Jacksonville’s majority Republican City Council voted in favor of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) forcing taxpaying citizens of Duval County to spend $94 million dollars trying not leave anyone behind by revitalizing the same run-down areas of town for the umpteenth time, jobs training, homelessness initiatives and “affordable” housing. We also get to spend $56 million dollars renovating river front parks.
Only two men had the cojones to vote no: Mike Gay representing District 2 and Rory Diamond of District 13.
Three council members abstained: Kevin Carrico, representing District 4 and vice president of operations for Boys & Girls Clubs of NE FL, Ju’Coby Pittman of District 10, who is CEO of Clara White Mission and Reggie Gaffney, Jr. of District 8 whose father, former City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Sr., is the president of the Community Rehabilitation Center.
Now that the City Council is going to hand over millions of dollars to nonprofits, the least our local media could do is explain how we got here and prepare us for what is in store.
The bad news, they won’t. The good news, I will. Well, I’ll try. I must warn, since I am not a doctor or an “expert,” my research isn’t credible, of course.
Broadcast media, print media, local editorials, public radio, as well as Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration — all left-leaning — tout how great the CBA will be for the city, but never elaborate.
An official with the mayor’s office referred to the CBA as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to create impactful investments across the county and in the Eastside neighborhood,” and said it will “create meaningful programs.” When a bureaucrat says the uncountable spending of hundreds of millions of dollars by local race-hustling nonprofits will be “meaningful,” it probably won’t. And that is good enough for a mayoral victory tour with the Mustache himself.
Like myself, you might be wondering. what is a Community Benefits Agreement? Even one of the council members who voted for the legislation didn’t know what it was until community organizers, wanting free money, approached him.
During the mayor’s CBA signing ceremony, District 7 Councilmen Jimmy Peluso thanked two local activists for doing the “heavy lifting.” No pun intended, I’m sure. These two men just happen to be the CEO and COO of Lift Jacksonville. Peluso said the pair came to him “months ago saying, are you familiar with community benefit agreements? And I said nope. And they said, well, we must have one for the Eastside neighborhood. Out East needs to be protected. We got to do the right thing.”
Peluso mentioned a few other activists by name for their contribution. One of which owns Melanoid Breastmilk LLC. An online profile describes the local business owner as a caring, nurturing individual promoting “a plant based, decolonized lifestyle.” She also has a book online: https://books.google.com/books/about/Melanoid_Breastmilk.html?id=DmOztAEACAAJ explaining how black women breastfeeding their children eradicates white supremacy by passing on biochemical blackness via their “melanoid breastmilk.” An online excerpt of the book reveals the author believes “providing Mama’s Melanoid Breastmilk is at the core and foundation of the fight against the system of racism.” The mother of seven also wants black women to breastfeed “beyond three years of age, by any means necessary.” This woman, who holds a master’s degree, believes black girl boobie juice cures racism and Peluso takes her seriously enough to give her a say in crafting $94 million dollars’ worth of legislation.
The Community Benefits Agreement is an agreement between community groups (nonprofits) and a private developer (the Jacksonville Jaguars). Community groups agree to support the development if the developer agrees to their list of demands. If the shakedown is rejected groups will stage disruptive protests, bad mouth the development and cry racism.
The academic paper, “Do Community Benefits Agreements Benefit Communities?”, explains how CBAs are revolutionizing public-private economic development projects. “Now, developers and coalitions representing low-income communities can settle their disputes directly, outside of formal approval processes,” writes the author.
That is music to the ears of corrupt politicians and race-hustling nonprofits.
The paper claims CBAs became “commonplace” around the country in the early 2000s as a fix to so-called “income inequality in poor neighborhoods.” Community organizers (nonprofits) use CBAs to demand things like “living wages” and “local hiring” for neighborhoods, activists claim, have “traditionally been left out” of their community development plan.
That sounds oddly familiar.
I encourage you to click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlUn_tdloYE and watch the entire video explaining CBAs. It really hits home what our mayor is asking us to do on her behalf. If this type of negotiating becomes commonplace in this city, nothing will ever get done. Who would open a business knowing they would be forced to spend millions on race-based political handouts. The video promotes the idea business owners owe locals and nonprofits something in exchange for their permission to operate. If they are organized and loud enough, they win. Mobocracy is anarchy. DCPS alumni, mob rule is just one of several tenants of Marxism the mayor’s plan promotes.
The creation of a CBA is a clever, back-handed way for nonprofits to siphon millions from corporations and city governments pretending the money will erase racism and or create “generational wealth” for poor minorities who have been “left behind” by lying politicians and their failed social policies.
