Special Committee on Youth Empowerment

Thursday, March 26, 2026 4:00 PM City of Jacksonville 117 W. Duval Street Jacksonville, FL 32202 Meeting Minutes Lynwood Roberts, 1st Floor, City Hall Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Council Member Terrance Freeman, Chair Council Member Ken Amaro, Vice Chair Council Member Raul Arias Council Member Ju'Coby Pittman Council Member Randy White Legislative Assistant: Barbara Ireland Hobson Council Research: Brandon Russell Council Auditor: Trista Carraher OGC: Shannon MacGillis Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 Meeting Convened: 4:02 p.m. Meeting Adjourned: 5:03 p.m. 1. Call to Order Chair Freeman called the meeting to order. 2. Purpose of Meeting Chair Freeman asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they had arrived at the meeting after another Council Member posted about it on Facebook. He then informed the audience that this was the final meeting in the series and encouraged them to watch archived footage of past meetings. He provided a timeline for the process of allocating the $5 million appropriated for the Special Committee on Youth Empowerment. He said the RFP would be available in April and handled by KHA. He anticipated it would be open for 21-30 days but added that it would depend on the number of applications submitted. He said after the window closes, the applications would be scored, and grants would be awarded in June. He added that recipients would know they had won a grant by June, but it could take up to 90 days to receive funds. CM Amaro asked if organizations that already receive funds from KHA would be prohibited from receiving funds from the Special Committee. Mr. Everett, KHA, said it would depend on whether the organization had already received funding for the same scope of work. He added that once the RFP is drafted, specific eligibility criteria will be set. CM Amaro said he asked that question so potential applicants would not be surprised by any restrictions that may be in place. CM Amaro asked for more details on the scoring process, noting that the Special Committee members would not be involved in evaluating applications. Mr. Everett said the scorers could be internal KHA staff or external scorers, but that determination had not yet been made. Once the scorers are identified, he said that information would be made publicly available. Chair Freeman explained that the focus of today’s meeting was to discuss how Youth Empowerment investments can support both programming and infrastructure, while aligning with existing City capabilities. He also noted that the Administration was present in the room and had been supportive throughout the entire process. He reviewed the Committee’s four priorities for investment: education, life skills, mentorship, and civic engagement; recreational access and safe community spaces; job training, career pipelines, and apprenticeships; and public safety, lighting, and technology-enabled infrastructure. He reiterated that these funds would be administered by KHA consistent with their role in managing youth-focused investments across the City. 3. Overview of Today’s Focus Page 1 of 6 Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 Chair Freeman explained that Mr. Everett would serve as moderator for a discussion with the panel of City officials. Mr. Everett said that the discussion’s focus was on clarity on how to translate the Special Committee’s priorities into investment strategies. He said that there were multiple approaches, including a programmatic track and an infrastructure track. He said the discussion would help build understanding for what those tracks look like in practice. Mr. Everett added that the discussion would be informational but would not represent any final procurement decisions. He said that they would explore the distinctions between capital construction projects and asset-based investments focused more on equipment and technology. He said that the panel consisted of representatives from Parks, Recreation, and Community Services and Public Works Departments and the Procurement Division within the City. 4. Panel Discussion Page 2 of 6 Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 Page 3 of 6 Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 Mr. Everett asked the panel how they would define the difference between a capital project and asset-based investments. Daryl Joseph of the Parks Department said his department classifies items by cost, noting that anything over $100,000 is usually considered a capital investment. He said the purchase of equipment, like furniture, would be considered an asset-based investment. Nina Sickler of the Public Works Department said they consider the useful life of something when classifying it as either a capital or asset-based investment, noting that a capital investment will be safe and usable for 30 or more years. Robert Waremburg from the Procurement Division said that, with capital investments, consideration should be given to whether they entail construction or professional design services, as there are laws and procedures that must be followed when selecting architects and engineers. CM Arias asked if projects funded must be opened to public use. Mr. Waremburg said it depended on whether the City owns the property. Mr. Joseph said that any dollars put into a facility by the City, regardless of ownership, would be associated with public use. He added that, with privately owned facilities, a joint-use agreement may be required once City funds are accepted. Mr. Everett asked what the process looks like for a capital construction or renovation project with the City, particularly regarding timelines, approvals, and overall complexity. Mr. Waremburg said the Procurement Division usually partners with Public Works to develop the scope and requirements for the bidding process. He said there was also an advertising component for construction costs that required notice in a locally distributed paper for 30 days. He continued, stating that the process from establishing requirements to evaluation and award recommendation could stretch 90-120 days. Ms. Sickler said they use two models to manage construction bids. One model has money flowing through Public Works, which would also handle