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Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville TEU Committee Meeting: JaxTwin, CDD Amendments, and JEA Discussion – October 20, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:26

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:01

Good morning.

0:02

If our council members will take their seat, we'll get started.

Unassigned speaker

0:20

All

Speaker 1

0:20

right, it's nine o'clock.

0:21

Good morning, and welcome to the uh TEU committee meeting for Tuesday, October 20th, uh 2026.

0:28

We'll begin with introductions from my left.

Speaker 2

0:32

Good morning, Garrett

Speaker 3

0:33

Dennis

Speaker 1

0:33

administration.

Speaker 3

0:34

Stephen Libby, Council Research.

Speaker 4

0:36

Carla Shell, Office of General Counsel.

Speaker 3

0:38

Edward Lindsky Council Auditor's Office.

Speaker 4

0:41

Good morning, Monet Holder at large group one.

Unassigned speaker

0:45

Good

Speaker 5

0:45

morning, Matt Carlucci at large group four.

Speaker 1

0:48

Kenomar, City Council District One.

Speaker 6

0:50

Good

Speaker 7

0:51

morning, Jimmy Peluso District 7.

0:53

Good morning, Raw Aries, District 11.

0:55

Good morning, Reginald Gaffin and Jillian.

0:57

District 8.

Speaker 8

0:57

Morning, Nick Allen at large group three, just popping in for about 15 minutes.

Speaker 1

1:01

Thank you, Mr.

1:02

President, for visiting.

1:03

I uh

Unassigned speaker

1:04

our

Speaker 1

1:04

vice chair Jacobi Pittman has been excused from today's meeting.

1:09

We have a couple of actionable items.

1:12

Item one, 2026, 0748.

1:15

Item two, 2026 0755.

1:20

Uh item three and item four have been deferred, and item five, six, seven or own second read.

1:29

Uh this morning we have a presentation from uh the UF folks University of Florida.

1:36

As you know, Jacksonville is now part of the University of Florida community.

1:41

And during their um ribbon cutting, uh, they made a presentation of twin jacks.

1:47

Um I had the opportunity to see it.

1:49

It's very impressive.

1:51

It's gonna be

Unassigned speaker

1:51

a

Speaker 1

1:52

uh I think a very valuable tool uh for the city of Jacksonville as it plans its future development.

1:59

And so I um I asked them to come this morning and share twin jacks so that we can get uh kind of a bird's eye view as to what it is.

2:09

Uh gentlemen, would you uh you've got 20 minutes, please introduce yourself and make your presentation.

Unassigned speaker

2:20

Thank

Speaker 9

2:20

you very much, uh Mr.

2:21

Amaro for the for the invitation.

2:23

Uh my name is Jeff Carney.

2:24

I'm a professor in the School of Architecture and the director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience.

2:29

My colleague uh Chang Jai Chen is

Unassigned speaker

2:32

a

Speaker 9

2:32

uh professor in um uh city and regional planning and a research faculty member of Fiber as well at the institute.

2:39

Um and so we're here today to introduce the Florida Digital Twin program and more specifically the JAX Twin uh that we have built for the city of Jacksonville.

2:48

So, real briefly, myself, uh Carlos Aldina Ocho is unable to make uh to be here today, and and Dr.

2:55

Chen.

2:56

Uh and in our our broader team, uh you can see here.

2:59

So, what is a uh a digital twin?

3:02

Uh real briefly, uh, and we'll show you all of what we've done with Jacksonville.

3:06

Nurba Digital Twin is a living digital model of the city uh that brings together its buildings, its infrastructure, and environmental systems, transportation, all of the data together uh to really enable us to make better decisions and to visualize the relationships across those different sectors.

3:25

So we've been working uh on the JAX Twin for about three years now, really looking at the the you know transformation that the city of Jacksonville is going through currently uh through growth, uh, and and really um helping hopefully helping to understand how uh that growth can can happen, how we can become a more resilient city in the face of uh the hazards that we that we face through uh through flooding, uh through the challenges of transportation uh traffic systems like that, and how this digital twin can help us to enable um uh the future that we're all looking towards.

4:05

So the platform that we've built uh converts a range of different ideas and really ingests data from a whole range of sectors, whether it's transportation, whether it's the physical environment, the topography, the bathymetry, uh sea levels, uh flood storm surges, um, housing information data, demographics, all of that information, uh, BIM, building information models are all pulled together through through the twin.