I stumbled across a video posted by a group called the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Temisha Hill, who is the Founder and CEO of the Unified Community Investors, spoke in one of the promotional videos for LISC.
She said she became a client of LISC through another “community partner” meaning, another nonprofit. Hill tells the camera, “Jacksonville is rooted in a lot of discriminatory practices that separate communities from knowledge, communities from resources, communities from…, just protections that are needed to pass on generational wealth.”
Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0L57tzZzO0
Now I wonder where she learned that? Throughout all my public schooling provided by DCPS and by a university in a swamp south of town, did I ever learn that crock of $**+.
Maybe she learned it from the mayor’s speech given during the city’s most recent “unified” MLK Breakfast.
The mayor pronounced from the podium, “Overwhelmingly black Zip codes have medium home values that are nearly 10 times lower than Zip codes that are white.” Deegan says the “predominantly black” northwest quadrant of town has “poverty rates five to ten times higher than other parts of our city.” Those same areas of town also “experience lower life expectancy. Nearly 10 years shorter than the rest of the city.” Deegan tells the crowd, the “predominantly black” northwest quadrant of town has “poverty rates five to ten times higher than other party of our city.” She wraps up with the statistic; “black babies in Jacksonville are three and a half times more likely to die in infancy than our white babies. Call it whatever you want. Systemic racism or racial inequality. The fact remains that race in Jacksonville still largely determines life expectancy, infant mortality, home ownership and job opportunities.”
Read more on Deegan’s MLK speech here: https://eyeonjacksonville.com/black-jax-advisory-board-now-accepting-applications/
For the record, I sent the mayor’s office and City Council an email in March asking for clarification on every single one of the mayor’s race-baiting claims. I am still waiting for a reply. Guess that promise of a seat at the table for everyone, doesn’t include me or Eye on Jacksonville. Now, I know what it feels like to be left behind by a politician.
Another reason why nonprofits are demanding city governments enforce CBAs is so that if a developer or an elected official is “unable or unwilling” to force the builder to “provide shared economic benefits,” (i.e. cash handouts), “CBAs negotiated with representative and inclusive community coalitions can play powerful role.”
During several City Council meetings and CBA special committee meetings, various groups using PowerPoint presentations explained why certain people living in certain neighborhoods can’t work, afford a home or manage to keep one and why giving their group our money allows those people to train for a job, get a job, keep the job, take them to and from the job and watch their kids so they can work the job.
One of the most infuriating aspects of each presentation is realizing how many taxpayer funded nonprofits are already working throughout the city. An Internet search reveals there are more than 9,300 currently operating in the metro area. I sent the city an email asking exactly how many nonprofits are specifically working with the Eastside. I received a reply, and it was forwarded to the city’s grants department. I will update as soon as the information is provided.
These groups have been receiving government and donated money for years on the assumption they are currently reducing homelessness, creating “affordable” housing and providing jobs training programs. If these groups are doing such amazing work solving unsolvable problems, why are we now in crisis mode?
During my research, I attempted to create a list of all the nonprofits/organizations focusing on the Eastside. It is quite a task.
BTW,this article needs a Glenn Beck chalkboard breakdown. This could be my moment. 😊
The following is what I have come up with, excluding religious organizations, in random order:
The point being, there are multiple groups and hundreds of millions of dollars being spent and already spenton the Eastside and somehow, we are now in a crisis and $40 million more is desperately needed. There are valid, measurable reasons why. But that conversation is not allowed to be had. The official party line: consolidation’s racism created special black people problems and Team Deegan can fix it all whilst revamping a few riverfront parks with $300,000,000. That is all you need to know, they say. I disagree.
Earlier this year Council Member Pittman, one of the council members who abstained voting for the CBA so her own dubious nonprofit doesn’t have to miss out (allegedly, of course), told us we need to give people from the Eastside free money to buy a house, so they can stay in the neighborhood they grew up in, even if it sucks and is the worst one in town.
In a totally unrelated story, Ju’Coby Pittman has been the CEO of the Clara White Mission for more than 30 years. The nonprofit is supposed to feed the homeless, teach adults how to adult and assist veterans with millions of taxpayer dollars. Things are going so well, back in 2021 several executive board members jumped ship at the same time accusing the mission of bad leadership. Pittman held a press conference to convince us everything is cool saying the “Clara White Mission is strong. It’s strong y’all.”
