Jacksonville committee weighs who will run East Side $40 million CBA program

A Jacksonville City Council special committee met Oct. 8 to continue drafting an ordinance that would establish governance for Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) funds directed to the city’s East Side and to hear public comment about who should administer the program.

The committee discussed two competing models: the “cultural council” approach, in which the city would contract with an independent 501(c)(3) (the draft refers to HERO Inc.), and a city‑embedded model similar to the city’s opioid‑abatement grants process. Council Member Arias convened the session and said the meeting’s purpose was to refine the draft ordinance and to discuss nonprofit creation, temporary board membership and the relationship between the city and any outside entity.

Why it matters: The CBA funding is intended to direct millions to East Side programs and projects. Committee members and public commenters emphasized that governance decisions will shape whether dollars prioritize legacy East Side residents and reduce displacement risk. Council members repeatedly urged a path that both protects community control and allows money to flow quickly to projects.

Public commenters and neighborhood leaders pushed for an independent nonprofit to receive and steward CBA dollars. Leslie Scott Jean Barr, an East Side resident and attorney, said the goal must be “to empower the Eastside, empower the eastsiders, and to make sure that this community is stabilized and flourishes for the future.” Suzanne Pickett, president and CEO of…