Legislation to improve security and cleanliness in Five Points by creating a special tax assessment is making its way through the Jacksonville City Council.
Council member Jimmy Peluso introduced Ordinance 2025-0539 to establish the Five Points Dependent Special District in Riverside.
Under the legislation, commercial property owners in Five Points would pay an assessment to the special district to fund private security, lighting and landscaping improvements, new wayfinding signage and special events aimed at attracting visitors. The money would create positions for a security officer, staff member and a sanitation worker.
According to a document filed with the ordinance, the district would charge assessments on about 100 commercial properties held by 80 owners.
The assessment would take effect in 2026 and would be based on heated square footage and parking surface area of commercial properties in the district, which comprises all or parts of 21 blocks.
The area is largely bordered by Post Street, Riverside Avenue and Copeland Street, with one block bordered by Goodwin, Post, Margaret and College streets.
Peluso said he expected fees to start at 20 to 25 cents per heated square foot during the first assessment period in 2026. The legislation allows for per-square-foot fees of up to 55 cents for structures and 50 cents for parking during the first year.
Annually, fees can be increased by no more than $2 per heated square foot and no more than $1 per square foot of parking lot space.
The district would operate on revenue generated by the fee instead of a budget based on expected revenue. The district’s budget would be approved by Council each year.
The documentation does not say how much revenue the assessment would generate.
To help launch the district, Peluso offered to provide a portion of his Council District 7’s allotment of funding in the Community Benefits Agreement attached to the city’s stadium deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The $300 million CBA included $1 million for each of the 14 Council districts.
Peluso said property owners who lease space to businesses might pass along the assessments as a rent increase. He said rent increases could be offset by increased traffic to local businesses as the security and appearance of Five Points improves.
The bill was deferred in the Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee and Rules Committee on Aug. 18, with Council members voicing concerns there may be inadequate support for it among Five Points businesses.
During the Neighborhoods meeting, Council member Ron Salem said that before he voted for the ordinance, he wanted to see signed letters from “close to 100%” of the business owners in the proposed district saying they understood the ordinance and supported it.
“We are voting to tax these people, and I want personally to be very careful that there is widespread support,” Salem said.
Dori Thomsen, president of the Five Points Merchants Association who worked with Peluso on the legislation, said the proposal drew unanimous approval when it was introduced to about 75 business owners and representatives.
As for obtaining signatures for Salem, Thomsen said she and other community leaders would ask businesses and landlords to check a box on a form confirming they supported the district’s creation.
A few business owners initially opposed the legislation, Thomsen said, based on the shock value of potential rent increases or a new assessment. Once community leaders explained the legislation, she said, businesses backed it.
Several representatives from the Five Points area appeared at the Neighborhoods meeting, saying crime, vagrancy and trash needed to be addressed.
“We’ve had individuals drop their pants and defecate in front of trash cans in front of our business. I have seen people openly do drugs on the sidewalks. I’ve witnessed knife fights,” said Natalie Worth, the office manager at Five Points Dental.
“This is not the funky, fun Five Points (businesses) were promised.”
Worth said she had called 911 and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dozens of times. Several calls went unanswered, she said, and she experienced hours-long wait times when officers were dispatched.
Council member Tyrona Clark-Murray proposed allowing property owners to opt out of the assessment. Thomsen said that would create an unfair system where those owners would receive the benefits the district provides without paying for them.
“Unlike unpredictable donations that we are currently receiving with the Merchants Association, the BID (Business Improvement District) funding would be guaranteed and sustainable, allowing us to plan long-term and address the ongoing challenges in Five Points,” Thomsen said in an email.
“This collective funding approach ensures that everyone who benefits from a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant Five Points contributes to maintaining and improving it. It’s a sustainable model that allows us to plan ahead and meet the district’s needs without relying on uncertain donations or placing the burden solely on small businesses.”
Peluso said he planned to defer the ordinance for about a month while proponents gain verification of support from businesses.