Council withdraws Kings Road CRA appointment after residency requirement flagged

The Rules Committee withdrew a resolution to appoint Ernest J. Smith III to the Kings Road/Suttell Community Redevelopment Area advisory board after staff reported they could not verify the nominee’s residential address within the one-mile boundary required by the CRA code.

Smith described longtime residency in Jacksonville’s North Side and professional work as a realtor and vice president at Citibank; staff and members probed whether a listed property was a homestead or an owned property. Karen Nasralla of the Office of Economic Development noted Smith worked within the CRA boundary but did not confirm homestead residency; Office of General Counsel (OGC) counsel advised the committee that the residency requirement cannot be waived by resolution and would require an ordinance to change the rule.

Council members debated whether the city should amend the ordinance to expand the eligible radius or allow a "live or work" carve-out; several members expressed frustration that the administration did not verify the residency earlier. The committee voted to withdraw the resolution so the administration may refile the appointment as an ordinance allowing a waiver, and the withdrawal vote was recorded 7-0.

Members asked staff to consider a broader review of CRA residency rules and whether a unified ordinance change should be drafted to avoid repeated case-by-case waivers. The nominee accepted the committee’s explanation and the chair apologized for the procedural confusion.

The withdrawal preserves the option for a future appointment if the administration brings forward an ordinance change or a verified residency record.