Latest news with #MattCarlucci
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Incoming City Council president said he felt 'threatened' by another City Councilman
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. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< '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'. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Jacksonville City Councilman says his car may be among those destroyed in JAX airport garage fire
Travelers returning to Jacksonville International Airport are arriving to uncertainty and damage after a massive fire broke out in the airport's Hourly Parking Garage on Friday afternoon, destroying approximately 50 vehicles. As of Saturday, the airport's Daily Parking Garage also remained closed. Vehicles currently inside can only be retrieved for exit. Meanwhile, airport officials have provided a way for affected travelers to submit their vehicle information through a link now available on the airport's website. One of those impacted may be Jacksonville City Councilman At-Large Matt Carlucci, who parked his car with valet service before flying out Wednesday. 'When I get back into town tomorrow, I've got to find out if they have any information on whether my vehicle was damaged or not,' Carlucci said. RELATED: JIA giving updates to travelers impacted by airport garage fire He believes his car could be among those affected based on where the valet service reportedly stores vehicles. 'I took my vehicle and parked it with the valet. From what I understand from some people I've spoken to, they park the valet vehicles in the same place where the fire occurred,' Carlucci said. On Saturday, Action News Jax's Nicholas Brooks observed rows of destroyed vehicles on the third floor of the garage, with additional damage spotted on the fourth floor. PHOTOS: Parking garage fire at Jacksonville International Airport Carlucci, who is also a State Farm insurance agent with decades of experience, offered guidance to those whose vehicles may have been damaged or destroyed. 'If the car is burned up, it's going to be covered. It will be covered for actual cash value,' he said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] He also addressed concerns about personal items that may have been inside the affected vehicles. 'Anything that's in the car is going to be covered under your homeowners in all likelihood. It's a good question you could ask your insurance company just in case,' Carlucci said. For those waiting on insurance settlements, Carlucci recommends checking whether their policy includes rental car coverage. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'If it's totaled, while they're coming up with a settlement, you're going to need a car to get around in. If you got a rental car, that will help you,' he said. Currently, all airport parking garages are full. If your vehicle is still trapped inside the Hourly Parking Garage, you can click this link. WATCH: Jacksonville International Airport garage fire: Next steps for repairs 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
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Jacksonville to hold public hearing on Solid Waste Collection rate hike bill
On Monday night, the public will have the opportunity to make their voices heard about a proposed rate hike on solid waste collection in Jacksonville. In February, Action News Jax told you that the Solid Waste Fee Bill passed 12-7 in the City Council in the first step of a two-step process. Councilman Matt Carlucci is the sponsor of the bill. He said the current fee isn't covering the costs of garbage service. 'This fee will get us back where we need to be,' Carlucci said. 'And if we continue to raise it in increments now, that would be smaller, that keeps up with the actual cost of the service, that certainly will keep us from having to make such a big jump in the rate.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Right now, the current rate per Jacksonville resident is $12.65 a month or $151.80 a year. The proposed rate hike would increase that rate to $27/per month or $324.00 for the 2025 calendar year. It would also bump the annual rate for the 2026 calendar year to $354.00 and $384.00 for the 2027 calendar year. 'We're definitely not happy about this,' Jacksonville resident Steve Hereford said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Hereford has lived in Jacksonville for over 40 years. He got the public notice about the proposed solid waste collection assessment in the mail recently. He said he was shocked when he first saw it. 'I have three units on my property, and this increase made it to be about $172 more per unit than we're already paying,' Hereford said. 'We're not against paying what we need to pay, but not an increase like that. That's just too much.' Monday will be the first of two public hearings on the bill. After the second public hearing, the City Council will hold a final vote on the measure. The second public hearing will be May 27. 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
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Sometimes you have to man up and pay the d*** bill.'
The Jacksonville City Council voted 12-7 to increase fees for residential garbage and recycling pickups for the first time since 2010. While speaking to Jacksonville's Morning News, City Councilman Matt Carlucci, who introduced the bill, said, 'I don't take any joy in raising anybody's fees but Jacksonville had a crisis with our Solid Waste Fund, it was bankrupt. We had to borrow money from our general fund, I had to do something,' The trash fee increase will be phased in throughout a 3-year period from $12.65 a month to $32 a month by 2027. 'We have a council member named Chris Miller, he picked out the number 27 dollars because that will stop the bleeding, then we will go to 29 then to 32, and it was apparent that everybody on the council felt that way as well,' Carlucci said. The increase in trash fees will not apply to those living in apartment complexes or condos. 'It is only going to affect the people who got a property tax notice on their residents in past years,' Carlucci noted. Council members also approved a Companion Bill that allows households earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level to apply for assistance with documentation to stay at the current trash rate. Carlucci added that the trash increase will help pay off the general fund loan. 'All those dollars can go back to the general fund for road repairs, parks, and employee raises. When you start cutting the budget, you are taking away from somebody else and sometimes you just have to man up and pay the d*** bill.' You can listen to the full interview with Matt Carlucci below.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville city committee denies a proposed trash fee increase
A proposal to increase trash fees in the City of Jacksonville is moving through city committees. The bill would gradually raise the garbage fee over three years. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The city's finance committee voted this down Tuesday, but it will still come up for a final vote by the full council. If this is approved, impacted homeowners will be notified about the rate increase. 'If this bill passes it is going to finally sustain our solid waste department,' said Councilman Matt Carlucci. Currently, the solid waste fee stands at $12.65 per month, but Carlucci said that the fee isn't covering the actual cost of residential garbage pickup. He said there is a $40 million deficit each year just for residential services. Action News Jax has been following all the discussions over the proposed trash fee increase. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The city's garbage fee hasn't changed since 2010, and the initial proposal would have raised Jacksonville's trash fee from $12.65 a month to $30.40 a month starting next year. But now there is an alternative that was introduced which would gradually raise the fee over three years. The rates that were proposed were $27 a month this year. $29.50 a month in 2026 and $32 a month in 2027. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] While it did not pass through the finance committee Tuesday, Carlucci is still optimistic about this bill moving forward. 'I've had six or seven town meetings,' said Carlucci. 'I've had chances to speak before business organizations, my neighbors, people downtown... I'm just amazed that people have said thank you for getting this garbage mess cleaned up.' 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.
