Trash lies in the Riverview area near Lem Turner Road. | Lindsey Kilbride, WJCT News
Published on September 22, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Q: Trash along Jacksonville’s roads has become a common concern.
Jacksonville Today reader Tracie E. was under the impression that Mayor Donna Deegan had increased funding to maintain roadways. “But, here we are two years later, and the trash on the highways, and especially the Buckman Bridge, is ridiculous,” Tracie writes. “It’s embarrassing.”
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“Where did that money go if the roads still look so bad?”
A: The state, not the city, manages highways and bridges that cross the St. Johns River. The Florida Department of Transportation handles maintenance and debris cleanup on roadways like Interstate 95 and Interstate 10, as well as the Hart, Main Street, Acosta, Mathews, Fuller-Warren, Ortega, and Buckman bridges.
The city of Jacksonville cleans and maintains the other roads and bridges, including the use of street sweepers and cleanup crews.
Deegan announced a campaign in July to fight litter and blight. She called it “Keep Jax Cute — Don’t Pollute.”
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
City Hall spokesperson Phil Perry says the mayor included an additional $1 million for blight and litter cleanup on city roads in her proposed 2025-2026 budget. City Council’s Finance Committee removed the funding.
“However, we are hopeful it can be restored during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, when the final budget is passed,” Perry says.
Meanwhile, FDOT spokesperson Hampton Ray says maintenance crews typically handle mowing, litter cleanup and sweeping over six- to eight-week cycles along state roads, including bridges.
“These cycles are consistent across the state and represent the challenge of debris removal,” Ray says.
Road rangers and other crews immediately remove items that are in the driving lanes or pose a safety risk, Ray says. But once debris is removed, polluters can immediately undo the work that was done.
Ray says FDOT and the city have just partnered on an additional cleanup effort — the Jax Litter League.
This campaign encourages community involvement and education to reduce litter by pitting neighborhood teams against one another to clean up areas. The teams can win Jacksonville Jaguars merchandise or tickets to a game at EverBank Stadium.
FDOT also promotes the Adopt-A-Highway program to encourage the community to help keep roads litter-free, Ray says.
