OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting – August 3, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 3, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 3, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:14:36
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Hi everyone, as soon as uh all our members take their seats, we'll go ahead and get started.

0:06

And I see Mr.

0:08

Delaney walking in as soon as he gets seated.

0:11

We're gonna start off with introductions.

0:14

Um starting with that side, please.

0:18

No pressure, Mr.

0:20

Delaney.

0:23

Afternoon, y'all.

0:24

Bill Delaney, Mayor's Office.

0:27

Brandon Russell, Council Research.

0:28

Mary Stepopoulos, Office of General Counsel.

0:31

Heather Reber, Council Auditor's Office.

0:34

Good afternoon, Michael Boylan, District Six.

0:37

Good afternoon, Chris Miller, at large group five, and I should have mentioned this.

0:41

Uh welcome to the Monday, August 3rd, Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee meeting.

0:48

Kevin Carico, Councilmember, District 4.

0:51

Good afternoon, Jimmy Peluso, District 7.

0:54

Randy White, District 12, just visiting.

0:58

And we have one more here.

1:00

Yes, sir.

1:04

Mr.

1:04

Chair.

1:06

I'm sorry, I was down.

1:08

Yeah, uh Matt Carlucci at large group four.

1:10

Sorry, I was down there.

1:11

Well, that's fine.

1:12

Wrap up something.

1:13

Thank you.

1:14

Thank you, sir.

1:15

Okay, well, we'll now go to public comments.

1:20

So if we can take up the public comment cards.

1:24

Um joining us is uh councilmember Tyrone Clark Murray, the vice chair.

1:32

So we'll we'll have a good crew here.

1:35

And I just want to remind Mr.

1:38

Oliver and anyone else who will be speaking today.

1:42

Uh please stay on the bills that we're taking up today.

1:46

Uh, if you can focus your comments on the bills that are up for consideration today, that would be much appreciated.

1:54

Otherwise, uh I'll remind you of that.

1:57

Um, so we have we have two cards.

1:59

We'll start with Mr.

2:00

Carnell Oliver.

2:02

Um, it's it's your time at the podium, sir.

2:10

Uh yes, my name is uh yes, my name is uh Carnal.

2:15

Address is on file.

2:16

I want to get to more to the nuts and bolts of the city and where I look at how funding affects communities, especially American freedmen communities.

2:27

Uh the two line items is two is sorry, zero five thirty-five, five thirty-six, and zero three seven seven.

2:39

It covers heritage communities.

2:44

It covers voting rights.

2:49

One of my things is that in order to make a movement where dollars respect key interest groups, is that we have got to put policy in place.

3:01

Let me look for example, district seven.

3:04

District seven is one of the most unappreciated districts because they had that this district has the largest community base of foundational black Americans.

3:18

It's got underserved communities, and it has the well-off communities.

3:24

When it comes down to taxpayer resources, the higher income community is getting the bulk share.

3:32

And it makes me question about maybe we need to split that district up into two separate districts, and we apply some significant guidelines of 85% representation throughout this city as a whole.

3:48

So, Mr.

3:48

Oliver, um, sorry to interrupt you, but so we can stay focused up here.

3:53

Which bill are you referring to now?

3:56

The bills down referring to is bill zero five three five zero five three six zero three seven seven.

4:11

When I talk about investment, I'm talking about people.

4:16

And when I look at the body of the representation of this community, we don't get no clarity.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Municipal Code Compliance██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Public Safety█████████████████17%
Parks and Recreation████████████12%
Procedural███████████11%
Homelessness███████7%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Works█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting

The committee met on Monday, August 3, 2026, at approximately 1:00 PM in the Council Chamber at City Hall, Jacksonville, FL. Chair Chris Miller presided. The committee considered 33 agenda items, including deferred items, second-read ordinances, and emergency requests. Several items were approved with amendments, and three public speakers provided testimony. All votes on action items were unanimous (7-0).

Consent Calendar

  • Deferred items (items 1–6 and 13) were deferred at the request of respective council members: 2024-0966 (CM Carrico), 2025-03612 (CM White), 2026-02273 (CM Diamond), 2026-03184 (CM Johnson), 2026-03205 (CM White), 2026-03776 (CM Johnson), and 2026-054113 (DIA).
  • Second-read items (items 17, 19–22, 24–25, 27–29, 31–33) were received on second reading without debate or vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Carnell Oliver (address on file) spoke about funding disparities in District 7 and referenced bills 2026-0535, 2026-0536, and 2026-0377. He was redirected to focus on agenda items.
  • John Nooney (address provided) commented on multiple items, including supporting the Jacksonville Riverfront Alliance (2026-0552) with reduced funding, supporting Deep Bottom Creek dredging (2026-0580), and suggesting funds be allocated to trust funds. He also mentioned donations.
  • Dragon Beloy (address on file) expressed support for 2026-0536 (local art show) and 2026-0542 (Sulzbacher shelter), and opposition to 2026-0537 (FOP Foundation forgiveness), arguing non-compliant organizations should be held accountable.

