A community effort to revitalize Mayport by restoring what was once its vibrant commercial fishing economy has been a volunteer affair thus far.
That could change soon, thanks to a Jacksonville City Council ordinance that would provide $154,100 in city funding to hire professional staff and make property improvements to help drive the redevelopment forward.
Ordinance 2024-0476 would provide a $110,000 grant to the nonprofit Mayport Waterfront Partnership to bring aboard an executive director and grant writer, plus pay for office supplies, professional services, web maintenance and marketing. The remainder of the funding would go toward new signage and to-be-determined property upgrades related to the district project.
Mayport Waterfront Partnership is working to redevelop 6.72 acres of city-owned property into a district of restaurants, retail establishments, ecotourism activities and educational attractions such as the planned OCEARCH Global Headquarters.
The ordinance, which passed the Council Finance Committee on a 7-0 vote on July 16, comes a year after Jacksonville engineering firm Haskell created a master development plan for the Mayport Village project that includes a reimagined Ocean Street and resiliency measures along the waterline to protect against coastal erosion.
The acreage was once home to a commercial fishing industry that played a central role in Mayport’s economy. But the industry dwindled after JaxPort purchased the property in 2008 with plans to develop it as a cruise port terminal.
Those plans were snuffed out amid heavy opposition from the community, where residents raised concerns that the project would damage the environment and overwhelm the village’s infrastructure.
The land fell into disrepair and shrimpers who had once operated from it relocated to other Northeast Florida harbors.
In 2018, through an arrangement brokered by City Council member Bill Gulliford and JaxPort CEO Eric Green, the authority agreed to sell the property to the city for $1. Under the agreement, the city and port will split revenue generated from a sale or private development of the land through 2038.
Gulliford, who now serves as the Mayport Waterfront Partnership’s director of government relations, said the project was poised to move forward after the creation of the action plan and with OCEARCH planning to begin construction on its headquarters later this year.
Having been involved in the development of the Beaches Town Center as mayor of Atlantic Beach, Gulliford said he believes the project will progress quickly once it begins.
“The next year or two is going to set the stage for development,” he said. “It seems like it just takes a couple little sparks and then it takes off on its own. Once those first couple of restaurants get going or once the properties got improved, it seems like it just takes off on its own.”
Council member Rory Diamond, a Finance Committee member who succeeded Gulliford as the Council representative from the Beaches, said the district had potential to become a significant tourism draw in the region.
“You’re about to see Mayport Village explode and take off, and really be an asset to this city,” he said.
The new OCEARCH facility, a partnership between shark-tagging and oceanic research organization and Jacksonville University, will include spaces for public education and meetings, OCEARCH ship operations, dockage for research vessels, a marine life research laboratory and basic housing for researchers and crew members.
JU received $5 million from the state of Florida in 2023 to support build-out of the new headquarters, and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved an additional $5 million for it this year. The city of Jacksonville also contributed to the project with a $6 million investment in a new dock completed in 2023.
The city also is designing a commercial dock that will stretch along most of waterfront portion of the property. A public meeting to gather comments and input on the project is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 25 at the Gulliford Community Center at 4875 Ocean St.
Gulliford said the ordinance is needed because the partnership’s volunteer staff doesn’t have capacity and experience to handle everything involved in the redevelopment, including promotions, grant-writing and private fundraising.
“Our next step is we’re going to look for some help,” he said. “One big thing will be promoting. We need to push the vision.”
With the Finance Committee vote, the ordinance advances to a final Council vote.