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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting – October 6, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 6, 2026

BodyJacksonville, Florida

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 6, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:12:22

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:03

Good morning.

0:03

It's 9 o'clock.

0:07

I'd like to call the order to order today's meeting of the Transportation Energy and Utilities Committee.

0:16

We'll begin with introductions from the left.

Speaker 2

0:21

Morning, Bill Delaney in the Mayor's Office.

0:23

Stephen LeBee, Council Research.

Speaker 3

0:25

Carla Schell, Office of General Counsel.

Speaker 2

0:28

Edward Linsky Council Auditor's Office.

Speaker 4

0:30

Philip Peterson, Council Otter.

Unassigned speaker

0:32

Good

Speaker 5

0:32

morning, Monet Holder at large group one.

Speaker 4

0:35

Good morning, Matt Carlucci at large group four.

0:37

Kenamara, City

Speaker 1

0:38

Council District One.

Unassigned speaker

0:40

Good

Speaker 6

0:40

morning, Jimmy Peluso, District 7.

Unassigned speaker

0:42

Good

Speaker 7

0:42

morning, Raleigh.

0:44

District 11.

Speaker 6

0:44

Morning, Nick Allen at large group three.

Speaker 1

0:47

Thank you, Mr.

0:48

President, for visiting.

0:52

On today's agenda, we have uh seven actionable items, uh, 2026, 0644, 2026, 0662, 2026 0702, 2026 0704, 2026, 0709, 2026 07020.

1:19

And on the last page, we have an emergency action on 2026 0780.

1:28

Uh this morning, our meeting will begin with a presentation from the aviation authority.

1:32

Um is Ms.

1:34

Megan here.

1:38

Good morning, Megan.

1:39

Please come down.

Unassigned speaker

1:41

Uh

Speaker 1

1:41

a few days ago, I was at the uh regional planning council, and she gave a very impressive uh presentation as to what takes place behind the scenes at the airport in the event of an emergency, and I thought it would be uh informational as well as educational for the TEU committee to be able to see the presentation.

2:00

May she Megan, you have the floor, you have 15 minutes.

Speaker 8

2:04

Thank you, sir.

2:04

Good morning, council members.

2:06

My name is Megan Smalley.

2:07

I am the emergency preparedness manager

Unassigned speaker

2:09

at

Speaker 8

2:09

the Jacksonville Aviation Authority,

Unassigned speaker

2:11

and

Speaker 8

2:12

I have served in this role for the last 15 years.

2:15

I am responsible for the prevention of, response to, mitigation of, and recovery of natural and man-made disasters that could impact our four airport system here in Jacksonville.

Unassigned speaker

2:26

And

Speaker 8

2:26

one of the other events that I'm really proud to be a part of is the Aviation Disaster Exercise hosted at our international airport, which is what I would like to introduce you all to today.

2:39

So, when you hear the words aviation disaster exercise, you probably picture an aircraft accident, fire trucks, ambulances, law enforcement, and a lot of people pretending to be injured.

2:50

And yes, we do all of that.

2:52

But the exercise we were preparing for has become much bigger than that.

2:57

Because when a catastrophic event occurs at an airport, the incident may begin at the airport, but its consequences do not stay

Unassigned speaker

3:04

there.

Speaker 8

3:04

Today I would like to talk to you about how our aviation disaster exercise has evolved from an airport exercise into something much more representative of what emergency management really looks like today.

3:17

A community and regional resilience exercise for Northeast Florida.

3:23

There is, of course, a regulatory component to all of this.

3:27

All commercial service airports are required to conduct full-scale exercises to demonstrate their ability to respond to aviation incidents.

3:36

But we also exercise because we want to find the problems before we have a real disaster.

3:41

Can our communication systems handle the volume?

3:44

Can our responders coordinate across agencies?

3:47

Can we move resources where they are needed?

3:49

Can we manage information?

3:51

And perhaps most importantly, can we sustain the response after the initial emergency is over?

3:58

This exercise gives us an opportunity to answer those questions in a controlled environment.

