VOLUME 1: ISSUE 5
in thiS ISSUE
Camilla Collins and Jermaine Lazenberry Divulge Northwest Jax’s Hot Spots
Learn How You Can Help Keep Jacksonville Beautiful
Contents
11 Neighbor to
Neighbor
4 Letter from the Mayor 7 Share
Your Square
12 After the Storm: Keeping Jacksonville Beautiful 14 In Need of
Post-Irma Help?
Eligible citizens could qualify to receive a disaster grant up to $12,000 from the state.
5 Show Your Love!
With the My One Thing campaign, citizens in neighborhoods across our city are encouraged to share one thing they love about Jacksonville.
6 Don’t Forget
A Food Group Get your recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables with these tasty, kid-friendly recipes.
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8 Enforcing the
Code
14 Online Resources 15 Neighborhood Notes • •
Foreclosure Property Registry: Protecting neighborhoods from becoming blighted Fair Housing: Ensuring human rights and fair housing for all citizens of Jacksonville
Neighborhood Services Office 214 N. HOGAN ST., 5TH FLOOR JACKSONVILLE, FL 32202 (904) 255-8250 STEPHANIE BURCH Director of Neighborhoods stephanieb@coj.net LISA RANSOM Neighborhood Services Manager lransom@coj.net DAN DURBEC Environmental Programs Specialist ddurbec@coj.net MICHELLE GODWIN-WARE Neighborhood Coordinator for Districts 4 and 6 michellegw@coj.net AMY HAYS HOLLIMAN Neighborhood Coordinator for Districts 1 and 5 aholliman@coj.net ROSEMARY WESOLOWSKI Neighborhood Coordinator for Districts 2 and 3 rosemary@coj.net
Get Help City Customer Service (904) 630-CITY (2489) Disabled Services (904) 630-4940 Head Start to Home Ownership (H2H) (904) 255-8231 Housing and Community Development (904) 255-8200 Jacksonville Housing Authority (904) 630-3810 Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (904) 630-4911 JFRD (Non-Emergency) (904) 630-0434 JSO (Non-Emergency) (904) 630-0500 Neighborhoods Department (904) 255-7200
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Letter from the Mayor
THANK YOU
jacksonville
Dear Citizens,
Fall is a season when we gather as a community to give thanks. It’s a time when we show our sincere gratitude for the people and opportunities that we have been blessed with. We show that thanks on Veterans Day, on Thanksgiving and as we hunt for the perfect gifts for loved ones at the start of the holiday season. Here in Jacksonville, we have so much to be grateful for. We live in a beautiful corner of the world, with inspiring scenery and a gorgeous
climate. We have a growing economy and a bright future full of potential. As mayor, I’m most grateful for you – the people of Jacksonville. You are kind, generous, and passionate. I am always amazed by the willingness of our citizens to step forward in times of need to help others in our community, as we saw recently during Hurricane Irma. You are what makes our city great. With gratitude,
Mayor Lenny Curry
show your LOVE! WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT OUR CITY?
With the My One Thing campaign, citizens in neighborhoods throughout our city are encouraged to share one thing they love about Jacksonville. Whether it’s the treasured river, pristine beaches, unspoiled woodlands, great arts and culture scene, business-friendly environment, or neighborly people – Jacksonville has a lot to love. Use the hashtag #MyOneThing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more to share what you love about Jacksonville. We’ll share your stories on our social media channels, so stay tuned to the City’s Facebook (facebook.com/CityofJax), Twitter (@CityofJax), Instagram (instagram.com/cityofjax) and YouTube (youtube.com/user/ CityofJax) pages.
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EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES
The Jax Mayorthon Kids Club is open to children, ages 5-12, throughout Duval County. Members pledge to make healthier food, exercise and safety choices every day. Good practices today can lead to a lifetime of habits that produce strong, healthy and smart adults. You can start now with these tasty recipes!
Single Serve Fruity Pizza
Ingredients: 1 (9-inch) whole-wheat pita bread 1 ounce light cream cheese 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract 1 kiwi, sliced 1/4 cup blueberries 1/4 cup raspberries 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced 1/4 cup red and green grapes, halved + Any other fruit you’d like! Directions: • Combine cream cheese and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until well blended. • Spread cheese over pita. • Decorate your pizza with as much fruit as desired. If you’re feeling creative, try creating a fun face or pattern.
Fresh Veggie Relish
Ingredients: 2 fresh tomatoes, diced 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped 1 cup carrots, sliced 1 red onion, diced 6 radishes, thinly sliced 1 green bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil Directions: • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. • Spoon a generous portion on top of anything you choose — try it on a hot dog!
