JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The proposal to add an animal processing facility to a rezoning request for a halal grocery store in Jacksonville will be removed, meaning the facility will not be built on the city’s Southside, Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico said on Wednesday.
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“After months of community outrage and long negotiations between myself and the owners. The Slaughterhouse has been defeated!!!” the council president said on social media. “To the citizens who came out strong, congratulations and thanks for trusting me as your District 4 Councilman to always put the community first. Your voices were heard.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Jacksonville halal grocery store attempting to add meat processing facility on its Beach Boulevard property | ‘Going to fight every inch of the way’: Southside residents voice concerns over potential slaughterhouse expansion
Apna Bazar, a halal grocery store in Jacksonville, was attempting to add a meat processing facility to its Beach Boulevard property. The request marked the second attempt in less than a year that the store attempted to add the facility to its business.
In April 2024, ownership withdrew a previous request for a zoning exception for land in Northwest Jacksonville from the Planning Commission after area residents voiced disapproval of the development.
One year later, Southside residents voiced similar disapproval of the facility being built in their community.
“We’re going to fight you every inch of the way,” one resident declared during a Sept. 18 meeting on the proposal, reflecting the sentiment shared by many attendees.
“It is not okay to come into a neighborhood when people are struggling to make ends meet. They come to your store, they spend money, they want to welcome you, be good neighbors, but you need to do the same and respect that we just don’t want a slaughterhouse of any kind or processing facility,” a resident said.
Local activist Shannon Blair, who said they have spent two years fighting similar proposals on both the Northside and Southside, celebrated the outcome.
“This is a huge victory for Jacksonville families, for community health and safety, and of course for the animals... I’m proud of every neighbor, every activist, and every person who cared enough to make their voice heard. We said we’d fight every step of the way — and we won," Blair said.