Melissa Ross
Everything old is new again, the saying goes.
In North Florida, that also holds true for crime prevention initiatives.
Sources tell Florida Politics that Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is set to announce new details about a revamped Jacksonville Journey initiative on Dec. 1
The program, debuted under the mayoral administration of John Peyton, began as a response to Jacksonville’s notorious on-and-off status as Florida’s murder capital. The original, and robust budget for fixing root problems contributing to violence on the streets of Jax was set at $31 million.
During Mayor Alvin Brown‘s tenure, the Journey continued to exist – but funding and emphasis on its multipronged approach to bringing down violent crime numbers was scaled back dramatically in favor of other programs.
Now (perhaps with a Republican in charge once again) the Journey is officially back in favor. Project Director Deborah Verges, who hung onto her position through the Brown years, will continue to supervise the Journey, but in a reconstituted fashion.
Or more specifically, in the setup that used to exist, sources say, with many of the original committees and stakeholders brought back to the table to look at public safety in the 904 as they first were convened in 2008. The looming question: How will a back-in-business Journey be funded?
This is a developing story to be updated as more details emerge.
