Lawmakers inserted millions of dollars for Jacksonville area items. Here's what they'd do.

David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union
·8 min read
People walk by the main building of Flagler College in St. Augustine in 2018. The building, completed in 1888, was once the Hotel Ponce de Leon. The proposed state budget contains $35 million for extensive structural remodeling of the building that is used for student housing.
People walk by the main building of Flagler College in St. Augustine in 2018. The building, completed in 1888, was once the Hotel Ponce de Leon. The proposed state budget contains $35 million for extensive structural remodeling of the building that is used for student housing.
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A new University of Florida campus in Jacksonville, an extensive overhaul of the historic Hotel Ponce de Leon at Flagler College in St. Augustine, replacement of cranes at Jacksonville's port, road projects in St. Johns County and expansion of the University of North Florida's business college are among the big-ticket items that state lawmakers added to the proposed state budget.

Other proposals would help pay for buying out houses in St. Johns County that have been continuously jeopardized by coastal erosion and also put state dollars into curbing the persistent flooding problems in downtown St. Augustine.

Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke favorably about the potential construction of a UF graduate center in Jacksonville when he made a stop Tuesday in Jacksonville for a separate bill-signing ceremony.

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He said his office still will review the budget line by line after the Legislature sends it to him. The member-sponsored projects are not the biggest part of the state budget in terms of impact on government services, but they get the most scrutiny by governors and typically result in line-item vetoes of some projects.

Here are the member-supported projects in the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

Duval County

$75 million: A new University of Florida Health and Financial Technology Graduate Education Center in Jacksonville that would also require financial support by city of Jacksonville and private donors.

$30 million: JaxPort replacement of two aging cranes. A funding request from the Sen. Clay Yarborough stipulates JaxPort would contract with a non-Chinese entity to build, ship and install the cranes.

$26.3 million: University of North Florida Coggin College of Business building expansion and upgrades to enable the addition of more graduate-level degrees and research.

$8.2 million: Operation New Hope to assist people in transition from prison.

$7.4 million: University of North Florida Brooks College of Health remodel.

$5 million: Wolfson Children’s Hospital pediatric behavioral health unit.

$5 million: Ocearch research and operations center at Mayport in partnership between Ocearch, Jacksonville University and the city of Jacksonville.

In 2013, Ocearch was able to successfully tag and release Lydia, the first great white shark tagged off the coast of Jacksonville. The shark weighed in at approximately 2,000 pounds and measured 14 feet, 6 inches.
In 2013, Ocearch was able to successfully tag and release Lydia, the first great white shark tagged off the coast of Jacksonville. The shark weighed in at approximately 2,000 pounds and measured 14 feet, 6 inches.

$1.5 million: Gateway Community services for North Florida Addiction Stabilization and Detoxification Building.

$1.2 million: Expansion of Cornerstone Classical Academy, a charter school in the Duval County School District.

$1 million: Expansion of KIPP, a charter school in Duval County, for school capacity growth.

$1 million: NAMI Jacksonville for family and peer support.

$855,000: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for emergency rescue and response equipment.

$750,000: City of Jacksonville for Christobel septic tank phase-out project.

$741,000: Gateway Community Services for Project Save Lives.

$666,500: Florida State College at Jacksonville for Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success, which will renovate existing space for program that will identify and serve veteran and military-connected students.

$600,000: Smart North Florida pilot program that will help communities across Florida use technology that improves service and reduces cost.

$550,000: Project Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare for Project Talks.

$500,000: Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association would use the money for its USS Orleck floating museum. The association would work on downtown Jacksonville pier where ship is docked and retrofit the dash hanger of the ship.

The USS Orleck move in April to its new berth in downtown Jacksonville where it will be a floating museum.
The USS Orleck move in April to its new berth in downtown Jacksonville where it will be a floating museum.

$500,000: Expansion of Agape Community Health Center's program for providing in-school health and wellness services.

