{"id":159669,"date":"2026-02-18T11:44:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159669\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:44:16","slug":"blight-affordability-and-entertainment-topics-of-conversation-for-westside-residents-at-mayors-town-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159669\/","title":{"rendered":"Blight, affordability, and entertainment topics of conversation for Westside residents at mayor\u2019s town hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan met with Westside residents for the second town hall in her ongoing series to hear directly from the community<\/a> about their concerns. <\/p>\n

The meeting at Westside High School focused on pressing issues such as trash, homelessness, affordability, and the need for more family-friendly activities.<\/p>\n

Residents voiced frustration over speeding, neighborhood deterioration, and the growing problem of litter and illegal dumping. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am over the trash on the road,\u201d one resident said. And that was a sentiment echoed across the auditorium.<\/p>\n

The mayor acknowledged these challenges and highlighted recent city council approval of $400,000 to tackle blight. <\/p>\n

According to the city, \u201cThese investments will support enhanced cleanup efforts, cameras at illegal dumping sites, targeted code enforcement, and strategic interventions in areas most affected by illegal dumping and neglected properties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want the type of city that we can be proud of, we have got to deal with our blight issue,\u201d Deegan said. <\/p>\n

Jacksonville Blight Initiative Program Director Al Ferraro<\/a> emphasized the scale of the problem, noting the city\u2019s size makes enforcement difficult, but resident input helps target resources effectively. <\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, what everyone here is trying to do is make their part of the city a better place,\u201d Ferraro said.<\/p>\n

The city is also encouraging residents to report trash and illegal dumping concerns to help keep neighborhoods clean.<\/p>\n

To report blight in Jacksonville, use the MyJax website<\/a> to submit complaints, attach photos, and track status updates or call 630-CITY (2489) <\/p>\n

Affordability also remained a key concern<\/a>. Residents asked what the city is doing to help with rising costs, including utilities. The mayor responded that diversifying the power supply system is a potential solution to help ease bills. She also stressed that affordable housing remains a top priority, calling it \u201clong-term work\u201d critical to the city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

And in the wake of \u201cteen takeovers\u201d across the area, including chaos at the Avenues Mall<\/a> over the weekend, residents are looking for ways to keep kids out of trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does the city have planned for new family-friendly spaces?\u201d one resident asked.<\/p>\n

Deegan shared optimism about upcoming projects, including new parks on the riverfront, a surf park, and the Stadium of the Future. <\/p>\n

\u201cWithin two years, you won\u2019t recognize the amount of activity that is happening,\u201d she said, highlighting plans for new entertainment venues and a renewed Museum of Science and History.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we get an aquarium?\u201d the resident replied.<\/p>\n

The mayor said the Jacksonville Zoo will have to do for now, but said it continues growing with some new exhibits in the works.<\/p>\n

The town hall series continues Thursday at Fletcher High School, starting at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full town hall schedule<\/p>\n

Thursday, Feb. 19<\/p>\n

Thursday, Feb. 26<\/p>\n

Tuesday, March 3<\/p>\n

Thursday, March 12<\/p>\n

Tuesday, March 24<\/p>\n

Tuesday, March 31<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan met with Westside residents for the second town hall in her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,10315],"class_list":{"0":"post-159669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news","11":"tag-westside"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}