More than 200 people, including residents, volunteers and committee leaders, wrapped up the JAX2025 vision meetings Saturday at the Osborn Center to create an action plan for Jacksonville for the next 12 years.
"Now is the time to decide what kind of community we want to be in the year 2025. JAX2025 is not just about creating a vision; it's about creating our future," says the JAX2025.org site.
JAX2025 is funded by private donations and staffed by Jacksonville Community Council Inc., the nonpartisan organization that studies community issues and makes recommendations for improvements.
Council President and CEO Ben Warner said the $565,000 budget funded public outreach, marketing and media; meetings, refreshments, materials and printing; and staffing.
He said the budget was supplemented with volunteers and in-kind support.
The JAX2025 tri-chairs are Oliver Barakat, senior vice president of the CBRE commercial real estate services firm in Jacksonville; Ju'Coby Pittman-Peele, president and CEO of the Clara White Mission; and Carl Cannon, former publisher of The Florida Times-Union.
Warner said attendance topped 2,000 people at the four public meetings to create the vision.
Almost 1,000 people attended the first meeting, Jan. 19. Between 450-500 attended the second, Feb. 2, and more than 500 attended the third, March 19, he said.
Warner said almost 250 attended the Saturday session. He said a final count, expected in about a week, will provide the number of unduplicated participants, steering committee members, public officials and volunteer facilitators.
The vision results will be released at an event scheduled 9-11 a.m. May 18 at the Touchdown Club at EverBank Field.
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