JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Beach leaders held an information session Tuesday night for neighbors about a 27-mile walking trail that is coming to the city.
The majority of neighbors voiced their displeasure with the trail, which will cut through some neighbor's yards and driveways.
Neighbors also said the city did not give them enough notice.
The city's parks and recreation department said the project started in 2019 and several community discussions were held about the trail.
The department said at the time there was positive feedback from neighbors, and it led to city council approving the $14 million plan.
However, there was very little feedback at Tuesday night's meeting where neighbors got a look at the conceptual design of the trail.
“And they say this is not for electric vehicles," Jax Beach resident Rob Sherman said to city councilman Fernando Meza.
"People are going to be driving their golf carts and electric vehicles on that," Sherman said while pointing to a map of the trail running through his neighborhood.
“This is just a conceptual," Meza responded.
Sherman said the trail will run through his front yard.
“All of these pavers are going to be torn up, I would lose all this parking, it would be illegal to park here," Sherman said. “I don’t want the invasion to my privacy of people walking e-biking or jogging past my house all the time."
Neighbors looked at the first design of the trails in their neighborhoods and left sticky notes with questions.
They also filled out comment cards and left them in a box.
"The commitment that the city staff made to the audience tonight is that we were going to take every single comment and respond to it both individually to the person who made the comment and corporately so everyone can see the comment," city Parks and Recreation Director, Jason Phitides, said.
Phitides said the city will gather the comments and do its best to accommodate neighbors' concerns.
He added there is not timetable for when adjustments to the design will be made.
City leaders said they would like construction to start in 2025. The entire trail will take a few years to finish.