JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There was a tense moment in a Jacksonville City Council meeting this week.
Incoming City Council president Kevin Carrico, said he felt “threatened” by City Councilman Matt Carlucci and requested that the sergeant at arms remove Carlucci from council chambers.
The two were debating a bill that would make some changes to the Downtown Investment Authority. Carrico is the sponsor of that bill.
It would enable the DIA to file legislation directly with the council president, thereby sidestepping the Mayor’s budget review process.
It would also require the DIA’s CEO to be confirmed by the council, and gives the council and/or the DIA Board the authority to remove the CEO with a majority vote.
Councilman Carlucci is not a member of the special committee on the future of downtown. But he helped put the DIA together. He said the DIA is meant to be independent.
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“The DIA has its own board,” Carlucci said. “They hire and then they fire the DIA board, who the executive director or the CEO reports to. That’s the way it should stay.”
Councilman Carrico said, “With autonomy comes accountability. It is not a power trip, it’s an accountability thing. The likelihood of the council wanting to remove a CEO would be pretty extreme.”
In a video from Thursday’s meeting, you can see Carlucci get up from his seat and stand near Carrico. That’s when Carrico said he felt threatened.
Action News Jax asked Carlucci what he was doing by approaching Carrico.
Carlucci said, “I walked up, as I normally do, before I leave a meeting early, and walked over to the chair and to say I’m leaving early. He was engaged in conversation.”
We reached out to Councilman Kevin Carrico for an interview. He replied back saying “no comment”.
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