JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Donna Deegan and city officials on Monday unveiled $400,000 in new funding and equipment aimed at reducing litter and illegal dumping, including all-terrain vehicles, trailers and surveillance cameras that will link to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office network.
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The money will buy ATVs and trailers to let cleanup crews cover larger areas more efficiently and safely, officials said. The city also plans to install a mix of fixed and portable cameras at chronic dumping sites so law enforcement can gather the evidence needed to hold repeat offenders accountable.
“This is our city, and we are going to treat it that way by keeping it clean,” Deegan said, adding that the effort includes education to change behavior and the launch of a “Keep Jax Cute” citywide call to action.
Richard Reichard, who oversees the Department of Administrative Services, said the new equipment will speed response times and support crews working both daytime and after-hours cleanups. He said the city also secured additional funding to expand litter-control teams and contract crews.
“We wrapped [a trailer] with our new logo and we’re going to fill it up with gloves, tools and supplies to assist our thousands of volunteers,” Reichard said.
Al Ferraro, manager of blight initiatives, said illegal dumping and homeless encampments have affected all 14 council districts. He traced the problem in part to steep cuts in blight funding over the past two decades, saying the program once had $2 million and seven fully staffed cleanup crews.
He said budget reductions left the city with one dump site and far fewer crews even as the population grew from about 700,000 to more than 1 million.
“If we stop the littering, we could use this money on sidewalks, roads, drainage and other things that are important,” Ferraro said.
Officials also noted a volunteer competition tied to the initiative. Next month’s winning team will receive tickets in a private suite to a Jumbo Shrimp game and the opportunity to select someone to throw out the first pitch, they said.
After the remarks, city staff demonstrated equipment and officials answered questions from attendees.