Discussion Items

  • JSO District 3 Substation Lease (2026-0586): The committee took this item out of order. JSO representatives (Tyler Rapor and Commander Nudia Archville) explained the current substation lease expires November 7, 2026, and the new lease at 8301 Cypress Plaza Dr. will cost $12,666.89 per month (base rent $10,005.19 plus additional rent) for 120 months with 2.98% annual increases. Concerns were raised by CM Boylan about the substation moving 3 miles north from the previous free location, and by CM Peluso about the total cost ($1.5M over 10 years). CM Carrico supported the lease as due diligence. The emergency was approved unanimously.
  • FOP Foundation Forgiveness (2026-0537): David Gilcries (FOP Foundation treasurer) explained the foundation submitted a limited-scope audit covering city funds only, but the code requires a full financial audit. The foundation received $185,000 of a $200,000 grant and spent $10,000 on the limited audit; a full audit would cost $15,000. CM Salem and others criticized the requirement as excessive and suggested amending the ordinance. The committee approved forgiveness 7-0.
  • Sulzbacher Shelter Expansion (2026-0542): The amendment revised payment terms to $1,022.14 per month per additional bed and a one-time $21,398.24 for equipment, funding 32 female shelter beds. CM Salem emphasized the critical need for female homeless beds. The bill passed as amended 7-0.
  • Jacksonville Riverfront Alliance (2026-0552): A substantial amendment reduced the appropriation from $682,318 to $570,159 for JRA, added safeguards including council approval for major changes, and clarified city audit rights and park responsibilities. Daryl Joseph (Parks Department) confirmed collaboration with the auditor’s office and OGC. CM Carlucci noted the importance of public-private partnerships. Approved as amended 7-0.
  • Deep Bottom Creek Dredging (2026-0580): CM Boylan explained the $750,000 project (funded from his CBA contingency) will dredge Deep Bottom Creek. A special taxing district created in 2022 will maintain the creek post-dredging. The emergency was requested to expedite bidding. Approved 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • 2026-0586 – Approved as emergency (7-0): Lease for JSO District 3 substation, 10-year term, $12,666.89/month.
  • 2026-0535 – Approved as amended (7-0): $390,000 for Trout River Blvd intersection improvements and sidewalks.
  • 2026-0536 – Approved as amended (7-0): $3,950 for city employee art show awards and reception.
  • 2026-0537 – Approved (7-0): Forgiveness for FOP Foundation for non-compliance with audit requirements.
  • 2026-0538 – Approved (7-0): $21,019,214.38 for CIP corrections (no net change).
  • 2026-0539 – Approved (7-0): $115,000 for tax collector postage costs.
  • 2026-0540 – Approved (7-0): Honorary street designation for Dr. Devegowda Gopal (Gopal Way).
  • 2026-0542 – Approved as amended (7-0): $413,900 for Sulzbacher Center to provide 32 female shelter beds.
  • 2026-0543 – Approved as amended (7-0): $150,000 for Zawyer Sports Foundation community impact initiative.
  • 2026-0552 – Approved as amended (7-0): $1,570,159 for Jacksonville Riverfront Alliance (reduced from $1,682,318) for downtown park programming and maintenance.
  • 2026-0571 – Approved as emergency as amended (7-0): $150,000 for Salvation Army Homeless to Work program.
  • 2026-0577 – Approved as emergency as amended (7-0): $50,000 for First Coast Crime Stoppers Operation Community Shield (reallocated from a prior grant).
  • 2026-0580 – Approved as emergency (7-0): $750,000 for Deep Bottom Creek dredging.
  • Multiple other second-read items were noted without action.

Several council members requested to be added as co-sponsors on various bills. The committee emphasized the need to review the Chapter 118 audit requirements to reduce burdens on small nonprofits.

Meeting Transcript

Hi everyone, as soon as uh all our members take their seats, we'll go ahead and get started. And I see Mr. Delaney walking in as soon as he gets seated. We're gonna start off with introductions. Um starting with that side, please. No pressure, Mr. Delaney. Afternoon, y'all. Bill Delaney, Mayor's Office. Brandon Russell, Council Research. Mary Stepopoulos, Office of General Counsel. Heather Reber, Council Auditor's Office. Good afternoon, Michael Boylan, District Six. Good afternoon, Chris Miller, at large group five, and I should have mentioned this. Uh welcome to the Monday, August 3rd, Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee meeting. Kevin Carico, Councilmember, District 4. Good afternoon, Jimmy Peluso, District 7. Randy White, District 12, just visiting. And we have one more here. Yes, sir. Mr. Chair. I'm sorry, I was down. Yeah, uh Matt Carlucci at large group four. Sorry, I was down there. Well, that's fine. Wrap up something. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Okay, well, we'll now go to public comments. So if we can take up the public comment cards. Um joining us is uh councilmember Tyrone Clark Murray, the vice chair. So we'll we'll have a good crew here. And I just want to remind Mr. Oliver and anyone else who will be speaking today. Uh please stay on the bills that we're taking up today. Uh, if you can focus your comments on the bills that are up for consideration today, that would be much appreciated. Otherwise, uh I'll remind you of that. Um, so we have we have two cards. We'll start with Mr. Carnell Oliver. Um, it's it's your time at the podium, sir. Uh yes, my name is uh yes, my name is uh Carnal. Address is on file. I want to get to more to the nuts and bolts of the city and where I look at how funding affects communities, especially American freedmen communities. Uh the two line items is two is sorry, zero five thirty-five, five thirty-six, and zero three seven seven. It covers heritage communities. It covers voting rights. One of my things is that in order to make a movement where dollars respect key interest groups, is that we have got to put policy in place. Let me look for example, district seven.

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