4:33

Um that twin uh really allows for uh a kind of legible graphic interface so that we can not only have the the the data um and the spreadsheets and the and the information modeling happening, it actually visualizes that in in uh in real time.

4:51

And so Chang Jai is going to walk us through a couple of the real specific um products that we've developed, a lot of which is in partnership uh with JTA.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Technology and Innovation████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Public Transportation███████████████15%
Public Comment████████████12%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Safety████████8%
Transportation Safety████4%
Pending Litigation███3%
Affordable Housing██2%
Utility Assistance██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville TEU Committee Meeting: JaxTwin, CDD Amendments, and JEA Discussion – October 20, 2026

The Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee (TEU) of the Jacksonville City Council convened on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the Council Chamber. Chair Ken Amaro presided, with members Raul Arias, Matt Carlucci, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Mone' Holder, and Jimmy Peluso present; Vice Chair Ju'Coby Pittman was excused. Council President Nick Howland and Council Member Miller were also present. The meeting featured a presentation from the University of Florida on the JaxTwin digital platform, actions on ordinances, committee announcements, and public comment. The meeting adjourned at 9:44 AM.

Presentation: University of Florida JaxTwin Program

Professor Jeff Carney (School of Architecture, Director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience – FIBER) and Dr. Changjie Chen (Assistant Scientist, FIBER) presented the JaxTwin, a living digital model of Jacksonville integrating data on buildings, infrastructure, environmental systems, and transportation. The project has been under development for three years and is now housed at the UF Jacksonville campus with two full-time staff.

Dr. Chen demonstrated several AI-driven tools developed with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA):

  • An agentic AI system balancing service to underserved populations with transit on-time performance.
  • A machine-learning model predicting E. coli concentrations in waterways using proxies like temperature, pH, and salinity, serving as an early warning system.
  • A generative AI system converting 2D street-view images into 3D building models.
  • A regionalization tool enabling targeted intervention analyses.
  • An interactive model of downtown Jacksonville covering approximately 32,000 buildings with attributes such as parcel ID, value, and year built, including the ability to simulate urban heat island effects and building shadows.

Professor Carney described the strategic vision for a statewide Florida Digital Twin that integrates AI, IoT sensor networks, geospatial data, and rapid scenario design to "transform Florida from the most at-risk state to the most prepared state." He emphasized that the platform does not itself solve problems but enables specific products, such as the partnership with JTA. A studio course is currently using the twin to reimagine the Skyway system.

Future possibilities include modeling what-if scenarios for transportation, housing, costs, flooding, green infrastructure, and heat island effects; incorporating dynamic weather data and real-time updates; and enhancing emergency preparation for hazardous storms.

Council Questions and Responses:

  • Council Member Carlucci confirmed collaboration with the City's Office of Resilience (Anne Coglianese) and emphasized the importance of resilience work, noting the flooding from Hurricanes Matthew and Irma.
  • Council President Howland asked whether the team assisted JTA with route optimization during its recent financial crisis and fixed-route reductions. Dr. Chen stated they are working with JTA to optimize service and assess impacts on Title VI analysis. Howland noted that critical infrastructure (hospitals, grocery stores, large employers) is not yet included in the model, and expressed hope for the team's involvement in the upcoming transportation optimization process.
  • Council Member Peluso asked about mapping underground infrastructure with the private sector. Professor Carney said they have not specifically discussed it but would be interested. Dr. Chen noted that there are technical sensors that can detect underground wires and pipes.
  • Council Member Arias asked whether the platform can track household utility consumption and affordability, and whether council members can access it directly. Professor Carney mentioned a parallel project with JEA funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant to reduce household energy consumption. Dr. Chen confirmed that login access can be created for individuals.
  • Chair Amaro asked about the rider mobile app; Professor Carney clarified that it is JTA's app.

Consent Calendar

  • 2026‑0748 – Kings Creek II CDD Contraction: Approved 6‑0. The ordinance contracts the Kings Creek II Community Development District boundaries by 93.24± acres in Council District 8 for future commercial development; the change does not affect the planned 621 residential units.
  • 2026‑0755 – Traffic Calming Funds for Electric Bicycle Signs: Amended and approved 6‑0. The amendment to Section 11.13 of Ordinance 2023‑504‑E allows traffic-calming funds (including those from Ordinances 2026‑633‑E and 2025‑186‑E) to be used for the purchase and installation of electric bicycle speed limit signs on sidewalks and shared-use paths, at the discretion of each district council member.