Recipes courtesy of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Visit COJ.NET/KIDSCLUB to join the jax mayorthon kids club . 6 OUR JAX MAGAZINE
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SHARE YOUR
SQUARE
Jacksonville is BIG. It’s the largest city in the contiguous United States, covering 840 square miles, which means there are many hidden gems like the ones you see here. Can you identify these locations? Better yet, share your own! Show us what you love most about where you live, work, or play by posting your photos on social media with the hashtag #ShareYourSquare.
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Please visit coj.net/ourjaxmagazine to discover the locations of the photos featured above. OUR JAX MAGAZINE 7
GET TO KNOW THE MUNICIPAL If you’ve ever reported a junk vehicle, a rundown building or an overgrown yard to 630-CITY or the My Jax app, your complaint was probably handled by the Neighborhood Department’s Municipal Code Compliance Division (MCCD). The division’s 27 officers, 10 senior officers and six supervisors enforce City of Jacksonville ordinances that regulate private property, safety and maintenance, as well as zoning codes, and illegal litter and snipe signs. The MCCD team covers the entirety of Jacksonville — approximately 840 square miles of urban and rural areas containing a population of nearly one million citizens. With 366,000 residential housing units and a myriad of commercial properties, employees
must work hard to meet the diverse needs of the various urban, suburban and rural communities. “The officers are the boots on the ground in the fight against blight,” explained Bryan Mosier, chief of MCCD, where he has worked for nearly 10 years, two as chief. He noted that his staff enforces more than 600 pages of ordinance containing more than 700 different violations, and each officer is responsible for about 27 square miles. Between October 2015 and October 2016, Mosier’s officers completed 123,209 ordinance and code violations inspections, and this year’s inspections will likely exceed those numbers. The top three issues cited were nuisance (59,741), residential (23,175)
Municipal Code Compliance Division Chief, Brian Mosier 8 OUR JAX MAGAZINE
L CODE COMPLIANCE DIVISION and junk vehicles (10,147). While the City uses a variety of penalties for non-compliance, including placing a nuisance or demolition lien on a property, issuing warnings and paying citations, or referring a case to a Special Magistrate for a daily rolling fine, Mosier said he would prefer voluntary compliance by property owners. “The goal of enforcement has always been owner compliance,” Mosier said. Mosier offered a few tips to citizens to avoid code enforcement citations: • Maintain property appearance. Yards should be cut regularly, and trash/debris/abandoned vehicles, deteriorated structures, dead or dying trees and dead tree limbs should be removed expeditiously. • Maintain the appearance of exterior structures. • Maintain the building. Repair or replace loose, damaged, rotted, worn or missing components, such as walls, roofs, windows, doors, porches, handrails, awning, siding and trim. • Keep property safe and sanitary. Immediately address any issues that may pose an imminent threat to health or safety. For a complete list, please visit MCCD’s webpage at coj.net/mccd.
Citizens play an important part in keeping our community attractive, clean and safe. Through education, awareness and selfenforcement, we can all contribute to making Jacksonville the best city to live, work and raise a family.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE CITED • Do not ignore the notification of violation. Read it. Understand the time limit for compliance and penalties for non-compliance. • It is the property owner’s responsibility to correct the violation, including cases of rented or leased properties. • Make all required repairs, corrections, improvements and/or removals as soon as possible. This will allow you to avoid further proceedings. • If you need further clarification on any alleged violation, do not wait. Call the Code Enforcement Officer as soon as possible. • If you believe the violation is not on your property, or you have sold or released ownership, please call 630-CITY (2489) immediately.
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Around Town: NORTHWEST JACKSONVILLE The old expression, “a man’s home is his castle,” is something Larry Solomon has expanded on to inspire his neighbors to be involved in the community.
Solomon is Chair of the Northwest (District 5) Citizens Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC). A strong believer in neighborhood advocacy, Solomon has been active in the CPAC for more than a dozen years. He is also a citizen representative for the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), an independent regional transportation planning agency.
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Our goal is to educate the community about how city government works and empower people to find the proper sources to review neighborhood concerns.
