JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s new fiscal year began with a city budget that followed contentious negotiations this summer.
City Council Vice President Nick Howland called the budget “a big win for Jacksonville’s families.”
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“No budget is perfect,” Howland said. “There are probably still ways to cut as we go forward next year. But this is something the whole council can be proud of.”
Recently, Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia held a press conference at Jacksonville International Airport, criticizing what they described as excessive city spending.
Howland acknowledged some validity to their concerns.
“In the last two years, we’ve had excessive spending,” he said. “For example, this budget collected over $120 million more than expected last year. We chose to cut spending and give some of that back to property owners.”
He also said that there was still waste in the budget.
“We’ll keep looking at that to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and deliver a common-sense budget for the people of Jacksonville,” he said.
Public safety remains the city’s top priority, with more than half of the general fund—over $1 billion—allocated to police, firefighters, and related needs. “Jacksonville gives our heroes what they need,” Howland said.
For more on Jacksonville’s budget and to listen to our full interview, tune in to This Week in Jacksonville on Sunday at 9 a.m.