A.G. Gancarski
Last week, the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board called for a public workshop on dredging the St. Johns River.
While it appears that some members of the Jacksonville City Council, as of Friday, were open to a shade meeting due to JAXPORT‘s concerns about legal exposure, JEPB Chair Nick Howland backed the call for a hearing in the sunshine.
“Several councilmembers have expressed a desire to have a public discussion of the project to include all relative parties – the US Army Corp of Engineers and JaxPort – and others that may have information to be considered. After a discussion at our August monthly meeting, we agreed to share with you our support of this public discussion, especially if it is to include the environmental impacts of the river dredging and any proposed mitigation,” Howland wrote to Council President Anna Brosche.
Friday’s hearing on JAXPORT‘s budget saw intense scrutiny from former Mayor Tommy Hazouri, a current City Councilman who sought more answers on the particulars of the project — including expected costs to the city in future budget, the costs of mitigation, and the potential environmental impacts to both the river and its tributaries.