Five out of six executive board members simultaneously bailing on Pittman’s nonprofit, led to a secret COJ Inspector General investigation, which led to an even secreter FBI investigation. President Ron Salem reportedly told the Times-Union, “I don’t believe anybody on the council knew of the (inspector general investigation), much less the FBI.”
And speaking of the FBI, Pittman was awarded the FBI’s 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award for doing such an outstanding job as CEO of the Clara White Mission. Ya can’t make this stuff up folks.
The Clara White Mission was supposed to feed the homeless and keep track of meals provided in the city’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). According to the IG report, they didn’t. They also turned in files with blank spreadsheets and out of the four documented required on-site inspections, (multiple on-site inspections were required, only four were documented as actually occurring), one was completed “virtually,” the other three documents were “incomplete or illegible.” The CWM was also given $94,000 dollars to provide “veteran assistance.” They didn’t do that either, and we don’t know what happened to the money.
The IG report lays out how convoluted this all is and how easy it is for everyone to get away with “mishandling funds,” allegedly, of course.
The City Council gave the CWM several million dollars in Public Service Grant contracts over the course of five years or so. Some of that money was to be overseen by the Division of Grants & Contract Compliance (DGCC.) Oversite of some of the other grants was given to COJ’s Office of Economic Development.
The CWM’s attorney basically argued the mission cannot be held accountable for anything because the city’s DGCC and OED were charged with overseeing the grants. The IG report seems to agree, so case closed.
In another totally unrelated story… Last December, Pittman victim-shamed the son of one of the Dollar General shooting victims after he demanded transparency regarding relief funds and accused the city of using the tragedy for political gain.
Which they totally did. It was shameless. Remember, politicians will never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis.
Pittman told a local reporter, “We have no political gain over someone’s death. And I am so disappointed that the Carr family have stepped up and said that. None of the other families have did (sic.) that. Um. I think they are trying, um, unfortunately capitalize on their mother’s death.” Pittman went on to say she doesn’t have anything to hide, and she will turn over any and all fundraising records. Even if they are blank or illegible… she is an open book, y’all.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDckNNhrQR0
During one of the many “vigils”, encompassing emotional politicians, activists and cameras, Deegan told the crowd, “It is imperative that the City of Jacksonville recognizes its history of institutionalized racism. Moving past the legacy of racism and discrimination requires an acknowledgement and a commitment to build a legacy of truth.”
To help build that “legacy of truth” six different local nonprofits joined together to create the First Coast Relief Fund. The money raised during the “Healing Jax” campaign was supposed to go towards supporting the victim’s families, “addressing systemic issues that have created disparities in our communities,” and “capacity building for addressing racial inequities.” Which is code for: give us free money and we will pretend to end racism, keep most of it for ourselves and after we get caught, blame the COJ for lack of oversite – allegedly, of course.
I sent an email to the COJ and the First Coast Relief Fund (FCRF) asking how much was raised during the “Healing Jax” fundraising campaign as well as how the money is being spent. The COJ’s Public Affairs Office responded stating “fundraising and spending is not under the city’s purview” and advised asking the “charity fund owners.”
The media relations spokesperson for the FCRF responded very kindly, I might add, providing an update on the fund. The Healing Jax campaign raised $1.2 million for those “directly affected” by the murders and “to address long-term systemic racial inequalities.” The email explains the grantmaking team decided to give 20% of the money to “short-term work” in the New Town and Grand Park area and the remaining cash would fund “long-term strategies.”
For the short-term work, 23 “grassroots” and nonprofits were awarded a total of $185,000. Each group is supposed to spend the money on food security, mental health and healing. Healing costs money? These people are shameless.
The long-term strategy is a “community-wide transformation effort” coalition made up of business leaders, city officials and the mayor. The group has already established a “vision, mission and values” and they are also using “data” to highlight “disparities in Jacksonville in the areas of health, education and economic activity.” Because none of that has ever been done before.
I sent a follow-up email asking for the names of the 23 grassroots and nonprofit organizations awarded money. A link of those who have donated was provided: https://firstcoastrelieffund.org/donor-recognition-healingjax/
Not that it matters at all, but Ju’Coby Pittman serves on the City Council’s Finance Committee.
Oh, and that Homeless Information Management System that worked so well for Pittman’s people, just happens to be the same program Deegan’s recently released $14 million homelessness prevention plan will use.
I have mentioned in a previous Eye on Jacksonville article: the city shouldn’t spend millions of dollars encouraging people to open a business, move into or continue to live in dangerous neighborhoods with failing schools, dilapidated infrastructure and high rates of violent crime with no opportunity just because politicians say they should.