4:08

It has evolved over time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Transportation███████████████████████████████31%

Emergency Preparedness█████████████████17%

Procedural██████████10%

Finance██████6%

Historic Preservation██████6%

Budget█████5%

Personnel Matters█████5%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Public Comment█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee Meeting – October 6, 2026

The Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM in the Council Chamber. Chair Ken Amaro presided, with Vice Chair Ju'Coby Pittman and members Raul Arias, Matt Carlucci, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Mone' Holder, and Jimmy Peluso present. Council President Nick Howland also attended. The committee received a presentation on the upcoming 2026 JAX Aviation Full Scale Disaster Exercise, voted on several ordinances, and gave emergency approval to a measure allowing the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) to use up to $30 million in local option gas tax funds as a loan to address financial difficulties.

Public Comments & Testimony

Carnell Oliver spoke on Ordinance 2026-0780 (the JTA emergency loan). He criticized the city's lack of knowledge and accountability, stating that "a nation will perish" and that Jacksonville is in a "phase of reconstruction." He urged the committee to honor the Constitution and civil rights laws, and accused the government of catering to people who should not have power.

Discussion Items

Presentation by Meaghan Smalley, Emergency Preparedness Manager for the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA): Ms. Smalley presented on the 2026 JAX Aviation Full Scale Disaster Exercise, scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Jacksonville International Airport. She explained that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a full-scale exercise every 36 months. The exercise has evolved from a focus on initial response to a community-wide resilience test involving over 25 agencies, including the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the Florida Air National Guard, and local first responders. She emphasized that the exercise builds relationships and identifies gaps in plans. Council members asked about timing, participating agencies, and the inclusion of the NTSB (not attending). Chair Amaro praised the presentation.
Ordinance 2026-0780 (Emergency – JTA Local Option Gas Tax Loan): The committee took up this item out of order, hearing a detailed presentation from JTA Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson and CFO Randall Barnes. They described a $39 million deficit for FY 2026, due to optimistic revenue projections, cost pressures from Connexion Plus, NAVI, and Skyway, and reporting errors. JTA has taken actions including a reduction in force of approximately 200 employees, ending Skyway passenger service (Nov. 1) and NAVI (Dec. 31), modifying Saturday bus schedules, and planning a fare increase from $1.75 to $2.00 in January. The ordinance authorizes JTA to borrow up to $30 million from unexpended LOGT II funds to pay down a line of credit or for eligible expenses, with repayment required by September 30, 2037, from non-LOGT II sources. Council members expressed concerns: CM Peluso asked about ridership impacts; CM Arias focused on the layoffs, suggesting using NAVI vehicles as suburban movers and seeking annual repayment rather than a balloon payment; CM Carlucci requested more frequent reporting (but withdrew his amendment after CAO Mike Weinstein said a second amendment would address details); Chair Amaro expressed disappointment in how the situation developed but supported the loan as a necessary step. The emergency was approved 8-0 after an amendment.
Ordinance 2026-0709 (Council Rules – Quorum Requirement): The committee approved an amendment to Council Rule 2.210, changing the quorum requirement for standing committees from five members (or four with excused absences) to a majority of members. CM Peluso voted against. The vote was 6-1.
Ordinance 2026-0644 (Renaming Cedar Point Preserve to “Middlebrook Preserve”): CM Carlucci spoke emotionally about Mark Middlebrook's contributions to land preservation in Jacksonville, including the role of Congressman Charles Bennett, Mayor John Delaney, and Rick Mullaney. The amendment attaching a historic preservation report was adopted, and the bill passed 7-0. Chair Amaro added himself as co-sponsor.
Ordinance 2026-0662 (Establishment of Deep Creek Community Development District): The ordinance establishes the Deep Creek CDD on approximately 2,091.18 acres (2,634 residential units) west of U.S. 301, south of I-10, and north of Maxville-Macclenny Road. Approved 7-0.
Ordinance 2026-0702 (Honorary Street Designation for the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine): After a public hearing with no speakers, the committee approved an amendment clarifying waivers of code requirements (because the honoree is a group, not an individual). The ordinance as amended passed 7-0.
Ordinance 2026-0704 (JEA Collective Bargaining Agreement with LiUNA): The ordinance approves a three-year agreement for FY 2025-28 with total estimated cost of $9.8 million and 3.5% annual wage increases. Approved 7-0.
Ordinance 2026-0720 (Intergovernmental Agreement for Pablo Creek Conservation Area): The ordinance authorizes a cooperative management agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District. Capital improvements are estimated at $200,000 (completion in 2028). Approved 7-0.
Second Reading Items: The committee read and rereferred the following ordinances (no votes taken): 2026-0748 (Kings Creek II CDD boundary contraction), 2026-0755 (electric bicycle speed limit signs), and 2026-0777 (appeal of sidewalk decision). Public hearings for these items are scheduled in October and November.