Discussion Items

  • 2026‑0777 – Sidewalk Deferral Appeal (Resolution): Deferred. A quasi-judicial public hearing will be held at the next TEU meeting on November 4, 2026. Carla Schell (OGC) will provide committee members with an explanatory memo.
  • 2026‑0779 – Industrial Parking Requirements (Ordinance): Deferred due to the Planning Commission's schedule. The next hearing is before the Land Use & Zoning (LUZ) Committee on November 4, 2026.
  • 2026‑0799 – Arbors CDD Expansion (Ordinance, Second Read): Read a second time and rereferred. Public hearings are scheduled for October 27, 2026, and November 10, 2026.
  • 2026‑0801 – Williamson Lane Right‑of‑Way (Ordinance, Second Read): Read a second time and rereferred. A TEU public hearing is set for November 4, 2026, and a general public hearing for October 27, 2026.
  • 2026‑0803 – JEA Meeting Transparency (Ordinance, Second Read): Read a second time and rereferred. Public hearings are scheduled for October 27, 2026, and November 24, 2026.

Public Comment

  • Carnell Oliver spoke on Item 2026‑0748, criticizing the city's government structure as outdated and unable to manage population growth. He called for expanding and reducing the size of council districts and voiced frustration with certain districts and officials.

Committee Announcements

  • Council Member Carlucci suggested inviting JEA to a future committee meeting to explain recent rate increases, emphasizing the importance of respecting JEA's independence as an authority while ensuring public understanding.
  • Council Member Arias supported the suggestion, commending the chair for recent informative meetings.
  • Council Member Peluso agreed with inviting JEA and announced that he and Council Member Gaffney Jr. are co-introducing an emergency ordinance to provide additional utility assistance, using reserve funds, to help residents during the current economic difficulties.
  • Council Member Peluso also reminded members that the University of Florida would host the LaVilla Heritage Group of the Downtown Investment Authority at the Ritz Theatre at 5:30 PM that evening to discuss the UF campus and its integration into the LaVilla community.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: 2026‑0748 (CDD contraction) – 6‑0.
  • Approved as amended: 2026‑0755 (e-bike signs) – 6‑0.
  • Deferred: 2026‑0777 (sidewalk appeal) to November 4, 2026; 2026‑0779 (industrial parking) to LUZ on November 4, 2026.
  • Second-read and rereferred: 2026‑0799 (Arbors CDD expansion), 2026‑0801 (Williamson Lane ROW), 2026‑0803 (JEA transparency).
  • Next regular TEU meeting: Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 9:00 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. If our council members will take their seat, we'll get started. All right, it's nine o'clock. Good morning, and welcome to the uh TEU committee meeting for Tuesday, October 20th, uh 2026. We'll begin with introductions from my left. Good morning, Garrett Dennis administration. Stephen Libby, Council Research. Carla Shell, Office of General Counsel. Edward Lindsky Council Auditor's Office. Good morning, Monet Holder at large group one. Good morning, Matt Carlucci at large group four. Kenomar, City Council District One. Good morning, Jimmy Peluso District 7. Good morning, Raw Aries, District 11. Good morning, Reginald Gaffin and Jillian. District 8. Morning, Nick Allen at large group three, just popping in for about 15 minutes. Thank you, Mr. President, for visiting. I uh our vice chair Jacobi Pittman has been excused from today's meeting. We have a couple of actionable items. Item one, 2026, 0748. Item two, 2026 0755. Uh item three and item four have been deferred, and item five, six, seven or own second read. Uh this morning we have a presentation from uh the UF folks University of Florida. As you know, Jacksonville is now part of the University of Florida community. And during their um ribbon cutting, uh, they made a presentation of twin jacks. Um I had the opportunity to see it. It's very impressive. It's gonna be a uh I think a very valuable tool uh for the city of Jacksonville as it plans its future development. And so I um I asked them to come this morning and share twin jacks so that we can get uh kind of a bird's eye view as to what it is. Uh gentlemen, would you uh you've got 20 minutes, please introduce yourself and make your presentation. Thank you very much, uh Mr. Amaro for the for the invitation. Uh my name is Jeff Carney. I'm a professor in the School of Architecture and the director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience. My colleague uh Chang Jai Chen is a uh professor in um uh city and regional planning and a research faculty member of Fiber as well at the institute. Um and so we're here today to introduce the Florida Digital Twin program and more specifically the JAX Twin uh that we have built for the city of Jacksonville.

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