OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee Meeting - August 31, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 31, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 31, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:53:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right, good morning, everyone.

0:02

We'll get started with our Monday, August 31st rules meeting, and we'll start with introductions to my left with Mr.

0:14

Dennis.

0:15

Good morning, Garrett Dennis Administration.

0:21

Mr.

0:22

Carriher, Council Auditor's Office.

0:24

I'll be Pittman, District 10.

0:26

Ron Salem, group two at large.

0:28

Canamar, City Council, District 1.

0:31

Mike Gay, District 2.

0:33

Will Lane, District 3.

0:36

Good morning, Tyrone Clack Murray, District 9.

0:38

Good morning, Michael Buena, District 6.

0:41

Randy White, District 12, just visiting.

0:43

Nick Island at large group three.

0:46

Matt Carlucci at large group four.

0:48

Just visiting.

0:49

Well, good morning, everyone.

0:51

Thank you, visiting council members, for being here and welcome Councilmember Clark Murray to the rules committee.

0:59

So with that, do we have any uh public comment?

1:04

I'm sorry.

1:06

Okay.

1:11

All right, our first speaker be Mr.

1:14

B uh Steven Tocknell.

1:16

Uh come on down.

1:18

You'll have uh three minutes to speak and reference to a bill on our agenda.

1:35

Yeah.

1:40

Do you do you wish to speak?

1:42

Yes, sir.

1:42

Uh come on, come on down, give you give your uh name and address for the record, and you'll have uh three minutes.

1:49

Thank you, sir.

1:50

Okay.

1:50

Uh my name is Terry Caldwell.

1:52

I'm representing my mother, Betty Joe Caldwell, who is on community hospice um 3628, Hermitage Road East, Jacksonville, Florida, 3227.

2:02

Um I'm here to formally um file a um a complaint against um Mr.

2:10

or try to prevent an appointment to the qualifying licensing board by Mr.

2:14

Julio Aleo, A L A Y O to the contractor licensing board.

2:20

My objection uh at first I had emailed uh Mr.

2:24

Amaro's office and uh the mayor deegan's office.

2:27

I still and I left a voice message at Mr.

2:30

Mara's office as well.

2:32

Um still haven't heard back, but I am um formally objecting to the possible appointment of Mr.

2:38

Leo.

2:39

Um my objections based on firsthand experience of Mr.

2:43

Aleo and his company, Central Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC.

2:48

Um, regarding an HVAC installation of my elderly mother, uh elderly mother.

2:56

Um the company engaged in predatory business practices, including incomplete and unlicensed work.

3:03

They began the work without pulling city permits and left the job half completed until they were fined by the city.

3:09

Standard substandard workmanship, the eventual installation failed.

3:14

City inspection.

3:15

Furthermore, another contractor, cornerstone, had later discovered central heating and air, had improperly reduced the copper lines from seven eighth cents to five eighth cents, which caused a catastrophic failure and burned out the new compressor within three weeks.

3:30

Evading regulatory oversight after I filed a complaint with the city.

3:34

The city abruptly closed the mechanical permits to avoid the company abruptly closed the mechanical permits to avoid municipal scrutiny, which prevented the licensing qual license qualifying board from reviewing a complaint.

3:50

Lack of accountability, they refused to remedy the failed system, withheld their insurance information from legal aid, and ensued on cease and issued a cease and desist letter filled with falsehoods that I can disprove with photographic text and diagnostic evidence.

4:09

Any individual who consistently violates city codes, bades regulatory scrutiny, and takes advantage of vulnerable citizens as morally unfit to serve on the board, tasked with upholding industry standards.

4:24

I have pictures, proof.

4:26

Legal aid tried to help us, they couldn't do it.

4:29

They sent a cease and desist that letter, and I have proof that I that some of these are falsehoods.

4:34

I can't get the city licensing board, um, the qualifying license board to review it.

4:39

He closed out mechanics.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Comment██████████████████18%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Personnel Matters█████████████████17%
Transportation Safety███████████████15%
Public Safety█████████9%
Public Works██████6%
Arts And Culture████4%
Zoning And Land Use████4%
Ethics and Governance███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee Meeting - August 31, 2026

The Rules Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Monday, August 31, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the Council Chamber. Chair Mike Gay presided, with Vice Chair Ken Amaro and members Michael Boylan, Tyrona Clark-Murray, Will Lahnen, Ju'Coby Pittman, and Ron Salem present. The committee addressed appointments, ordinances, and resolutions, with several items deferred or approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • None explicitly designated as consent, but multiple items were approved without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Terry Caldwell (representing his mother, Betty Joe Caldwell) objected to the appointment of Julio Alayo to the Construction Trades Qualifying Board, alleging predatory business practices, incomplete and unlicensed HVAC work, and evasion of regulatory oversight. He requested the committee deny the appointment.
  • John J. Nooney spoke on several agenda items, including home occupations (Item 7) and electric bicycles (Item 10), but his comments were largely unstructured and did not clearly articulate specific positions.
  • Stephen Tocknell (President, Pedaling for Safety / North Florida Bicycle Club) expressed strong support for the general objectives of e-bike regulation (Item 10). He advocated for a 10 mph speed limit on sidewalks, helmet requirements for riders under 16, and restricting motorized bike use to those with a driver's license. He also called for building separated bike lanes and opposed overly restrictive measures for responsible adult e-bike operators.