Helping people understand the workings of city government is critical to the Northwest CPAC’s success. That’s why Solomon and his fellow CPAC members
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“Our homes are our castles and the collection of homes forms a community of castles which make up our kingdom,” Solomon says. “We should be about the business of taking care of the kingdom.”
engage people throughout District 5 by reaching out through churches, businesses and organizations, and through public service announcements on local media. “Apathy is a major challenge we work hard to address,” Solomon said. “Too many people believe that all things can be done and that funding abounds. Our goal is to educate the community about how city government works and empower people to find the proper sources to review neighborhood concerns.” Given his involvement in the North Florida TPO, it’s probably no surprise that one of Solomon’s favorite things about Jacksonville is the variety of ways to move around.
“The transportation links through the city allow you to get anywhere within minutes,” Solomon said. “That’s one of the things I love most about Jacksonville.”
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR
NORTHWEST JAX SPOTLIGHT: CAMILLA COLLINS & JERMAINE LAZENBERRY
EATS
Our favorite place to go out and eat would have to be The Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro off Normandy. When we want a good, seasoned soul food meal, we go there. Although everything there is good, we love their macaroni and cheese, smothered pork chops, corn bread and yams.
landmark
Dreamette is a quintessential landmark in Northwest Jacksonville! The lines are long, but they are long for a reason. The ice cream is great – but remember to bring cash.
entertainment Arts & Culture We look forward to the annual Bob Hayes Invitational Track and Field Meet. Jermaine used to run with Raines. We are very competitive and really enjoy watching the kids compete.
The statue in front of James P. Small Memorial Stadium is an important example of Jacksonville’s arts and culture. “Heading for Home” was sculpted by Jacksonville native, Daniel Wynn, to represent and honor all Negro league baseball players who contributed to the sport during racial segregation in the United States.
#MyOneThing
Besides the weather, the one thing we love most about Jacksonville are the beaches for the atmosphere, activities and restaurants. Walking along the beach and taking in the great scenery is both calming and relaxing.
Get involved in the District 5 CPAC! Visit coj.net/cpacs, call (904) 255-8250, or email Amy Hays Holliman at aholliman@coj.net.
parks
We love going to Lonnie C. Miller Park. Whether we are grilling out or taking our nieces and nephews to have some fun, it’s a great place to just hang out. OUR JAX MAGAZINE 11
after the storm Less than a year after Jacksonville weathered Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Irma passed through, leaving debris and devastation in its wake. While the City’s Department of Public Works and Solid Waste Division worked tirelessly to clean up in the weeks following the storm, the city had another valuable resource ready to step in to help — Keep Jacksonville Beautiful (KJB). KJB volunteers and citizens proved Jacksonville’s resiliency once again by coming together to clean up the city they love.
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Our purpose is not only to support beautification and enhance community pride, but to improve the quality of life in Jacksonville.
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Just days after the hurricane, KJB provided cleanup supplies to a number of dedicated volunteer groups and neighborhood organizations that immediately began collecting debris throughout Jacksonville communities and parks, including Memorial Park where more than 60 volunteers spent a day clearing debris after the park experienced historic flooding. 12 OUR JAX MAGAZINE
A Keep Jacksonville Beautiful volunteer helps clean trash from the banks of the St. Johns River
Created in 1982 by mayoral executive order to improve and maintain the visual vitality and enhance the quality of life in Duval County, KJB is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate that falls under the City’s Clean It Up, Green It Up program within the Neighborhood Services Office. KJB comprises 30 volunteer commissioners led by Chris Buckley, chairwoman.
UPCOMING
Keeping Jacksonville Beautiful KEEP JACKSONVILLE BEAUTIFUL ACTIVITIES “As our mission statement says, our purpose is not only to support beautification and enhance community pride, but to improve the quality of life in Jacksonville,” Buckley said. To accomplish its mission, KJB partners with a variety of organizations, government agencies, businesses and citizens to coordinate citywide and neighborhood beautification projects and activities throughout the year. KJB annually hosts five cleanups, including two countywide events; the St. Johns River Celebration cleanup in March, and the International Coastal Cleanup in September. KJB also hosts an annual America Recycles Day at two locations in November, where residents can have old documents securely shredded onsite at no cost. “KJB has been instrumental in a variety of beautification projects that have benefited Duval County residents,” Buckley said. “We’ve received funding from Keep America Beautiful to install ash receptacles along the Northbank Riverwalk and at several parks, to plant trees and provide rain barrels to local schools, and to install vegetable gardens at community centers.” KJB has also received funding through grants from the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Inland Navigation District, which allows KJB to purchase bags and gloves for cleanups, and road signs for the Adopt-A-Road program, an initiative that allows citizens to adopt and regularly clean a one-mile section of city roadway.
