as you know, July 1, there uh there's an effective change to the council rules, which provides that um no more than one council member may be excused from a regular meeting of a standing committee, with the exception that additional absences can be authorized for a medical reason of either you or a relative. There's also an exception for military service. Um approval needs to be in writing to the chair, and he can go over how he wants to receive that. Also, um, of note, quorum is now five for standing committee. So keep that in mind when you need to um step out for personal reasons. Um that the quorum of a standing committee is five members, and I'll take any other questions you might have. Thank you, Michelle. Any questions for Michelle. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and people might recall I believe Carla, that was something that we approved as a body in March or April.
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