JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Donald Trump’s new budget bill stripped Jacksonville of its largest federal grant in history.
The signing wiped out $147 million earmarked for the Emerald Trail project, which aims to link 14 historic communities to downtown Jacksonville, Hogans Creek, McCoys Creek and the St. Johns River by 2031.
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The network of walking and biking paths would connect downtown to 20 schools, 16 parks, and three hospitals.
Project leaders vowed to push forward.
“While we are extremely disappointed in this decision, we remain committed to the completion of this transformative project,” JTA and Groundwork Jacksonville wrote in a joint statement.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed the tax and spending cut bill Republicans muscled through Congress, turning it into law by his own self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.
At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.
Councilman Matt Carlucci described the loss of the grant as “disappointing.”
“It’s hugely disappointing and shameful that Jacksonville is losing this grant. The Emerald Trail will opportunities and connected Jacksonville’s neighborhoods from the Eastside to San Marco, Mixontown to Springfield, linking parks, schools, and even a great university. It is about bringing people together across long-standing divides. I still believe it’s a vision worth believing in and fighting for,” Carlucci said in a statement.
Carlucci added that despite the loss in funding, the project is still “alive and well.”
The city also plans to reapply for federal funding, focusing on the trail’s economic impact on small businesses.