Community leaders on Jacksonville’s Eastside say the mayor’s latest round of board appointments risks giving one nonprofit too much pull over a huge pot of neighborhood money. Together Eastside Coalition Inc. has gone public with its objections to Mayor Donna Deegan’s nominees to the Eastside grants board, arguing that several of the picks have direct ties to LIFT JAX. The board will control how $40 million set aside for the Eastside under the stadium community benefits agreement is distributed, and every member must be approved by the City Council.
James Matchett of Together Eastside Coalition told Action News Jax that residents had “rejected” the idea of any one organization holding outsized sway, saying the nominations raised questions of fairness and optics. According to the station, Matchett spoke at a recent town hall where coalition members pressed city officials on who will ultimately decide how the CBA dollars get spent.
Under city legislation passed in February, the Eastside Grants Program is the vehicle that will manage the city’s $40 million commitment. The law creates a nine-member board with four appointees from the mayor, four from the Council president and one selected by the Jaguars. As reported by the Jax Daily Record, all appointments require full Council confirmation, and the board’s work is supposed to center on affordable housing, workforce development, economic growth and homelessness mitigation.
LIFT JAX Ties At Center Of Fight
LIFT JAX’s own public roster helps explain why the group is suddenly in the crosshairs. The organization lists Ariane Randolph as its Eastside Project Health Program director and Dr. Rudy (Rudolph) Jamison as secretary of the executive board. The LIFT JAX website also highlights the nonprofit’s deep involvement in OutEast initiatives, a track record that backers say shows it is a seasoned neighborhood partner and critics say could create potential conflicts if its insiders also help run the grants board.
A LIFT JAX spokesperson told Action News Jax that Dr. Jamison would step down from his LIFT JAX role “contingent upon his appointment to the committee,” and that Randolph would “refrain from any matters directly related to her employer” if she is confirmed. The station reported that the statement also pointed to rules and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest if any LIFT JAX-affiliated members end up serving on the board.
Mayor’s Team Defends Picks As Council Gears Up To Review
The mayor’s office says Deegan intentionally chose people who live Out East or have longstanding business ties there, and that her team has already met with Together Eastside Coalition and plans to keep those conversations going, according to a City of Jacksonville news release. Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, whose district covers much of the Eastside, told the Jax Daily Record that every nominee will be vetted by the Council in the coming weeks and that questions about qualifications are exactly what that review is meant to address.
For now, the next steps are largely procedural. Appointees from the mayor and the Council president must be confirmed before the Eastside CBA board can start awarding grants, and the ordinance spells out review, scoring and oversight requirements that are supposed to keep the process transparent. The fight over LIFT JAX’s influence has turned into a broader power struggle in OutEast between resident groups who want hands-on control of neighborhood dollars and civic partners who argue their experience will move money into housing and services faster.
