Latest news with #JoeCarlucci
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville councilman seeks $45M for development incentives along Bay Street
Tens of millions of dollars could soon be on the table to incentivize development on two empty lots along Bay Street. Since the City Hall Annex buildings and the old courthouse came down in 2019, grass has occupied the lots. Development deals have been pitched, such as the proposed 'The Hardwick at The Ford' apartment project, but none have come to fruition. 'These lots have been totally stale for a long, long time,' Councilmember Joe Carlucci (R-District 4) said. Now, Carlucci believes he's found a way to turn the tides. Through his work on the Special Committee on the Future of Downtown and with the help of city auditors, he identified surplus funds totaling $45 million in the city's self insurance fund. He's sponsoring new legislation that would transfer those dollars into a residential incentives account which could be used for incentives to spur development projects on the empty lots. 'Basically, we scraped a surplus off of a surplus and it has no impact on our general fund. It has no on the fund that this was sitting in,' Carlucci said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Carlucci wants residential units to be constructed on the lots, with opportunities for mixed use space as well. He said he believes East Bay Street will take center stage as Jacksonville's downtown develops. 'When you go to any city, there's always like a main street that you can just show up and go the whole day, park and walk around it, you know, food and drink and a show or whatever and that's gonna be Bay Street. One street off the river and that's where we need to start getting moving on,' Carlucci said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's office told Action News Jax it was not consulted on the proposal and is currently reviewing the legislation. 'Mayor Deegan will continue to be focused on ensuring the city is in a strong financial position,' a spokesperson for the mayor's office told Action News Jax in a statement. Carlucci is unsure on a timeline for his bill, as it may be deferred and taken up after the new council leadership begins in July. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Jacksonville councilman addresses Baymeadows Road safety after father, toddler killed
A Jacksonville city council member said the Florida Department of Transportation will do a study on the stretch of Baymeadows Road where a father and toddler were hit and killed by a car Friday. 'It goes without being said that this event has shaken the community of Baymeadows and the family of Mitchell Patch,' Jacksonville Councilmember Joe Carlucci stated in a news release Tuesday. 'My prayers are with his family and I will remain committed to making sure something like this doesn't happen again.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Patch, who taught at Bayview Elementary School, was carrying his son, Everett, near Wicked Barley Brewing in the 4100 block of Baymeadows Road when they were struck by a Honda. They were both pronounced dead at the scene. Carlucci's news release stated that he's done the following in the days after the accident: Spoken to COJ's Traffic Engineering Director to request urgency be placed on safety improvements for this roadway. Spoken to FDOT District 2 Director about making this a priority and have formally requested the required study be done in order to start the process of discovering what traffic signaling can be installed. FDOT will be conducting the study/survey in the coming weeks. This is a requirement prior to any traffic enhancements can be installed. Speaker Pro-Temp Wyman Duggan is supporting this initiative in the House and willing to help legislatively. Senator Clay Yarborough is supporting this initiative in the Senate and willing to help legislatively. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] My ultimate goal is to have an impactful improvement along this roadway as soon as possible. My opinion is that there needs to be a traffic signal, additional lighting, road striping and signage to fully enhance this area. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Urgency behind study of Baymeadows Road safety
Top stories for Wednesday, May 21, 2025 on Jacksonville's Morning News. Another hot day before a few afternoon showers/storms. Highs will return to the mid 90s today. First Alert Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh is tracking a few afternoon showers after 2-3 pm in SE Georgia and 3-5 pm in NE Florida. Everyone won't seen rain today, but a few locally heavy downpours are likely with some gusty winds of 40+ mph. A cool front will pass this evening ushering in some drier air. Afternoon highs get knocked down just a bit to near 90 degrees on Thursday. This weekend will be seasonably hot and mainly dry. Three Big Things to Know: Jacksonville City Council Member Joe Carlucci says FDOT will conduct a study on a stretch of Baymeadows Road where a local father and his baby died after a collision. Mitchell Patch and his son Everett were hit while trying to cross Baymeadows in front of Wicked Barley. There are no convenient crosswalks near the establishment. Carlucci says he's making some kind of traffic adjustment a priority. There had been eight previous crashes in front of Wicked Barley since 2023, before Friday's incident, according to JSO crash data. Investigators believe they have found the source of the fire at Jacksonville International Airport. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department released a report that finds the fire started in a mid-size BMW that parked in the hourly garage four hours earlier. Smoke was seen coming from beneath the front of the car, and in about a minute, the car was fully engulfed in fire. There's no word on how it started, though. The fire spread to 50 other cars. The man chosen to run the St. Johns County school district can't wait to get going. Brennan Asplen was selected in a unanimous vote. He's currently deputy superintendent of operations. Asplen says he'll visit every school in the district to talk with teachers and administrators. He also wants to do more outreach with the community.
