This statement is a revision to Scenic Jacksonville’s prior letter of support and reflects the March 31-April 1 Council Committee discussions at Neighborhoods, Rules, Finance and LUZ. The summary position was sent to members of the Jacksonville City Council on April 2, 2025.

OUR POSITION

Scenic Jacksonville supports Substitute 2025-102 as amended and approved at LUZ.

Scenic Jacksonville supports the Carlucci substitute bill 2025-102 as amended and approved by the Land Use & Zoning (LUZ) Committee. We do not support any other changes to the bill.

If there are further changes, for procedural due process to be afforded, the bill should go back to Planning Department and Council Committees for analysis and review, with an opportunity for the public to be heard.

DETAIL

The substitute bill for 2025-102 as amended an approved at the Land Use and Zoning Committee from Council Member Joe Carlucci is supported by Scenic Jacksonville, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the scenic character and beauty of Jacksonville. The tree canopy in Jacksonville is one of our major concerns.

Importantly, this substitute bill allows some money that is collected by the City for the loss of trees due to the land development process (tree mitigation), and placed into the Tree Protection and Related Expenses Trust Fund (the “Tree Fund”), to be utilized to do the following:

  • hire
    • City Landscape Architects,
    • City Arborists, and
    • City Urban Foresters
  • for the exclusive focus of planning and designing tree planting projects on public property in Duval County utilizing the Tree Fund, and
  • implementing, inspecting and maintaining those trees on public property.

These new City employees must work exclusively on public tree planting projects, and the administrative work that goes along with that, that are funded by the Tree Fund. These staff members would not work on private development plans.

Per existing Code, payment into the Tree Fund is only allowed as an option if there is no room on the development site to plant new trees, and if there is no way to preserve the existing trees. Unfortunately, payment into the Tree Fund means that most trees are being destroyed and not replanted.

Funding available for Council appropriation is roughly $22 Million. Currently, there is only one staff person, the City Arborist, paid for by the Tree Fund. More staff is clearly needed.

The Joe Carlucci substitute bill 2025-102 as amended by LUZ also does the following:

  • waives the amount paid into the Tree Fund for the development or redevelopment of affordable and/or workforce housing that utilizes a federal, state or local affordable housing program recognized by the City,
  • reduces the size of tree required for mitigation planting from 4” caliper to 2” caliper,
  • allows mitigation trees to be planted closer than 10’ apart.
  • added that the affordable housing waiver will sunset after five years unless the Council chooses to extend it prior to expiration.

Contact: Nancy Powell, Executive Director, nancy@scenicjax.org, (904) 608-3792

* * *

Substitute Bill 2025-102. The LUZ Amendment added a five year sunset for the affordable housing waiver.