Council finance committee hears budget briefings from port, utilities, transit and aviation authorities; councilors press for Cecil Field aerospace plans

Jacksonville officials on Aug. 15 reviewed proposed budgets and multi‑year capital plans for the city’s independent authorities and discussed a series of council motions to set priorities for downtown and the Cecil Commerce/Spaceport area.

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JPA) told the committee it expects increases in operating revenues next year driven by container activity, new lease acreage on Blount Island and a new Norwegian Cruise Line service at Dames Point. “About 50% of our revenues come from the container side of the business,” Joey Greivey, JPA chief financial officer, told the committee, adding that the port ranked “easiest to do business with” in a national logistics magazine. JPA also described changes in capital funding tied to completed projects and federal, state and tenant contributions for major works, including cranes and harbor deepening.

JPA and council members also discussed long‑running infrastructure work in the river. Daryl Hamilton, identified at the hearing as manager of transmission and substation projects, briefed the committee on the Fulton Cut power‑line project, which raises lines to 225 feet above high tide to allow larger vessels under the Dames Point span. “We plan to have the conductors pulled across the channel by 12/31/2026 and energize the system,” Hamilton said. He said foundation and make‑ready civil work are underway on both banks and that structural erection and conductor pulls are scheduled next year.

Council members asked JPA about dredging costs and job projections tied to deepening and power‑line work. JPA said harbor work is costly — the agency budgeted about $11 million for berth maintenance and noted federal channel maintenance funding as a related expense — and said the port estimates the deepening and power‑line projects will support thousands of local jobs. The committee approved the auditors’ recommendations on JPA budget…