JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville is still working out details about how the $1,000 local stimulus package will be distributed to households that qualify.
City Council members and many in the public have questions about how it is actually going to work.
Overall, the city received over $160 million from the federal government Cares Act on Wednesday. The plan right now is to take 25% of that and give $1,000 to 40,000 Jacksonville households that have lost income because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Councilman Garrett Dennis believes the city can do much better than that.
“I think it’s a great start, but I think it’s not enough,” Dennis said Friday. “I think we should double that. I think half of that money should go to our citizens.”
The $1,000 individual stimulus funds will be available to Duval County residents who make less than $75,000 a year and have lost at least 25% of their income due to the COVID-19 crisis. The money can be used to help with mortgage, rent and utility payments.
“The people of Jacksonville and elsewhere are facing unprecedented economic pain and uncertainty because of a deadly virus that spread throughout the world,” Curry said in remarks prepared for his Thursday announcement. “When an entire economy is shut down, jobs are lost, and our way of life is disrupted and, with the projections coming nowhere close to what was predicted, people will question decisions… and more importantly, future warnings.”
Right now the plan is to take the remaining money and put it in various city programs:
- $35 million for additional testing and hospital infrastructure to prepare for another outbreak
- $12.5 million for an emergency account
- $26 million to help pay for the city’s small businesses grants that are now being issued
- $25 million do pay for lost taxes that were coming to Jacksonville
- $20 million to groups that are operating city facilities like the Jacksonville Zoo, the Florida Times-Union Center and the Florida Theater.
Councilman Matt Carlucci said on the News4Jax morning show Friday that the plan, while he has not seen it yet, is important for Jacksonville.
“Even this plan still has to be fleshed out. But we know it’s money that’s coming to us, and generally, services are provided quicker locally than they are from the state and the federal government,” Carlucci said.
Councilman Dennis said it’s important to get the local stimulus money to families. But what he wants to debate where the rest of the money is going.
“I think we should break it up into two parts. I think half of the money we should vet and vote on it and get it right to the people ASAP and the other half really vet and make sure that it’s going exactly where it’s needed,” Dennis said.
A special City Council virtual meeting has been called for Monday at 1 p.m. to take up the matter.