JSEB administrator requests $250,000 to sustain four entrepreneurship centers; council members urge phased rollout and extended hours

JSEB Administrator Gregory Grant told the J Sub 2 Special Committee on March 24 that the city needs a $250,000 increase to the program's minimum funding to sustain four planned entrepreneurship and workforce development centers across Jacksonville.

Grant said the centers will be sited at 865 Gulf Fair Boulevard on the North Side; the Phoenix Arts District on the East Side; a space inside the downtown library; and a location at Cecil Field on the West Side, with a possible South Side site later. "We are adding four entrepreneurship centers between April and November of this year. I am requesting, to increase that by 250,000 to help us to manage these centers," Grant told the committee.

Why it matters: committee members voiced support for the centers but pressed operational details: who will staff them, how they will be funded long-term and whether opening all four at once is prudent. Councilmember Rahman Johnson said the centers' hours must account for small-business owners' schedules. "We need to take a look at these centers being open right on the hours that businesses are not running," Johnson said, suggesting evening and weekend hours and digital/virtual options for training.

Implementation questions and costs: Grant said the requested $250,000 would sustain the centers, cover professional services and incidentals such as furniture and internet, and help avoid opening centers that might close for lack of funds. He told members that some locations are city-owned and require limited build-out; others need furnishing and minor construction. Committee members proposed a phased rollout'opening two centers as a pilot, adding virtual services alongside physical sites, and exploring donated furniture or partner funding to limit operating costs.

Next steps: the committee did not vote on the funding request. Members asked staff to return with a two-year implementation plan that details staffing, operating hours, projected recurring costs and options for part-time or after-hours service. Grant said department funds and private donations (he named Florida Blue and other stakeholders) have been used to reduce upfront costs but that baseline operating funds remain constrained.

Ending: Committee members agreed to continue detailed planning in future meetings and to examine alternatives such as partnerships, interlocal agreements and shared-service models to reduce city operating costs.