The truth is the sun set on the Eastside long ago. It has been rundown since the ‘60’s. The area will never change until the desire is there from those who already live there or from those willing to privately invest. It will happen, one day, organically. Like it should.
Until then, I would advise the mayor and council to stop meddling in vengeful race-based real estate development. Yes, the cash will no doubt build some stuff, but ultimately it will divide people further apart. Which is exactly what the race-based nonprofits begging for cash are trying to achieve.
Again, you don’t have to take my word for it.
The front page of the group previously mentioned — LISC Jacksonville — shows what the acronym stands for: Local, Initiatives, Support, Corp. According to the site, “LISC Jacksonville is dedicated to transforming local neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity – good places to live, work, do business, and raise a family.”
Another new phrase to learn: a community of choice. A few internet clicks led me to the site for Purpose Build Communities: https://purposebuiltcommunities.org/who-we-are/. The nonprofit proudly tells the world “We ground our work in the foundational beliefs that race and place matter.” The group wants us to know they are “dedicated to implementing resident-centered, holistic neighborhood revitalization.”
These people, without shame, openly state they have the “foundational” belief race and social status are the most important thing for a human being. A free society cannot operate with that type of shallow world view permeating below the surface. It destroys all hope and brainwashes individuals into believing their skin predetermines outcome.
This race-based ideological rot has infiltrated Jacksonville’s local nonprofits. It is intentional. They all use the same language, hoping taxpayers footing their bills do not figure out their game.
So, what led to the decline of the Eastside? Several left-wing publications have put out multiple articles attempting to explain why the area should be revitalized. None are relevant enough to force the entire city to pay for what these groups are demanding. According to one online publication, two things led to the downfall of the area. Storm damage and subsequent looting following Hurricane Dora in 1964 and a riot in 1969. In short, a white guy shot a black guy for allegedly breaking into his truck on Florida Avenue and all hell broke loose. Cars were flipped, people got shot, multiple stores burned to the ground. Revitalization attempts and even renaming the road after the black Socialist A. Philip Randolph haven’t done much to help the area.
All of this information might lead one to ask, why do we have to save it now?
The reasons given from the Deegan Administration as to why we should “invest” by force in the Eastside:
Left behind
Broken promises
Impacts
They deserve it
Uniqueness
Gentrification
Consolidation
We are also told residents and business owners are concerned they will be priced out when the area is redeveloped, so we should pay them. Some are also concerned people who do not black skin will move to the area. They said it, not me.
In June a group of people wearing orange t-shirts spoke at a council meeting in favor of giving money to the Eastside. “Out East, neighborhoods like LaVilla, neighborhoods like Brooklyn, when I grew up there most of the kids that ran around looked like me. Neighborhoods like Sugar Hill that no longer exist, many of these neighborhoods the downfall of these neighborhoods was massive development, but not development itself but development that did not complement the development with investments to stop the negative impacts of development,” one man said. That type of word salad and ideological talking points could only come from the highly educated wordsmiths operating these political nonprofits. Not the young man being used as their political pawn.
His statement sounded just like Team Deegan’s, all the other orange shirted advocates, editorials, news coverage, the mayor and everyone else working for nonprofits hoping to receive millions in free cash.
This is a coordinated effort.
We are told the money given in the CBA will go towards homelessness initiatives, workforce development and affordable housing programs the mayor already has in place. So we can assume, after we hand out $300 million Jacksonville will go down in history as the first city to eradicate homelessness by affordably housing all citizens after achieving 0% unemployment.
But is the juice really worth the squeeze?
To answer that question, we need to look at COJ’s effort along with local nonprofits at providing whatever aspect of workforce programs, homelessness initiatives and affordable housing each organization has already promised they were providing.
Let’s begin with the always undefinable “affordable housing” and the agency charged with overseeing on behalf of the city of Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) is an independent agency within the city. The seven-member board is appointed by the mayor and members create policy for the entire organization as well as hire and fire the CEO. This is a very powerful cabal. The housing authority is one of the city’s largest housing providers for those considered low income.
JHA owns a little less than 3,000 units within agency owned apartment complexes. The agency also distributes more than 7,500 federal “housing choice vouchers” to subsidize rent of those living in privately owned housing. Those numbers suggest the agency is currently funding and maintaining the housing needs of more than 10,000 people living within city limits.
