08:50 PM EST Share City Council voted 14-5 on May 25 to approve a 6-cent per gallon increase in Duval County for $1 billion in transportation projects.
After the Jacksonville City Council passed Mayor Lenny Curry’s proposed increase to Duval County’s local option gas tax May 25, he acknowledged to reporters gathered in the City Hall rotunda that no tax hike is popular with voters.
“Today’s a historic day for our ability to invest in much-needed infrastructure in our city,” Curry said.
“We’ve neglected this stuff for years and we need a source of revenue.”
The Council voted 14-5 to approve Ordinance 2021-223 that will double the gas tax from 6 cents per gallon to 12 cents, starting Jan. 1, to complete nearly $1 billion in road, drainage and other infrastructure needs.
The winding journey for a proposed doubling of Jacksonville s local gas tax is nearing the end of its trip through City Council and headed toward likely passage with support from at least 11 council members, based on their public comments through Tuesday.
Council will meet Wednesday for a special meeting devoted to the gas tax legislation and a final vote by the 19-member body.
Ten council members have taken public stances in solid support for the tax increase while five council members have made stands against it. That meant at least one of the four other council members would need to vote yes for it to achieve the minimum 11 votes for it to win approval.
The Jacksonville City Council voted 14 to 5 Wednesday to pass the local option gas tax increase, slated to fund more than $900 million in infrastructure projects.
For the first time in the 53-year history of Jacksonville and Duval County’s consolidated government, City Council will be led by two African American lawmakers.
The 19-member Council chose at-large members Sam Newby and Terrance Freeman on May 25 as president and vice president for its 2021-22 year, starting July 1.
Council members unanimously chose Vice President Newby as president. He ran unopposed.
Newby, 57, is a second-term Republican elected to the Council’s Group 5 At-Large seat in 2015 and reelected in March 2020.
He worked for PepsiCo for 30 years and is a past vice chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County. He also served as president of the Joseph E. Lee Republican Club.