Jacksonville Beach arts committee backs transformer mural pilot limited to city

Jacksonville Beach — A committee meeting on public art directed staff to continue coordinating with Beaches Energy to identify and map public electrical transformers for a city transformer mural program and to prepare a call to artists for an initial set of units.

Staff said the program will work with Beaches Energy to identify safe, appropriate transformer housings to paint, estimate compensation by surface area, and map locations. "So as much as we would like to just go and paint on as many as we want and put whatever we want, we do have to work with Beaches Energy and respect safety," the staff member said.

The committee’s nut graf: members agreed to test the program with a small, distributed pilot of five transformers, use the pilot as a standard for later rounds, and limit eligibility to Jacksonville Beach residents or businesses for this transformer pilot. Committee members also agreed that each artist may submit only one proposal.

Committee discussion and details

Staff explained there are roughly three transformer sizes in the district and proposed stipend ranges based on square footage. The staff member said compensation “would be anywhere from about $300 to $500 up to about a thousand dollars depending on the size of the transformer.” Using per-square-foot estimates, the initial five-piece pilot was described in the memo as roughly $3,000 in total, with three smaller units at about $500 each and two larger units at about $750 each in the staff’s example.

Committee members debated whether to award the first five pieces to one artist or to distribute them among multiple artists. One member said, “I’m afraid if we get 1 person to paint all 5 of the first ones, they're all gonna look the same,” and urged multiple artists to preserve visual variety. Several members favored a rubric that gives a modest advantage to local applicants but does not bluntly disqualify higher-scoring nonlocal work; the committee discussed giving a local “yes/no” box near the end of the rubric that could break ties among top candidates.

Local eligibility and outreach

Members discussed definitions of “local.” Staff described previous practice that allowed either a residential address in the beaches area or a brick-and-mortar business address in the beaches to count as local for arts calls. For this transformer pilot the committee agreed the program should be limited to Jacksonville Beach proper. The staff member said staff will place location information and transformer sizes on a public map so artists can select specific units when the call opens.

Next steps and committee direction

The committee voted by voice to proceed: staff will continue meetings with Beaches Energy to confirm safety and access parameters, complete the transformer map with size-based stipend tags, and prepare the artist call. The committee also agreed to limit the pilot to Jacksonville Beach and to accept one submission per artist. The action was approved by voice vote, with members responding “Aye.”

Why it matters

The pilot is intended to create more small-scale public art opportunities, standardize compensation by surface area, and develop an easily navigable inventory so artists can request specific locations. Staff told the committee they will return with a more detailed program map and proposed call language after Beaches Energy confirms technical and safety constraints.

What remains unresolved

Staff said timelines depend on Beaches Energy’s review and safety guidance; the committee noted the pilot might shift into the fall rather than run immediately because of summer heat and permit coordination. Staff will notify members by email as the mapping and coordination progress.