After a two-month review, the city of Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General concluded that the city lost a $1 million grant for James Weldon Johnson Park due to a failure to properly manage the grant process.
In findings released June 23, the OIG said the city failed to meet several requirements for the state funding, resulting in the state’s denial of the grant for the park in Downtown Jacksonville near City Hall and the main Jacksonville Public Library.
The OIG found that city did not submit required quarterly progress reports, a final report or sufficient expenditure documentation in a timely manner through the Department of State grants portal, as required by the grant award agreement.
A letter from the state dated May 13, 2025, cited a lack of documentation, missing reports and a payment request submitted 222 days after the grant’s June 30, 2024, expiration date.
As a result, the request was untimely and could not be processed under an expired contract, the report states.
The OIG determined that the contract manager assigned to the project had not received formal training in grant or contract management. The lack of training contributed to missed deadlines, confusion about deliverable requirements and improper submission procedures including attempts to email documents after being locked out of the state’s portal.
The OIG recommended implementing mandatory, standardized training for all personnel responsible for managing grants or contracts. The recommendation said the training should cover reporting obligations, documentation standards, expenditure eligibility and the proper use of the DOS grants portal to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.
Daryl Joseph, director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services, responded to the OIG’s draft report June 22 and presented amended grant management policies including staff taking courses in grant management developed by the National Recreation and Park Association and the U.S. Department of Education.
City staff will improve its use of Microsoft Outlook calendar reminders and department management will review annually documented requirements of all awarded grants
The agency’s entire response and the full investigation report are available at Jacksonville.gov/OIG.
The OIG encourages the public to report any cases of fraud, waste and abuse to 904-255-5800 or email [email protected].