That is a massive undertaking. I am only responsible for housing two children, and I still sent one to school without brushing her teeth this morning. How can seven politically appointed professionals, with their own personal life, family and career to manage, have the time and selfless compassion needed to provide suitable and safe homes for more than 10,000 people?
The JHA can’t even get its own house in order.
The following is my amateurish attempt at trying to figure out what is going on within the agency. Perhaps it has always been a corrupt dumpster fire. I cannot write to that. I can only use the information given to the universe by the media, inspector general reports and those working for the JHA.
*Disclaimer: I put this information together on my own using multiple reports, articles and statements in between school hours. I am not a professional. This is only my opinion. However, that university I previously mentioned did award me a degree in history and a local news station also let me produce the news for them for quite some time. I have also studied this stuff for 20 years, but that was before COVID. None of that stuff counts now that the science has evolved.
The JHA board was created in 1994 after an investigation revealed city owned HUD housing “failed basic tests for decent housing.” It is almost like things haven’t changed at all in 30 years.
A year or so before JHA transitioned, Fred McKinnies began his career with the troubled agency.
1995 – Ronnie Ferguson is appointed CEO of JHA by Mayor Ed Austin.
1999 – McKinnies allegedly begins sexual relationships with multiple coworkers and a JHA tenant with whom he fathered a child. Ferguson introduced McKinnies to the tenant while she was working at a flea market or possibly a restaurant. Reports are conflicting.
2013 – Fred McKinnies is named CEO of JHA after Ferguson retired.
2014 – Roslyn Mixon-Phillips joins the JHA board.
January 2017 – employee Mitchell Ray Sr. is arrested for some type of alleged sexual eviction extortion scheme.
April 2018 – Whatever Ray did or didn’t do spurred the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development to enter into a “voluntary” agreement with JHA as part of HUD’s national crackdown on sexual harassment in housing. The agreement required JHA to create a new sexual harassment policy and training for all employees. But remember, the agreement is voluntary, so they totally did it.
November 2018 – CEO Fred McKinnies goes on paid administrative leave after being accused of misconduct and Dwayne Alexander is named interim CEO.
March 2019 – employee Michell Ray Sr. is sentenced to 15 years after he was found guilty of sexual battery. Police say he was using the threat of eviction to coerce housing residents into having sex with him.
October 2019 – CEO Fred McKinnies, who taxpayers paid almost $200,000 to sit home for a year, is fired after an investigation revealed he allegedly slept with employees, promoted his sexual partners, awarded gifts, performed group sex acts with employees during work hours and fathered a child with a tenant. McKinnies said he doesn’t remember and JHA said he didn’t violate policy because his behavior only “appeared” to cause a conflict of interest.
Following McKinnies departure, JHA board Chairwoman, Roslyn Mixon-Philips claimed to take the inspector general’s investigation seriously while at the same time claiming HUD still considers JHA a “high-performing organization.” Mixon-Philips said the agency put a ban on employees “fraternizing” with tenants and created a whistle-blower policy.
February 2020 – Dennis Lohr named chief financial officer.
August 2021 – Dwayne Alexander is officially named CEO of JHA.
Early 2022 – Vanessa Dunn is named chief operating officer.
Oct. 31, 2022 – $2 million utility reimbursement program begins.
April 2023 – Investigation began involving COO Vanessa Dunn. She was accused of allegedly allowing a former tenant to move into a new unit despite ineligibility over his criminal record.
May 2023 – CFO Dennis Lohr resigned, and Deputy CFO Greg Williams was fried for “not coming to work.” I am unable to determine when Williams became CFO.
July 2023 – Mammie L. Davis is appointed interim CFO.
Oct. 31, 2023 – $2 million dollar utility reimbursement program ended.
November 2023 – JHA board tried to raise CEO Alexander’s $250,000 salary to $310,000. However, Deegan put a stop to the $60,000 pay raise fearing bad press and awarded him a $25,000 bonus instead.
December 2023 – Inspector general’s report revealed $1.7 million disappeared from the utility reimbursement program. The investigation found JHA is cleared of any wrongdoing because JHA claimed tracking the money was too hard, so they didn’t. And the agency argued, it didn’t really matter anyways because the Feds only “intended” for the money to be spent on utilities.
January 2024 – JHA Board Member Andre Green resigned over accusations of “unnecessarily spending” more than a million dollars in government money and allegedly misusing utility reimbursement cards. That same month Board Chair Christopher Walker resigned. No word on why. And then, CEO Dwayne Alexander resigned claiming Deegan pushed him out.
