A record-setting federal grant for Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail has been rescinded, but Northeast Florida lawmakers say federal funding for the project could still be available.
The $147 million grant, the largest one-time allotment of money the city had ever been awarded, was voided in the tax cut and spending package signed July 4 by President Donald Trump.
Jacksonville City Council member Matt Carlucci said he spoke with U.S. Reps. John Rutherford and Aaron Bean after learning that the grant was withdrawn. He said Rutherford and Bean, both Republicans who represent Northeast Florida, committed to helping the city find other federal funds for the partially completed trail.
Carlucci said it was unlikely the city would receive the full $147 million in one lump, but it was possible the earmarked funding could be replaced with small chunks of around $30 million.
The grant came from the U.S. Department of Transportation and was approved by the Joe Biden administration.
On March 11, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a Trump appointee, issued a directive to review grant projects and renegotiate or cancel any incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion; climate change activities; environmental justice; gender-specific priorities; bicycle infrastructure; and electrical vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.
Rutherford and Bean voted in favor of the tax-and-spend bill in Congress. Both also have publicly supported the Emerald Trail.
In promoting the 30-mile trail, local officials said it would enhance equity and inclusion by improving connectivity and mobility for several Downtown-adjacent neighborhoods, several of which are predominantly Black.
In addition, the trail is designed for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Mayor Donna Deegan, during an appearance July 8 on the WJCT News talk show “First Coast Connect,” said local officials believed they could seek new grants by emphasizing the economic development benefits of the trail.
Project supporters say it will support residential and commercial growth in Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods by attracting trail users and making the area safer and easier to navigate for cyclists and pedestrians.
“I’m disappointed that the Trump administration so far hasn’t seen the value in that, but I do have hope that if we can reapply under an economic development grant, we can really show them why this is such a good thing for Jacksonville,” Deegan said.
In 2021, the Council approved $132 million for the trail from an extension of the city’s local option gas tax.
Deegan said the federal funding would have allowed the trail to be completed years earlier than originally planned.
The trail is being designed and built through a partnership of the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville, the city and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Fully built, it would run through and connect 14 neighborhoods and Downtown’s historic core.
Construction began in August 2021. The first segment, the 1.3-mile LaVilla Link, opened May 2024.