Pending City Council approval, a nonprofit could be created to allocate the $40 million of city funds that are targeted for improving the Eastside under the community benefits agreement between the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of last year’s stadium renovation deal.
A special Eastside City Council subcommittee decided Wednesday to move forward with the funding model that emulates the Jacksonville Cultural Council’s. The committee also agreed a majority of the nonprofit’s board should be comprised of Eastside residents or business owners.
What comes next?
The yet-to-be-formed nonprofit would have nine members – four appointed by the City Council president, four appointed by the mayor’s office and one from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
At least one board member would represent each of the Eastside’s five neighborhoods: Campbell’s Addition, Fairfield, Oakland, Phoenix and Longbranch.
The committee’s decision blends the demands of two separate groups that have been advocating on behalf of the historically underfunded neighborhood that has been repeatedly altered by stadium developments over the last 95 years.
Subcommittee Chair Raul Arias says both factions need to trust each other and work together. He expects the $4 million in this year’s budget reserved for the Eastside to be implemented in early 2026. The rest of the $40 million will be spent over the next seven fiscal years.
Additional details will be discussed and finalized at a Nov. 13 meeting before the legislation creating the nonprofit is sent to the full City Council, Arias says.
“Once that is initiated and approved by the full council, then we can start talking about who we’re going to appoint to a board,” he said.
Whose model is this?
The Jacksonville Cultural Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that receives city funds and operates unver city oversight. The council establishes criteria for artists and organizations to apply for grant funding. Its board of directors determines which entities receive the dollars.
A group of residents and advocates including LIFT JAX and the Historic Eastside CDC, who have been working for years as the Together Eastside Coalition, favored the cultural council model. On Wednesday, more than two dozen coalition members wore orange T-shirts that said “Believe in Out East.” They included Nigelle Kohn, the executive director of Florida Avenue Main Street, a nonprofit that aims to connect businesses with the Eastside.
A different group of residents and advocates created a nonprofit, the Together Eastside Coalition, Inc., in August. They supported an alternate funding model, similar to the Opioid Settlement Proceeds Grant Committee’s, which sees the city government give out the money directly.
On Monday, Together Eastside Corporation Inc.’s attorney, Leslie Jean-Bart, submitted a compromise proposal that blended portions of both models. Her suggestions included that the board be city-operated for a period and then transition into a community-led nonprofit.
Disunity in the community
More than a dozen members of the public spoke before the subcommittee Wednesday, with the two factions equally represented.
“Bottom line is I want to keep Black people out of jail,” Denise Hunt said as she advocated for a merge between the two models. “We should have oversight and transparency. I feel [Eastside booster nonprofit] LIFT JAX does not represent the overall cultural ties of the community. We need oversight and transparency. And, we want to keep Black people out of jail.”
Meanwhile, Avery McKnight, a member of the Eastside Legacy Business Council, told the subcommittee that LIFT JAX CEO, and fourth-generation Eastside resident, Travis Williams is a trusted voice Out East.
Vision for the committee
City Council member Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes the Eastside, says he wants the new nonprofit’s board to hold its meetings on the Eastside, either at the Raiford A. Brown Eastside Branch of Jacksonville Public Library or at the Kids Hope Alliance headquarters.
Council member Ken Amaro said he wanted the dollars dispersed as expeditiously as possible while maintaining accountability for the $40 million public investment.
Council Member Tyrona Clark-Murray served on multiple community boards before she won a seat on the City Council in 2023. She said she would like a to see a consistent vetting process and rubric for grant selection.
Deputy General Counsel Mary Staffopolous said during Wednesday’s meeting that the Eastside group that is not incorporated has created a new nonprofit that is volunteering to serve as a transition board until a full-time board could be appointed.
Jean-Bart, who represents the other faction, said she is happy that the subcommittee was open to suggestions, and she is hopeful both Eastside groups can move forward amicably.
“If a (nonprofit) is created, the city can create it,” Jean-Bart said. “A private entity doesn’t have to create it. Last week, the 501(c)(3) didn’t exist. This week it does. That is the trust issue that keeps popping up that I would like to avoid so we can get to the good stuff.”