Key Outcomes

Approved (8-0): Ordinance 2026-0780 as an emergency, with amendment, authorizing JTA to borrow up to $30 million in LOGT II funds, repayable by September 30, 2037.
Approved (6-1): Ordinance 2026-0709, amending Council Rule 2.210 to set quorum at a majority of committee members. (Nay: Peluso)
Approved (7-0): Ordinance 2026-0644, renaming Cedar Point Preserve to Middlebrook Preserve.
Approved (7-0): Ordinance 2026-0662, establishing Deep Creek Community Development District.
Approved (7-0): Ordinance 2026-0702, establishing honorary street designation for the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Approved (7-0): Ordinance 2026-0704, approving JEA labor agreement with LiUNA.
Approved (7-0): Ordinance 2026-0720, authorizing cooperative management of Pablo Creek Conservation Area with SJRWMD.
Read and Rereferred: Ordinances 2026-0748, 2026-0755, and 2026-0777 were advanced on second reading to future public hearings.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 9:00 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. It's 9 o'clock. I'd like to call the order to order today's meeting of the Transportation Energy and Utilities Committee. We'll begin with introductions from the left. Morning, Bill Delaney in the Mayor's Office. Stephen LeBee, Council Research. Carla Schell, Office of General Counsel. Edward Linsky Council Auditor's Office. Philip Peterson, Council Otter. Good morning, Monet Holder at large group one. Good morning, Matt Carlucci at large group four. Kenamara, City Council District One. Good morning, Jimmy Peluso, District 7. Good morning, Raleigh. District 11. Morning, Nick Allen at large group three. Thank you, Mr. President, for visiting. On today's agenda, we have uh seven actionable items, uh, 2026, 0644, 2026, 0662, 2026 0702, 2026 0704, 2026, 0709, 2026 07020. And on the last page, we have an emergency action on 2026 0780. Uh this morning, our meeting will begin with a presentation from the aviation authority. Um is Ms. Megan here. Good morning, Megan. Please come down. Uh a few days ago, I was at the uh regional planning council, and she gave a very impressive uh presentation as to what takes place behind the scenes at the airport in the event of an emergency, and I thought it would be uh informational as well as educational for the TEU committee to be able to see the presentation. May she Megan, you have the floor, you have 15 minutes. Thank you, sir. Good morning, council members. My name is Megan Smalley. I am the emergency preparedness manager at the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, and I have served in this role for the last 15 years. I am responsible for the prevention of, response to, mitigation of, and recovery of natural and man-made disasters that could impact our four airport system here in Jacksonville. And one of the other events that I'm really proud to be a part of is the Aviation Disaster Exercise hosted at our international airport, which is what I would like to introduce you all to today. So, when you hear the words aviation disaster exercise, you probably picture an aircraft accident, fire trucks, ambulances, law enforcement, and a lot of people pretending to be injured. And yes, we do all of that. But the exercise we were preparing for has become much bigger than that. Because when a catastrophic event occurs at an airport, the incident may begin at the airport, but its consequences do not stay there. Today I would like to talk to you about how our aviation disaster exercise has evolved from an airport exercise into something much more representative of what emergency management really looks like today. A community and regional resilience exercise for Northeast Florida.

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