Donna Deegan finally hails Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail grant

Days after a Northeast Florida member of Congress announced that Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail was in line for $147 million in federal money, Mayor Donna Deegan offered a belated promotion of the good news.

“This is the result of fantastic collaboration with our partners JTA and Groundwork Jacksonville, the relationships we’ve built with the Joe Biden Administration, and the experienced team we hired to bring more federal tax dollars home. I’m grateful to President Biden for investing in cities and to our federal representatives for securing this critical funding,” Deegan said in a social media post.

The release from the Deegan administration, in contrast to that from U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, paints the Mayor’s Office as key to securing this money, and suggests that the oft-criticized arrangement with Langton Consulting, a political backer that got the federal lobbying contract, has borne fruit.

It also suggests that the announcement was intended to wait until the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a tranche of 132 projects getting funding on Wednesday, a read confirmed by a spokesperson for the Mayor noting an embargo was in place, one Bean presumably breached.

“In September 2023, JTA and Groundwork submitted a Neighborhood Access & Equity Program Grant from the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to fund the construction of the five remaining trail segments under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City, Groundwork, and JTA,” the Deegan release said.

“Mayor Donna Deegan, JTA CEO Nat Ford, and Groundwork CEO Kay Ehas traveled to Washington DC in November to demonstrate Jacksonville’s resolute commitment to bettering its communities. The group spoke with Reps. John Rutherford and Aaron Bean, as well as staff of Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and other government officials about the Emerald Trail.”

Ford and Ehas offered quotes affirming the Mayor’s Office’s role in securing the money.

“Thank you to Mayor Deegan and our partners with Groundwork Jacksonville for your support, and to the communities of Jacksonville who entrust us to compete fiercely and continually for federal funding that is so important to improving the mobility infrastructure of our city,” Ford said.

“This $147 million grant, along with over $180 million in highly competitive federal grants awarded to the JTA since 2016, reflects the U.S. Department of Transportation’s confidence in the JTA and the City of Jacksonville’s ability to deliver complex infrastructure projects. This funding will accelerate the completion of these five segments of the Emerald Trail ahead of schedule, allowing our citizens to enjoy enhanced mobility and green spaces much sooner than anticipated.”

“We are ecstatic to have secured this funding for the Emerald Trail and are so appreciative of our partners, the City of Jacksonville and JTA,” Ehas added.

“It was evident in our meetings in DC, and now, in securing this extremely competitive grant, that the public-private partnership we have fostered here in Jacksonville is a model to be emulated. This is a win for all of us, especially the residents of our urban neighborhoods who have been underserved for far too long. This grant will accelerate our work and bring major investment to these neighborhoods.”

The network of bicycle and pedestrian trails will connect Downtown to 14 historic neighborhoods, 18 schools, two colleges and nearly 30 parks, notes DTJax.com, in writing about the City Council’s conceptual approval of the plan five years ago.