JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The controversial Lot J project will face its first major vote in the Jacksonville City Council on Thursday, with the proceedings continuing under the shadow of an explosive investigative report that calls into question the administration's transparency on a separate issue.
On Monday, council's committee that spent the majority of 2020 investigating the failed privatization of JEA released a 138-page report, slamming the office of Mayor Lenny Curry for its alleged involvement in the effort.
Now, some prominent councilmembers are drawing connections between the JEA debacle and the Lot J deal.
"Lot J is right out of the JEA playbook," said Finance Committee Chair Matt Carlucci. "[It's] negotiated for a long time in secret, and then spring it on the council and expect us to vote on it quickly."
When council meets as a whole on Thursday to once again take up Lot J, Carlucci and other councilmembers plan to propose amendments to the deal.
Carlucci, who penned a letter to Jacksonville citizens Wednesday, in which he said council "is poised to make a mistake of historic proportions," will push for the Lot J proposal to be sent back to the Downtown Investment Authority for a restart.
"We need the project down there, I do believe that. But not like this," Carlucci said.
Another critic of the administration during the Lot J discussions, Council President Tommy Hazouri, also drew comparisons between Lot J and JEA, noting secretive meetings leading up to the deals.
Lot J was negotiated behind closed doors between Curry's office and representatives from Jaguars owner Shad Khan's development team.
"It is almost verbatim the M.O. [modus operandi, or method] of the administration," Hazouri said. "The way they handled it, the lack of transparency, compare that to Lot J. You can compare the hurry-up offense that they did."
Hazouri told First Coast News he plans to submit his own amendment on Thursday, which would take the controversial $65 million "breadbox" loan out of the deal.
Also, Hazouri said he and Councilwoman Randy Defoor would push forward an amendment that would allow the city to recoup money if the developers pull out of the project after approval.
Hazouri said he only plans to support the project if a number of concessions are made that would change the nature of the deal.
"I don't want to say we're getting screwed, but we're getting screwed," Hazouri said. "It's no fault of the developers. I've said all along, we're getting the shaft and they're getting the uranium mine, and I don't blame them because that's what developers do. But the reason they're getting it is because it looks like the mayor and the administration is giving it to them."
Council will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to begin deliberations on the legislation. You can watch that meeting by clicking here.
If a simple majority of councilmembers vote Thursday to take the bill out of committee, the council would vote on final approval next Tuesday. The bill would need a two-thirds majority for that vote.