City official warns dramatic drop in cleanup funding has left Jacksonville understaffed for litter and illegal dumping

Al Ferrero, manager of blight initiatives for the City of Jacksonville Public Works, told the Neighborhoods Committee on Sept. 2 that litter, illegal dumping and homeless encampments now affect all 14 council districts and that the city’s capacity to respond has been sharply reduced.

Ferrero said the city once had a $2,000,000 cleanup budget and seven cleanup crews; the current cleanup budget is about $250,000 and the city has two pickup trucks dedicated to cleanup work. "Back in 02/2005, we had $2,000,000 that was set aside for cleaning up the city. And now we have a quarter of a million dollars," Ferrero said.

The presentation described recurring illegal dump sites — tires, mattresses, kitchen sinks and containers of motor oil — and sites adjacent to rights-of-way and agency parcels that feed debris into rivers and the intracoastal when tides rise. Ferrero urged a three-pronged approach: enforcement, education and equipment, and said enforcement tools need to include cameras that can read license plates so the city can issue fines or other penalties.

Council members asked about coordination with state and federal agencies. Ferrero said work often requires multiple steps because responsibility can sit with FDOT, JTA, CSX, JEA or state environmental regulators and contractors must be engaged when those entities control the right-of-way. "Anytime that I turn in in any of your districts to get cleaned up from FDOT, I send an email and then that email gets generated through the Florida Department of Transportation and then gets sent out to a contractor," Ferrero said, explaining why some cleanups take longer.

Ferrero urged elected officials to visit sites in their districts and pointed to recent changes in city infrastructure that make removal harder: loss of local dump sites means crews must travel farther to dispose of material. He also said the city’s resident population has grown substantially since 2005 and maintenance resources have not kept pace.

The presentation did not include a formal request for a specific appropriation at the meeting; Ferrero described options — new trucks, cameras, expanded crews and education programs — and said the city will work with council members to prioritize sites if additional funding is available.

The committee did not take an immediate vote tied to the presentation. Ferrero said he would continue coordination with Solid Waste, Code Enforcement and other departments and invited council members to accompany cleanup crews to see problem sites firsthand.

Ending: Ferrero said residents and businesses want a cleaner city and framed the topic as one of public safety and economic competitiveness. The committee moved on to other agenda items after a series of councilmember questions about jurisdiction and possible near-term remedies.