Committee approves amendments to 5 Points special-district ordinance, defers final vote for more business outreach

The Neighborhoods Committee on Aug. 18 approved several amendments to ordinance 2025-0539, the proposed 5 Points special district (a business-improvement-style assessment district) but deferred a final committee vote so sponsors could gather additional documentation of business-owner support.

The ordinance would create a special district to fund enhanced cleaning, landscaping, lighting, ambassador programs and targeted security in the 5 Points commercial corridor. Proponents described the measure as a locally governed, merchant-led tool that would supplement — not replace — city services and keep the area “clean, safe and welcoming.”

Supporters from local business and neighborhood groups told the committee they backed the plan. "This ordinance is about keeping one of Jacksonville's most visited corridors clean, safe, and welcoming," said Casey Roth, with Riverside Avondale Preservation. Dory Thompson, president of the 5 Points Merchants Association, said merchant meetings and outreach showed broad interest and that short, regular assessments could fund private ambassadors and maintenance. "For $60 a month, your business could have private security, landscaping, graffiti removal, events to bring more business to our area," Thompson said.

Merchants and property owners described frequent quality-of-life problems on Park Street and adjacent blocks: Natalie Worth, manager of 5 Points Central, told the committee she has called 911 and the nonemergency line more than 50 times in recent years, described assaults, open drug use, repeated vandalism and long police response times, and said several small businesses in the area have closed.

Committee members approved two rounds of amendments. The first set struck one reference to administrative services in a charter section, corrected scrivener errors and replaced the parcel exhibit to remove duplicates. A second amendment, offered by Councilman Paluso and explained by staff, added four clarifications: (1) assessments on buildings would be based on heated square footage; (2) assessments for parking lots would use GIS square footage; (3) district supervisors would be appointed by the council president and confirmed by council; and (4) the ordinance would explicitly exempt properties owned or used as churches. Staff said the parcel list in the revised exhibit now includes all parcels intended to be inside the boundary.

The ordinance would assess only commercial parcels and not residential properties. Sponsors told the committee the first assessments would not begin until November 2026 to allow budgeting and planning. Philip Peterson, committee staff, said example budgets in the ordinance's exhibits estimate board-set assessment rates in the “couple of cents per heated square foot” range and that a draft budget to produce roughly $270,000 a year could translate to rates in the mid‑tens of cents per square foot; he also said the enabling language allows assessments of up to $0.55 in the first year and larger increases thereafter if the district later votes to raise rates.

Not all members were ready to approve sending the ordinance to full council. Councilman Salem repeatedly pressed sponsors for a clearer record of direct support from the roughly "80 to 100" commercial parcels staff estimated sit inside the proposed boundary; he said informal outreach and meetings did not satisfy his preference for more formalized written consent. Paluso and other supporters responded that the merchants association and sponsor outreach had conducted at least 14 public meetings, left handwritten letters with property owners, and collected roughly 20 (plus two more that morning) letters of support; Thompson told the committee that attendance at some merchant meetings reached 40–75 people.

After extended discussion, the committee chair said he preferred additional documentation and outreach rather than a final committee vote, and the committee deferred the ordinance so sponsors could collect additional written confirmation from business owners and address other members’ concerns. The chair said the bill could return to committee after staff and sponsors circulate the requested information.

Next steps: the ordinance will be reworked and returned to committee for further consideration and, if reported out, will proceed to full council for final action. Supporters and staff emphasized that budgets and the board's bylaws would come back to council for approval before any assessments are collected.

Votes and formal actions connected to this item are recorded below.