JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Jacksonville\u2019s Eastside community is demanding more accountability after The Together Eastside Coalition released findings on how redevelopment dollars are being spent.<\/p>\n
The community advocacy group presented a report showing what they call a \u201ccoordinated influence network\u201d linking nonprofits, developers, and city leadership to the allocation and management of Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) funds for the Historic Eastside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe classify this as profits off of poverty,\u201d a coalition member said. \u201cThe currency of collaboration and corporation is trust, and as we begin to look at the people who came into the community and were supposed to help develop, enrich, and serve the community, they ended up providing those services more for themselves, for friends and family, instead of the community they were serving.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coalition\u2019s research, put together over several months using public records, board filings, grant data, corporate registries, and land-use documentation, revealed overlapping leadership roles and real-estate connections that keep a small network of organizations in control.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis money stays in one network. This same network of people work together the whole time,\u201d the coalition member said. \u201cOne thing about this community: we may be under-resourced, but we\u2019re smart. And when you start seeing everybody who knows somebody in one circle, that becomes an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
One organization highlighted in the report is LIFT JAX, a major investor in the Eastside, which the coalition says has not delivered on redevelopment promises. In August, the organization returned eight properties to the city, raising concerns about how the group can effectively manage multiple development projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a nonprofit is given property by the city, they have two years to develop that property. Well, they did the one. But just this past August, they gave all eight of the others back. So if they cannot handle eight properties, how in the world are they going to be able to handle $4 properly?\u201d Kim Pryor, a community advocate, asked.<\/p>\n
The coalition is encouraging the city to adopt a two-phase oversight model, which would monitor projects and spending for a minimum of two years to prevent private entities from gaining unchecked control over public funds.<\/p>\n
The coalition plans to release a full report, including the Six Degrees of Control Network Map and supporting documentation, for public review. Organizers hope that shining a light on these relationships will push city officials to implement meaningful oversight and ensure public dollars are managed in the community\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n
In response to the coalition\u2019s claims, Lift Jax shared this statement with Action News Jax:<\/p>\n
LIFT JAX has served the Historic Eastside for more than five years with a goal to build prosperity through resident-led revitalization across four pillars: community wellness, mixed-income housing, cradle-to-career education, and long-term financial vitality. By meeting with residents and neighborhood business owners, the non-profit prioritizes projects to support their needs, such as critical housing repairs to keep residents in safe homes, bringing the Historic Debs Store back to the neighborhood to eliminate a food desert, renovating neighborhood parks, small business support, and much more. <\/p>\n
About the Boylan and Townsend Flats Apartments: <\/p>\n
Since 2023, investments at the Boylan and Townsend Flats properties have focused on addressing resident needs. Improvements include in-unit renovations like new flooring, paint, and plumbing, kitchen and bathroom renovations, installing new windows in all units, 70% of the air conditioning units have been replaced, hiring full-time on-site property management, exterior paint and facade improvements, and various security enhancements. 66 of 96 units have been completed – renovations and improvements are still underway. LIFT JAX and Joined Development remain committed to creating a safe, comfortable environment for tenants to call home. <\/p>\n
Joined Development, the property management, is actively reviewing quotes to upgrade the stairwells. Additional priorities for the next 6 months include ongoing in-unit renovations, maintaining completed renovations, and beginning the process to update the on-site playground. <\/p>\n
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