An interlocal agreement between the Beaches and DCPS require the groups meet twice a year. Student safety, project updates and more were discussed Thursday.
NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla — A long-awaited meeting finally took place Thursday evening between Duval County school leaders and the mayors of Baldwin and the Beaches communities.
It’s a part of an interlocal agreement that calls for the groups to meet twice a year.
“We have not had one as long as I’ve been mayor for three years,” said Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford. “It’s taken me a year and a half to get to this meeting.”
Mayor Ford told First Coast News this collaboration comes at a critical time.
“We have all this change going on within our school system: consolidations, closures, finances and so on,” said Ford.
Duval County Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier provided updates on maintenance projects at Beaches schools and shared safety efforts like the “Be Safe, Be Seen” campaign.
“Mayors of the Beaches have constituents that they have to answer to, and having more information about the school system and knowing more about how we operate and why we operate just gives them the information they need to work with their own constituents and build a more transparent environment,” said Dr. Bernier.
Beaches school board member April Carney, along with Neptune Beach Mayor Cori Bylund and Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman, said crosswalk improvements are already in the works to address the road congestion.
“When school started this year, it came to our attention that there was a lot of congestion and not a whole lot of help,” said Mayor Cori Bylund.
With new speed cameras in Neptune Beach, the Duval County Chief of School Police said drivers are slowing down.
“They’ve seen a decrease in the amount of speeding being captured on those cameras, “said Chief Jackson Short. “So, just proves that starting with education, then enforcement phase, is working in Neptune Beach.”
After years of waiting for this joint meeting, leaders hope they can continue working together for their communities.
“I think this was unfortunately kind of a crisis situation of ‘let’s get these meetings going again,’ but I think it will end up being for the benefit of the beaches, cities, our schools and our students,” said Mayor Hoffman.
At the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting, school board members and city leaders agreed to hold a joint town hall meeting at the beginning of 2026. This type of meeting will allow parents and residents to come out and voice any concerns.
An exact date will be announced at a later time.