JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City council voted down a proposed tax hike and approved more than $70 million for JaxPort funding Tuesday night.
According to the Florida Times-Union, council members said they voted against raising taxes because of the pandemic.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry reacted to the eventful City Council meeting on social media.
A tax increase proposed by council failed tonight. I applaud this. My current budget has historic investments in neighborhoods. Many of which have been left behind for decades. Families are hurting. My budget makes these investments without a tax increase.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) July 29, 2020
The mayor’s proposed budget still has to be debated and given final approval by the City Council. It includes millions for public safety, along with maintenance and upgrades to infrastructure.
The money City Council members voted to approve for JaxPort will be used to deepen the shipping channel to allow bigger cargo ships to go through the port.
Some environmentalists have said they’re against the project. But Curry said it will help in growing Jacksonville’s economy.
I appreciate the City Council unanimously supporting my funding of @jaxport tonight. This is a big step towards leveraging our assets for economic growth. We have rail, river and 2 major interstates that are north/south & east/west. Thx again for unanimous support.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) July 29, 2020
The dredging project began in 2018 and will take several more years to complete.
The final price tag is expected to be around half a billion dollars.