LEARN MORE AT COJ.NET/KJB
KJB sponsors a number of cleanup activities throughout the year that are open to the public and volunteer-driven. November 15, 2017 America Recycles Day
March 2, 2018 KJB 35th Anniversary Event March 17, 2018 St. Johns River Celebration Cleanup April 21, 2018 Earth Day Downtown Cleanup July 5, 2018 Beaches Cleanup Sept. 15, 2018 International Coastal Cleanup October 2018 Right Whale Festival Beach Cleanup Nov. 15, 2018 America Recycles Day Persons interested in volunteering for KJB events, free clean-up supplies, or more information about organizing their own neighborhood cleanup, please contact Dan Durbec, Environmental Programs Specialist, at (904) 255-8276 or ddurbec@coj. You can also call the Neighborhood Services Office at (904) 255-8250, email cleanupvolunteers@coj.net, or log on to coj.net/kjb. OUR JAX MAGAZINE 13
HURRICANE IRMA
DISASTER ASSISTANCE
Duval County residents who suffered damage from Hurricane Irma can contact the Neighborhoods Department’s Housing and Community Development Division at (904) 255-8200 for help. Eligible citizens could receive a disaster grant up to $12,000 from the state for the following:
• Purchase of emergency supplies for eligible households to weatherdamaged homes • Interim repairs to avoid further damage; tree and debris removal required to make the home habitable • Construction of wells and repairs to wells where public water is not available • Payment of insurance deductibles to rehabilitate homes covered under homeowner’s insurance policies • Security deposit and rental assistance for eligible recipients displaced due to damage from the storm.
Residents are advised to:
1. Contact their insurance company first if they have insurance. 2. Register with FEMA at disasterassistance.gov. If FEMA does not cover your claim, share proof of this with the Housing and Community Development Division. You will also need to complete a Hurricane Irma Disaster Assistance application which can be downloaded at coj.net/ housingandcommunitydevelopment. Disaster assistance is income-based and priority is given to the elderly and disabled. For additional information, please contact Housing and Community Development at (904) 255-8200.
ONLINE RESOURCES It may be hard to believe, but hurricane season continues through the month of November. Be prepared! Visit JaxReady.com, your online resource for emergency preparedness information. You’ll find everything from how to create a disaster preparedness plan for your family, to what to pack in a do-it-yourself emergency kit. You can also register for special needs assistance, and sign up for AlertJax Emergency Notifications. Make sure to also download the JaxReady mobile app and follow @JaxReady on Twitter. 14 OUR JAX MAGAZINE
FORECLOSURE PROPERTY REGISTRY The Foreclosure Property Registry was established in 2010 to limit and reduce the deterioration of property located within the City of Jacksonville caused by foreclosure, and to create a mechanism to protect neighborhoods from becoming blighted through the lack of adequate maintenance of homes going through the foreclosure process. In 2015 the law was amended to require mortgagees (banks/lending institutions) to register all properties whose mortgages are in default or foreclosure, and pay registration fees. The funds collected through the foreclosure registry are deposited into a special account in the Neighborhoods Department. They are dedicated to the cost of developing community revitalization projects, and to protecting against and removing blight due to real property deterioration. The funds are allocated to projects based on a
three-tier policy. The first tier focuses on reaching homeowners trying to navigate the foreclosure process and provides funding for foreclosure intervention and foreclosure counseling programs. The second tier addresses neighborhoods by providing funds to address blight caused by vacant and abandoned homes, as well as assistance in the creation of affordable housing. The third tier addresses the greater Jacksonville community through the rebirth of the CommUniverCity training program, Neighborhood Matching Grant program and funding for the publication of the Our Jax magazine. The Neighborhoods Department is excited to bring you these programs and looks forward to your feedback. If you have any questions regarding the Foreclosure Property Registry, contact: Housing Property Administration Phone: (904) 255-8197
FAIR HOUSING Fair Housing initiatives seek to eliminate housing discrimination, promote economic opportunity, and achieve diverse, inclusive communities by means of the enforcement, administration, development, and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws. Fair Housing policies protect people from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. In addition, housing providers that receive Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding, and have loans and lenders insured by the Federal
Housing Administration (FHA), may be subject to HUD program regulations intended to ensure equal access of LGBT persons. The Neighborhoods Department’s Housing and Community Development Division has partnered with the Human Rights Commission to ensure Human Rights and Fair Housing for all Jacksonville citizens. If you feel you are a victim of discrimination or want to learn more, visit coj.net/Departments/Neighborhoods/ Housing-and-Community-Development/ Fair-Housing. OUR JAX MAGAZINE 15