First Donna Deegan budget likely to include nearly $430M in capital spending

Jacksonville City Hall.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is set to roll out her first budget Monday, and a draft version of the capital improvement plan (CIP) shows nearly $430 million in spending next fiscal year.

This continues strong CIP spending from the Lenny Curry era, in which the last two CIPs approached $500 million each.

While this isn’t the final plan, which will be rolled out Monday, this is the latest version from the Mayor’s Office.

Roads and infrastructure will be a big part of the spending plan, with $24 million in new money to complete a more than $49 million project on Chaffee Road, $20 million for work on New Berlin Road, $17.376 million for demolition and site preparation for the Jacksonville University West Parcel, $15.2 million to complete the Lasalle Street outfall project in San Marco, and $15.05 million for construction from Hartley to St. Augustine Road on SR 13 (San Jose Boulevard).

The budget also includes $27 million for roadway resurfacing, $25 million for ongoing UF Health Capital Improvements, $17.5 million for the wastewater system fund, $10 million for resiliency improvements, $10 million to begin work on a University Boulevard “complete streets” project, and $9 million to complete and raise the King Street bridge over McCoy’s Creek.

Also in the current version of the CIP: $7 million total to complete two-way road projects Downtown on Julia and Monroe Streets; $6 million for curb resurfacing and repair; $5 million for work on Cedar Point/Sawpit Road; $5 million for Mayport Dock redevelopment; $4.25 million for ash site remediation; $3.5 million for ADA compliance on curbs and sidewalks; $3.3 million to complete bulkhead replacement at Willow Branch Creek; and $3 million to complete the Equestrian Center Cattle Barn.

Meanwhile, $500,000 for confederate monument removal, which the Lenny Curry administration put in its final budget, is still waiting to be spent and rolls over to this CIP, albeit with no new money.

Turning to public facilities, the big spend appears to be another $7.5 million on the Baseball Grounds, an ongoing project to conform with Major League Baseball requirements. The Prime Osborn Convention Center is set to see $2.75 million of new money in this capital plan, with $2.25 million for building systems and a half million dollars for building finishes.

The spending is likely to include $31.7 million on fire stations, including $3 million necessary to complete the Metropolitan Park Marina Fire Station, Museum, and Dock Design, $7.5 million for a first responder safe room, and $10 million to complete Fire Station 76 on Cedar Point Road.

Park projects this year include $3 million for countywide projects and the final $4.49 million needed to complete the First Coast High School pool project. Additionally, $15 million is allotted to the Southbank Riverwalk, $13 million is slotted for Metropolitan Park, $12 million for the Liberty Street Marina, $10 million for the Northbank Riverwalk Extension from Catherine Street to Metro Park, $10 million for the Shipyards West Park, and $6.8 million for the McCoy’s Creek Greenway.

Finally, $6 million is expected to be allocated to drainage system rehabilitation.

As stated up top, this is not the final document, and changes could be made before the final budget presentation Monday. From there, the budget is in the hands of the supermajority Republican City Council, which will tackle the whole budget in August in the Finance Committee, and on the Council floor in September.