Saying they did not expect to place a future city jail near Downtown, Jacksonville City Council committees voted May 18 and May 19 against recommending a proposal to deter construction of a detention facility in urban and historically Black neigbhorhoods.
Committees voted down a proposal by Council member Jimmy Peluso to express support for keeping a future detention facility out of neighborhoods that include Brooklyn, Durkeeville, the Eastside, LaVilla, Longbranch, Mixon Town, Moncrief, New Town, Philips, Robinson’s Addition and Sugar Hill.
Resolution 2026-0356 called for a recommendation that the jail not be located in historically redlined areas as the city and a consultant begin the process to find the next location for the jail.
Redlining is financial services discrimination of neighborhoods with minority or low-income populations.
Committee votes
The motion failed 6-1 in the Neighborhood, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee, with member Tyrona Clark-Murray casting the yes vote. The Rules Committee voted it down 5-0, with members Ken Amaro and Terrance Freeman away from the dais. It failed in the Finance Committee, 8-0.
“My concern is that there are 14 district Council members, and we all have areas where we probably don’t want to see the jail being eventually built, but let’s let the process play out,” said Council member Will Lahnen, who is the Council liaison for matters pertaining to the new jail.
“It’s probably going to be early next year when we get our preliminary report out, and once we get those potential site selections, that’s when we should debate the merits, the pros and cons of those different locations.”
The report referenced by Lahnen comes from a study commissioned by the city with CGL, a consulting firm that focuses on the justice system. In March, the city agreed to a $750,000 contract with CGL to begin the process to identify a location for the jail.
“I believe that it is a transparent process, and that you’re doing an incredible job. This is meant to make sure we are allaying the fears of our constituents,” Peluso said to Lahnen during a May 18 Neighborhoods meeting. “We are letting our constituents and the public know, ‘Hey, we do not expect this to be built in these areas.’”
In identifying the areas he wished to protect, Peluso used the 1937-1940 Home Owners’ Loan Corp. residential security maps. Those maps, according to Peluso’s legislation, designated predominantly Black neighborhoods as “hazardous” investment areas.
Site size
The next jail will likely be close to 500 acres, said Mike Weinstein, the city’s chief administrative officer. That would likely keep the jail out of a residential neighborhood. By comparison, the Downtown jail along with the Police Memorial Building at 501 E. Bay St. is on 10.06 acres.
While the current jail is six stories tall in Downtown, the city expects the next facility to feature two-story structures more spread out across a larger campus.
“I’m not going to support any building of a criminal justice system in the Black community. Period, ” said member Ken Amaro during a Neighborhoods meeting. “But given the scenario, the need that has been identified, the borders, the acreage, I think it’s inconceivable (that a jail would be placed there).”
Peluso’s move comes as Jacksonville prepares to begin its search for a new jail location.
Jacksonville’s John E. Goode Pre-trial Detention Facility, the jail’s official name, is aging, and the city expects to replace it with a facility outside Downtown. The cost of a new facility could exceed $1 billion.
Residents, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Mayor Donna Deegan would offer input with Council making the final decision, Weinstein said.
The proposal is scheduled for a full Council vote May 26.