Former Jacksonville council member Warren Anthony Jones reflects on 28 years in office, segregation and neighborhood projects
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Summary
Warren Anthony Jones, who served 28 years on Jacksonville's city council, recounted growing up under segregation in Duval County, the civic influences that drew him to public service and neighborhood accomplishments such as a $36 million Grand Park drainage project. He urged future leaders to run for the right reasons and prioritize infrastructure and community engagement.
Warren Anthony Jones, a former Jacksonville city council member who served for 28 years, reflected on his upbringing in Jacksonville, early influences and the neighborhood projects he said mattered most during his tenure. "I served on the city council for 28 years," Jones said, noting he graduated from the University of Florida in 1974 and grew up two blocks from McCoys Creek.
Jones said he was inspired to run after reading Profiles Encouraged by John F. Kennedy and meeting local leaders such as Earl Matthews and Oscar Taylor while a student. He recounted serving as a page at city hall in 1968–69, meeting council figures and deciding local government was a place to make change.
He described key accomplishments he attributed to his time in office, including a multi-phase drainage project for Grand Park completed over 10 years that he said cost $36,000,000 and corrected chronic flooding residents once managed with canoes. Jones also recalled the council's vote to approve the Jaguars lease, which he remembered as a 14 to 4 vote.
On representation, Jones said single-member districts expanded Black representation after consolidation. "From 1907 to 1967 there were no black elected officials anywhere in Duval County," he said, and credited organizers who recruited candidates that changed that picture. He named predecessors and contemporaries such as Earl Johnson, Mary Singleton and Oscar Taylor when recounting the slow expansion of representation.
When describing how councils decide rezonings, Jones emphasized legal limits. He said a state supreme court ruling requires elected officials to rely on "substantial competent evidence" rather than public sentiment; he described a case in which a denial was later overturned by a judge when the evidentiary standard was not met.
Looking ahead, Jones urged future council members to focus on infrastructure and blight remediation. He highlighted curb and gutter work, septic replacement efforts and the need to make aging neighborhoods more attractive to residents. He said that maintaining regular community meetings and doing homework on key bills were essential to good representation.
Jones also urged that Black history be recognized year-round rather than only during Black History Month, citing local sites and figures tied to Jacksonville's Black history and urging civic recognition at appropriate events.
He closed the interview by reflecting on public service as an honor, saying he does not miss holding office but remains interested in local government. The interview concluded after Jones's final remarks.
