JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council narrowly approved an item Tuesday night, allowing land near the Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve to be rezoned for a new development.
Before voting, council members heard from 30 people who oppose the rezoning at the fourth public hearing on the matter since Dec. 2022.
Still, it passed 10-9.
This is the first step in paving the way for construction of 100 new homes in the area.
There's still push back from homeowners who say the project should be scrapped. They're concerned about safety issues, including fire and flood risks, but they also want to preserve the land and wildlife there.
One woman was even brought to tears, saying "just because they can do this doesn't mean they should."
Councilman Al Ferraro was prepared to introduce an amendment that would have reduced the number of homes built, but the group was not interested.
Stu Jones has been fighting the rezoning for months. He says he wasn't surprised by council's decision.
"Council had a tough decision here tonight," Jones said, "and by the number of votes that we got on this, we know that we were right and this development, even though it passed, is wrong and this may not be the end."
Danielle D'Amato lives in the Pumpkin Hill area. She says she felt defeated after the vote.
"It's surrounded by preserve on three sides that is actively fire managed," D'Amato said, "which is really good for the environment and really good for the area. However, it's really bad for any houses next to it."