Feb. 2, 2024 – While possibly still under investigation, the JHA Board approved COO Vannessa Dunn as acting CEO. But she doesn’t last long.
Aug. 2, 2024 – Acting CEO Vannessa Dunn resigned. According to local news sources, internal JHA complaints accused Dunn of “unethical behavior” and “abusive practices.”
Aug. 8, 2024 – Roslyn Mixon-Phillips named interim CEO.
Aug. 29, 2024 – former CFO Greg Williams is arrested and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card after police say he used prepaid cards intended for housing residents at a local grocery store and an upscale restaurant. Williams former co-worker Dennis Lohr (who resigned in May 2023) reported 13 cards were missing totaling $650. Local reports claim a “total loss” of $9,500.
All this madness might persuade someone to ask what the LERP is going on with JHA?!
Millions of dollars disappearing, employee sexcapades, sexual eviction schemes, board members jumping ship left and right, suspiciously high rates of employee turnover and only one guy has wound up behind bars? All of this real-life drama is better than a movie, and yet not even a round of Truth or Dare with the CEO’s trouser snake on company time can snag people’s attention. Honestly, I was hooked after the chick who thinks her black boob juice cures white racism. This stuff is a gold mine people! Yet, no one cares and that is exactly how they get away with it.
It is important to note, JHA’s new CEO has had a front row seat to the depravity among the agency’s top ranks since 2014 when she became a member of the board. Mixon-Philips had a decade to help turn the place around and not much has improved.
Local TV stations have reported on the horrible conditions inside city owned properties for years. Absolutely heartbreaking stories. Most recently, Action News Jax told us about raw sewage raining down from the ceiling inside Twin Towers, a city-owned 50-year-old property on West 44th Street. More than 10 residents have endured actual human waste raining down from the ceilings and walls into their kitchen, bathroom and balconies! One man who has lived at the property for 17 years said plumbing has always been an issue, but people are desperate, and they have nowhere else to go.
Former acting CEO Vannessa Dunn released a statement after the media got a hold of the story claiming JHA takes “seriously our mission to provide safe, clean, affordable housing.” Doo-doo rain showers and urine-stained walls suggest otherwise, but don’t believe your lying eyes. Believe the JHA lady.
This is probably a good time to ask JHA’s new CEO Ms. Mixon-Phillips, if crap-stained walls and the stench of raw sewage permeating the air are great examples of a “high-performing organization.”
Action News Jax also recently reported the city is required by law to sell or donate city-owned surplus properties to build affordable housing. In 2009 the city gave away 174 parcels of land to 62 different “grantees.” Each grantee was given 5 parcels and had two years to build. Action News reported an IG investigation found out of the 62 grantees, “59 of them did not create affordable housing.” Even worse, 23 grantees sold their gifted property to a third party. At the time, local reporters tried to contact one of the grantees, a bishop who was the Executive Director of Grace and Truth Ministries but failed to reach him because he was behind bars on charges of sexual battery and molestation.
The IG report pointed out the stunning lack of accountability by the city. The report revealed the city never checked to see if properties were even “converted to affordable housing.”
Going back to that mayoral CBA signing event, Councilman Jimmy Peluso warns funding the CBA is only the beginning. They still have no idea how they are going to hand out the cash or what they are going to spend it on.
“We have to create the process of how these dollars are going to be spent. And let me tell you, is that going to be easy? It’s not. We are still going to need to have tough conversations, get members of the community involved, make sure that there’s a vision for the future, and make sure we execute it. The work is not done my friends,” Peluso said.
Peluso let us know, “under the guidance of Mike Weinstein, the smartest man ever, we are going to make sure we have a framework for success. You know, that includes continued, continued funding for the Eastside neighborhood,” he said.
Deegan also assured a local reporter they need to come up with a plan and keep the cash flowing. “We have to make sure we put the mechanism in place, not only to make sure that this money goes to the places that is needs to, but also to make sure that we put a mechanism in place to where Out East continues to get funding year after year after year to keep this going,” she said.
Remember, this article only mentioned a few of the city’s agencies and local nonprofits charged with serving the less fortunate with our money. The mayor’s top negotiator and smartest man alive, Mike Weinstein, told us the money will be given out by and overseen by local nonprofits.
After reading this analysis of how a few city agencies and nonprofits operate, do you honestly think giving away $300,000,000 to these people will spruce up a few parks and transform the most dangerous, run-down, impoverished areas of Jacksonville into a safe, affordable “choice” neighborhood for the Eastside’s established black residents? Yeah… it’s gonna be a no for me, Dawg.
