County auditors say Jacksonville will not receive $1 million state grant for James Weldon Johnson Park after late reporting

Kim Taylor of the council auditor’s office told the Duval County Finance Committee on March 17 that the city will not receive reimbursement for a state grant tied to renovations at James Weldon Johnson Park because required reports and reimbursement requests were not submitted by deadline. The grant — an African‑American historical and cultural award administered by the Florida Department of State using American Rescue Plan funds — included a $250,000 city match and was part of a $1.25 million CIP allocation for the project.

“Unfortunately we will not be able to get reimbursement for that,” Kim Taylor said, explaining the state’s termination and extensions and adding that a state letter outlining the reasons is attached to the office’s memo. Taylor said the state cited a failure to submit required documentation demonstrating allowable expenditures, failure to timely request payments and failure to file required reports.

The announcement drew questions from council members about department oversight. Council Member Ron Salem asked whether grants and compliance or parks was responsible; Taylor said the Parks and Community Services Department — “Mr. Joseph’s area” — oversaw the project and that an employee responsible for reporting may have transitioned out of the role, allowing the reporting obligations to “fall through the cracks.”

Council Member Aries pressed the administration on citywide grant oversight. “We just lost a million dollars and we’re here trying to save money for our city yet we’re just losing money,” Aries said, calling for better executive oversight beyond a single departmental error.

Taylor said most grants operate on a reimbursement basis — the city spends first, then submits documentation to be repaid — and noted that while grant funds were spent on the project, the state’s denial means the city will not recover those dollars. She said staff members report the parks director is working with the budget office to identify a funding source, either via the CIP or other budget legislation, to cover the shortfall.

What happened: Taylor’s memo stated the grant was originally awarded during fiscal 2022–23, with multiple deadline extensions from the state (extensions to Dec. 31, 2023, and later to June 30, 2024). Because reimbursements require timely documentation and payment requests, the state concluded the city did not meet conditions for reimbursement.

Why it matters: The city has already expended the grant and match funds on design, removal work and related activity; without state reimbursement the city must identify local funding to avoid leaving the CIP project underfunded. Council members signaled they expect the administration to propose budget language or carryover funding during the next CIP and budget cycle.

What's next: Taylor said the administration and parks department are coordinating with the budget office on options to fund the shortfall. Committee members asked staff to return with legislative or budget language to remedy the deficit during the upcoming budget process.

— Reporting from the Finance Committee meeting; the committee received the auditor’s memo and a state letter attached to that memo as the evidentiary basis for the denial of reimbursement.