JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville is one step closer to deciding where to spend part of the $94 million cut out of the Jaguars stadium deal.
On Monday, the focus of Jacksonville City Council’s special committee meeting was the millions of dollars slated for workforce development and affordable housing and homelessness.
The committee heard from leaders of organizations involved in each of these areas. This included a group involved in a tech program with 100 Black Men of Jacksonville.
“I wanted a job aside from the traditional fast food because that’s where I typically worked and I had a background in that,” said Zachary Storie.
Storie is now working in the tech field while attending college at the University of North Florida thanks to a workforce development program with 100 Black Men of Jacksonville. Taxpayer money from the Community Benefits Agreement, or CBA, could create access to more programs like this.
“It’s made the world of a difference," Storie said. "The program just really allows me to, one, refine my skills and two, get paid to do what I love to do.”
Fifty million dollars of the CBA is slated to go toward workforce development and affordable housing and homelessness. The special committee already had a meeting about the $30 million slated for Jacksonville’s Eastside.
"The biggest takeaway is the Eastside," said CBA Special Committee Chairman Raul Arias. "That’s the one piece of the puzzle that has been neglected.”
Arias called what the committee is doing "history in the making."
"We have this opportunity to do something great with what’s presented in front of us,” he said.
The CEO of Changing Homelessness told the committee that workforce development, affordable housing and homelessness are all connected. Storie said the workforce development program he's involved in has changed his life.
“It affects 40-plus students here," he said. "Imagine if they put more money into it, imagine how many lives it would impact.”
There is a third CBA special committee meeting Tuesday and amendments are expected to be discussed. Arias said there are only two weeks left before the committee has to make their presentation to the city council.