the procurement process described by Mr. Waremburg. She said they also have another model in which the private entity handles design and construction, with City-related procurement and inspection requirements. Mr. Everett asked how the process looks for asset-based investments. Mr. Waremburg said that assets are generally movable supplies and equipment. He said the process is mainly a solicitation, with a routine bidding phase and a streamlined award phase. He said it is much simpler since you are purchasing products rather than developing something from scratch. Mr. Joseph said the main thing to consider with asset-based investments is to define the scope of work aligned with what an applicant will actually receive. Ms. Sickler noted that it was important to ensure items were reimbursable so that entities would know which paperwork to submit. CM Arias asked how applicants would know whether to apply for programmatic funding or asset funding. Chair Freeman said he would defer to Mr. Everett but encouraged entities to collaborate on their funding requests. Mr. Everett concurred that they were hoping for collaboration and suggested a dual-track for applicants seeking multiple investment types. CM Arias then asked whether applicants would be moved to the back of the line if they applied for multiple awards, or whether there would be an administrative decision to determine that their application was a better fit for a particular track. Mr. Everett said that he could not provide that level of detail at this point in the process and would be detailed in the official RFP. Mr. Everett asked the panel what opportunities exist today for organizations to utilize existing City-owned facilities or community spaces rather than building new ones. Mr. Joseph said they have put Page 4 of 6 Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 out RFPs for senior centers and community centers that are underutilized, allowing non-profits that have been in existence for at least two years to partner with the City to manage those locations. He said they have currently awarded about four locations to local organizations. He added that monitoring is conducted to ensure that programming is beneficial to the City. Ms. Sickler said that the Real Estate Division lies within Public Works and keeps a database of properties that other departments have indicated are not needed. She said there is an opportunity to review those properties with applicants to determine whether they meet their needs. She said they also manage leases in the downtown area, which could be used in a similar fashion. Mr. Joseph added that there could also be opportunities for organizations to operate in City-owned facilities for fewer days in the week alongside other City programs. CM Arias asked whether payment to use a building could be included in an application for programmatic funds. Mr. Everett said that it would be determined as the RFP was developed. Mr. Everett asked the panel which factors the Committee should consider when determining which types of investments can deliver timely and scalable impact for youth and young adults. Mr. Joseph said that impact should be considered first, noting that a large capital investment may not yield the greatest impact per dollar spent and encouraged focusing on programming. He also noted the ever-increasing costs of construction. Ms. Sickler encouraged leveraging work already done by the City, highlighting Public Works' involvement in STEM and the trades. Mr. Waremburg encouraged applicants to pre-register their organization through their supplier portal. CM White asked Mr. Joseph to elaborate on the two-year requirement for entities seeking to use City-owned property. Mr. Joseph explained that to have a lease agreement for a City building, an organization must have been a non-profit in good standing for at least two years. CM Arias asked if the two-year requirement applied to programmatic funding. He also asked how long it took for an entity to pre-register. Mr. Waremburg said there were two stages. The first step is to register as a supplier; approval would take only a few minutes after registration, at which point the entity could respond to an RFP. The second phase is payment authorization, which requires more vetting and paperwork and may take two or three weeks. CM Arias also explained that nonprofits had been added to the JSEB program, offering it as another option for organizations seeking funding. Chair Freeman asked the audience to raise their hand if their organization offers programming and would seek funding for such. Most of the room raised their hands. He then asked organizations to raise their hands if they were seeking funding for infrastructure. A few audience members raised their hands. 5. Committee Discussion Chair Freeman then asked Committee members how they felt about allocating dollars to programming or infrastructure. CM Arias, noting the response from those in the room, said that funding for programming was clearly preferred and should be reflected in the funding awarded. CM White concurred with CM Arias. CM Arias suggested shifting the Special Committee's focus to other impacted groups in the future. Mr. Everett thanked the panelists for their attendance. Page 5 of 6 Special Committee on Youth Empowerment Meeting Minutes March 26, 2026 6. Public Comment Anthony Dorsey, with Teen Leaders of America, asked for clarification on public-use requirements and programming. Dr. Rae Owens asked what insurance would be required for a Certificate of Insurance. Mr. Everett said that it would be outlined in the RFP but could not be discussed at this point. Terry Harris asked if the funding was available for non-profits and for-profits. Chair Freeman confirmed the money was allocated for non-profits. John Sarmie asked if there is a list of available City-owned property. Mr. Joseph said those properties are advertised on social media and are listed on the Procurement Division’s website. He then asked whether capital awards could be used to purchase distressed properties. Mr. Joseph said it could be included in the proposal, but it may not align with the eventual RFP. Nashon Nicks provided details of his SEAL Team curriculum to work with at-risk youth. 7. Closing Remarks & Next Steps Page 6 of 6