JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry signed the Kids Hope Alliance bill Wednesday afternoon.
The bill signing came about one week after the Jacksonville City Council approved the mayor's request for more than $1 million to provide new after-school programs for 6,400 students at 58 locations across Duval County.
Recommended Videos
That's about 720 more students than are currently in after-school programming.
The only City Council member to vote against the plan was Councilman Garrett Dennis, who had his own competing legislation.
The legislation merges the Jacksonville Children's Commission and Jacksonville Journey into one group called the Kids Hope Alliance. It also supports programming targeting several areas, including early learning; literacy; school readiness; mental, behavioral and emotional health; and physical disabilities.
Curry said the program will help keep local children safe.