Discussion Items

  1. Appointment of Julio Alayo (Item 8, 2026-0517) – Alayo, a Navy veteran and owner of multiple trade companies, presented his qualifications. A pending complaint from Mr. Caldwell was discussed. Alayo committed to resolving the issue within 30 days. After debate, the committee deferred action for 30–45 days to allow resolution and further review by code enforcement.
  2. Appointment to Cultural Council (Item 9, 2026-0545) – Nominee Toni Smailagic withdrew after being told by the Cultural Council of a financial commitment requirement. Administration stated this requirement is inappropriate for city appointees. Council President Howland asked the Office of General Counsel to investigate legal protections against such obligations. The item was withdrawn (8-0).
  3. Appointment of Corey Ford (Item 14, 2026-0630) – Ford, a licensed electrician and IBEW leader, was approved unanimously (8-0) to the Construction Trades Qualifying Board.
  4. Firearms Code Compliance (Item 12, 2026-0590) – An ordinance to remove local gun regulations conflicting with state preemption was amended by Councilmember Clark-Murray to replace “he” with “he or she” (approved by voice vote). The bill as amended passed 8-0.
  5. Home Occupations (Item 7, 2026-0376) – A technical substitute correcting formatting and scrivener’s errors was approved. The bill as substituted passed 8-0.
  6. Honorary Street Naming (Item 15, 2026-0635) – An amendment corrected the council district to District 5 and revised documents. The bill as amended passed 7-0.
  7. Electric Bicycles Regulation (Item 10, 2026-0570) – Councilmember Boylan introduced a substitute setting a 15 mph speed limit on sidewalks and shared-use paths. Debate centered on enforcement difficulties and signage costs. JSO Chief Stronko noted that enforcing speed limits would require diverting traffic enforcement resources. OGC advised that removing the speed limit would violate state law. The committee deferred the item for further study.
  8. Downtown Vision Park Contract (Item 16, 2026-0645) – Amendments from the auditor and OGC were approved, including a reduction in excess liability insurance from $4 million to $2 million. The contract for operation of James Weldon Johnson Park was authorized (7-0).
  9. Second-Reading Items – Several resolutions and ordinances on second reading were approved unanimously: Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation (2026-0683), honoring Rev. Dr. Conley H. Hughes, Jr. (2026-0684), African American Women’s History Month Project (2026-0685), and mourning Elder Samuel Coleman (2026-0686). All passed 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Appointments: Corey Ford to Construction Trades Qualifying Board (8-0).
  • Withdrawn Appointments: Cultural Council appointment (2026-0545) (8-0); Lobbying ethics ordinance (2025-0775) at request of Councilmember Carlucci (7-0).
  • Deferred Appointments: Julio Alayo appointment (30–45 days).
  • Passed Ordinances: Firearms code compliance (8-0); Home occupations (8-0); Honorary street naming (7-0); Downtown Vision park contract (7-0).
  • Deferred Items (no vote): Electric bicycles regulation (Item 10); Others as noted on the agenda (Items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13).
  • Directives: Council President Howland requested OGC to investigate legal protections against financial requirements for city-appointed board members.

The meeting adjourned following the unanimous approval of remaining items, just prior to the installation ceremony for a new council member.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good morning, everyone. We'll get started with our Monday, August 31st rules meeting, and we'll start with introductions to my left with Mr. Dennis. Good morning, Garrett Dennis Administration. Mr. Carriher, Council Auditor's Office. I'll be Pittman, District 10. Ron Salem, group two at large. Canamar, City Council, District 1. Mike Gay, District 2. Will Lane, District 3. Good morning, Tyrone Clack Murray, District 9. Good morning, Michael Buena, District 6. Randy White, District 12, just visiting. Nick Island at large group three. Matt Carlucci at large group four. Just visiting. Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you, visiting council members, for being here and welcome Councilmember Clark Murray to the rules committee. So with that, do we have any uh public comment? I'm sorry. Okay. All right, our first speaker be Mr. B uh Steven Tocknell. Uh come on down. You'll have uh three minutes to speak and reference to a bill on our agenda. Yeah. Do you do you wish to speak? Yes, sir. Uh come on, come on down, give you give your uh name and address for the record, and you'll have uh three minutes. Thank you, sir. Okay. Uh my name is Terry Caldwell. I'm representing my mother, Betty Joe Caldwell, who is on community hospice um 3628, Hermitage Road East, Jacksonville, Florida, 3227. Um I'm here to formally um file a um a complaint against um Mr. or try to prevent an appointment to the qualifying licensing board by Mr. Julio Aleo, A L A Y O to the contractor licensing board. My objection uh at first I had emailed uh Mr. Amaro's office and uh the mayor deegan's office. I still and I left a voice message at Mr. Mara's office as well. Um still haven't heard back, but I am um formally objecting to the possible appointment of Mr. Leo. Um my objections based on firsthand experience of Mr. Aleo and his company, Central Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC. Um, regarding an HVAC installation of my elderly mother, uh elderly mother. Um the company engaged in predatory business practices, including incomplete and unlicensed work. They began the work without pulling city permits and left the job half completed until they were fined by the city. Standard substandard workmanship, the eventual installation failed. City inspection.

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