JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Eastside is one step closer to finally getting the first installment of the $115 million Community Benefits Agreement.
The CBA was passed alongside the stadium renovation deal, and there’s already $4 million in the current budget ready to be spent on affordable and workforce housing, homelessness, and economic development on the Eastside.
But until the Jacksonville City Council agrees on who will be in charge of spending it, that money will sit unspent.
The CBA Special Committee pushed forward a plan on Wednesday to establish a nonprofit through the city that would take on that responsibility.
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Chair Raul Arias (R-District 11) explained it was a compromise after two factions in the community emerged.
One group had pushed for a city board that would eventually transition into a nonprofit, and the other preferred a privately established nonprofit to oversee Eastside CBA dollars from the jump.
“So, we decided to go that route to ensure both parts of the community know that they should trust each other and work together,” said Arias.
But the committee also changed who would control appointments to the nine-member nonprofit board, giving the mayor and Council President four appointments each and the Jags one.
“We’ve all seen now that the appointment process can become very political,” said Leslie Scott Jean-Bart, an attorney representing Together Eastside Coalition Inc.
The coalition had been pushing for what it described as a hybrid model, where city leaders would make initial appointments to a city board overseeing the Eastside CBA dollars.
After a set period of time, that city board would have transitioned into a nonprofit, whose board would be able to pick five of its own members from the community.
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“We need sustainability, and that’s going to come from the board having the autonomy to pick the people that should be on the board,” said Jean-Bart.
But Arias argued the city-established nonprofit model ensures accountability, and community recommendations will still be taken into account.
“So, we are going to trust the community to give us the best names possible to ensure that there are no politics in this part,” said Arias.
The next CBA meeting is coming up on November 13th, where the special committee will work through any amendments and advance a final product.
That bill, according to Arias, will move on an emergency basis to ensure it’s able to get across the finish line before the end of the year.
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