The City Council Special Committee on the Community Benefits Agreement related to the city’s commitment to build the “Stadium of the Future” in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars had its first meeting July 22 at City Hall.
The agenda included establishing its schedule of work and hearing from community service providers that will be involved in the community development projects that could be be funded by the CBA.
The first action item will be deciding the structure of the governance of the CBA.
The committee will consider whether to create a single board for the entire scope of the agreement or to create two boards with one focused exclusively on projects in the Eastside neighborhood adjacent to the stadium and the other focused on the other projects throughout the city.
Council approved a $1.4 billion deal to renovate EverBank Stadium on June 25. Before the approval, Council stripped out of the deal a $300 million community benefits agreement split evenly between the city and the team to consider it as standalone legislation.
Of the city’s portion, $94 million was targeted for workforce development, homelessness services and affordable housing, with the remainder going to build riverfront parks and improve the flex field at the stadium.
Of that $94 million, $30 million was dedicated to improving the Eastside neighborhood north of the stadium.
In addition to Chair Raul Arias, the committee comprises Vice Chair Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes the Eastside neighborhood, and Council members Nick Howland, Will Lahnen, Ken Amaro and Tyrona Clark-Murray.
Council members Michael Boylan, Mike Gay, Joe Carlucci, Matt Carlucci, Council President Randy White and immediate past Council President Ron Salem also attended the meeting.
Committee’s purpose
When he established the committee June 15, White said he wanted it to ensure that all investments will pay dividends, that all residents are positively impacted by the CBA, and explore all options and recommend amendments.
The committee is to present its final recommendations to the Council as a whole by Aug. 27.
The next meeting, scheduled Aug. 7, will focus on the citywide component and the meetings scheduled Aug. 12 and Aug. 26 will be devoted to action items, Arias said.
Darnell Smith, chief of staff for Mayor Donna Deegan, said the administration supports the two-board plan with oversight by the city Office of Economic Development and with Council having the sole authority to approve expenditures for projects within the agreement.
Two boards would give better focus on the two elements of the agreement and it would take longer for one board to consider both components, Smith said.
Peluso said he thinks the affordable housing and workforce development elements of the CBA already are being administered by existing boards and commissions. He favors establishing a CBA board exclusively focused on the Eastside projects in the agreement.
“Other boards are working on affordable housing and workforce development and I don’t want to create more boards,” Peluso said.
Arias said he would support having one board but might consider establishing a subcommittee that could concentrate on the Eastside elements of the CBA.
City Deputy General Counsel Joelle Dillard advised the committee that whether it is one board or two boards, it or they must be created through legislation.
Arias said he wants to reach a decision Aug. 12 and then file the legislation.
Lift Jax presentation
The committee heard a presentation from Lift Jax, a nonprofit that works to improve neighborhoods including Eastside.
Lift Jax President David Garfunkel said the organization specializes in affordable and sustainable housing and economic development in partnership with the city.
“We are grateful for the city’s support and we understand the responsibility that entails. We are confident we can fulfill transparency and accountability,” Garfunkel said.
Lift Jax Chief Operating Officer Travis Williams said the Eastside was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 and it is the largest African American historic neighborhood in Florida.
Rudy Jameson Jr., executive director of the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, appeared before the committee as an Eastside resident and a representative of the Together Eastside Coalition, which refers to the neighborhood as “OutEast.”
He said the coalition views the CBA as “an opportunity to make OutEast the next Avondale or San Marco.”
Irvin Pedro Cohen, president of LISC Jacksonville (Local Initiatives Service Corp.) said the organization has worked in Jacksonville and the Eastside for 25 years to promote financial and social development in partnership with the city, state and federal governments.
LISC has invested $16 million in the Eastside in the past two years for projects including home repair, helping people resolve property title issues and financing for single-family and multifamily affordable housing, Cohen said.
The committee’s Aug. 7 meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the Council chamber at City Hall. The decision will be made about the board structure and the committee will hear presentations about the citywide components of the CBA, Arias said.