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DUVAL COUNTY · LOCALlocal legislationEnacted
Enacted

Funding for Jacksonville Zoo Capital Improvements

Original title: ORD Making Certain Findings & Approp $12,000,000 from Debt Management Fund Loan Proceeds to the Jacksonville Zoo Improvements - DM Other Construction Costs Acct to Provide Funds for Capital Improvements at the City-Owned Facility Located at 370 Zoo Pkwy, Jax, FL 32218; Amend the 25-29 5-Yr CIP Appvd by Ord 2024-505-E to Reflect the Approp of Funds Authd Herein to the Proj Entitled “Jacksonville Zoo Improvements”; Amend Ord 2024-504-E, the FY 24-25 Budget, to Replace the 2nd Revised Schedule B4, the FY 24-25 Debt Mgmt Fund Detail, & the Revised Schedule B4-B, the FY 24-25 Capital Improvement Projs Funded via Borrowing, to Auth the Borrowing &/or Issuance of Fixed-Rate Debt for the Proj; Auth the Mayor, or Her Desig, & the Corp Sec to Execute a 6th Amdt to the Capital Maintenance & Capital Improvements Cost Disbursement Agrmt btwn the City & the Jacksonville Zoological Society, Inc. (City Contract No. 7182-32) as Provided Herein; Prov a Condition Precedent to Any Future Reqs for Funding or City Disbursement of the Final $4,000,000 Payment Planned for FY 25-26 for the Proj; Prov for Oversight by the Public Works Dept (Staffopoulos) (Introduced by CM White) (Co-Sponsors CMs Freeman, Carlucci & Johnson) 5/13/25 CO Introduced: NCSPHS, F 5/19/25 NCSPHS Read 2nd & Rerefer 5/20/25 F Read 2nd & Rerefer 5/27/25 CO PH Read 2nd & Rerefer 6/2/25 NCSPHS Approve 6-2 (J. Carlucci, Clark-Murray) 6/17/25 F Amend/Approve 8-0 6/24/25 CO Amend/Approve 15-0 Public Hearing Pursuant to Ch 166, F.S. & C.R. 3.601 - 5/27/25

June 24, 2025

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The Frame

What this does

The city is borrowing $12 million to fund construction projects at the Jacksonville Zoo, which requires updates to the current fiscal year budget and the long-term capital improvement plan.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Jacksonville Zoological Society, Inc.

The organization is a party to the cost disbursement agreement being amended to facilitate the capital improvements.

Public Works Department

The department is tasked with the oversight of the zoo capital improvement project.

What changed

Last recorded activity June 24, 2025.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This ordinance authorizes $12 million in funding for capital improvements at the city-owned Jacksonville Zoo. It amends the city's budget and five-year capital improvement plan to facilitate this borrowing and updates the city's agreement with the Jacksonville Zoological Society.

Key Facts

  • Appropriates $12,000,000 from Debt Management Fund loan proceeds for Jacksonville Zoo capital improvements.
  • Amends the 2025-2029 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to include the Jacksonville Zoo project.
  • Amends the FY 24-25 budget to authorize borrowing and the issuance of fixed-rate debt for the project.
  • Authorizes a 6th amendment to the Capital Maintenance and Capital Improvements Cost Disbursement Agreement (City Contract No. 7182-32) with the Jacksonville Zoological Society.
  • Establishes a condition precedent for the release of a final $4,000,000 payment scheduled for FY 25-26.
  • Assigns project oversight to the Public Works Department.
  • The ordinance was enacted following a 15-0 City Council vote on June 24, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the money for these improvements coming from?
The funds are being provided through the issuance of fixed-rate debt from the city's .
Who is overseeing the construction work?
The city's Public Works Department is responsible for project oversight.
Is the final $4 million payment guaranteed?
No, the ordinance establishes a '' that must be met before the city will disburse the final $4,000,000 payment in FY 25-26.

Why It Matters

The city is borrowing $12 million to fund construction projects at the Jacksonville Zoo, which requires updates to the current fiscal year budget and the long-term capital improvement plan.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

financial connection100% confidence

Debt-Funded Infrastructure

The project is explicitly funded through the issuance of new fixed-rate debt rather than existing cash reserves.

Connected Entities

personCM CarlucciCo-sponsor of the ordinance.Map →
personCM WhiteCity Council member who introduced the ordinance.Map →
locationJacksonville ZooThe facility receiving capital improvements located at 370 Zoo Pkwy.Map →
personCM JohnsonCo-sponsor of the ordinance.Map →
organizationPublic Works DeptDepartment responsible for project oversight.Map →
personCM FreemanCo-sponsor of the ordinance.Map →
organizationJacksonville Zoological Society, Inc.The entity entering into a 6th amendment to the capital maintenance and improvemMap →

Sources

Open source document

webapi.legistar.com

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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