$500,000: Agape School healthcare expansion (the program has two allocations in the proposed budget).

$500,000: Atlantic Beach aquatic gardens and Hopkins Creek flood mitigation, phase 4.

$500,000: Restoration of the Casket Factory building for the Jacksonville Music History Museum.

$450,000: Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center for Girl Matters: Continuity of Care program.

$374,000: Five Star Veterans Center for homeless housing and reintegration project.

$350,000: Wayman Academy of the Arts, a charter school in Duval County, for campus improvements and extending the length of the school day to serve more students in the city's urban core.

$350,000: JAX Chamber for The Bridges Competitive Small Business Initiative.

$300,000: Jacksonville School for Autism transition and employment placement.

$300,000: Exchange Club of Northeast Florida for Exchange Parent Aide program.

$300,000: LJD Jewish Family and Community Services for mental health programs.

$280,000: River Region Human Services for Derya Williams Campus renovations.

$250,000: The Fire Watch Project for preventing veteran suicides.

$250,000: City of Jacksonville Beach for conversion from using chlorine at water and wastewater treatment plants.

$220,000: River Region Human Services for Derya Williams Campus renovations.

$175,000: Certified Teens, a program of Teen Leaders of America, that introduces students to careers in trades.

$150,000: Wayman Academy of the Arts (school has two appropriations in the budget).

$150,000: Project Cold Case Inc. raises awareness of unsolved homicides and serves families of victims.

$130,000: Museum of Science and History for MOSH Steam Mobilab.

St. Johns County 

$35 million: Structural remodeling of the historic Hotel Ponce de Leon on the Flagler College campus to preserve the National Historic Landmark building. The structural repairs will enable 400 Flagler College students to continue living in the building and keep the Ponce open for public visits and tours.

$15 million: St. Johns County for design and construction of work to expand traffic capacity on County Road 2209 from Silverleaf Parkway to Florida 16, and make safety modifications from Silverleaf Parkway to Florida 9B.

$10 million: City of St. Augustine resiliency initiative for Lake Maria Sanchez to protect downtown and nearby neighborhoods from flooding. The city will chip in $2.875 million and also use almost $20 million federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Tropical storm Nicole caused Florida A1A in downtown St. Augustine to flood on Nov. 10, 2022. Even without heavy storms like Nicole, flooding has become a more frequent problem for St. Augustine.
Tropical storm Nicole caused Florida A1A in downtown St. Augustine to flood on Nov. 10, 2022. Even without heavy storms like Nicole, flooding has become a more frequent problem for St. Augustine.

$7.9 million: Flagler Hospital for its Brave Program.

$6 million: Florida A1A intersection modifications.

$6 million: County Road 210 at U.S. 1 interchange improvements.

$5.9 million: St. Johns County Police Athletic League youth sports complex.

$5 million: St. Johns County for the Summer Haven Managed Retreat program for the purchase or residential properties along a former segment of A1A where years of attempts at stabilizing the beach have failed to prevent continuing coastal erosion.

$3.6 million: City of St. Augustine for maintenance and rehabilitation of several historic buildings including the Alcazar Hotel, the Pena-Peck House and the St. Augustine Visitor's Information Center.

$3 million: West Augustine Health and Wellness Center.

$2.3 million: St. Augustine affordable housing funding for sewer force main extension and lift station.

$2 million: St. Johns County for U.S. 1 at Pine Island intersection improvements

$1 million: K9s for Warriors for veteran mental health support.

$1 million: St. Augustine Youth Services for new independent living village apartment units

$750,000: St. Johns EPIC Recovery Center for women’s substance abuse residential treatment

$750,000: City of St. Augustine for Anastasia Island Fire Station for design, engineering and site preparation

$400,000: St. Johns County Parks Foundation for Relocation and restoration of a house that has links to a visit by Martin Luther King Jr. to St. Augustine in 1964 during the civil rights movement.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. points to a bullet hole in a glass sliding door of a home he was scheduled to stay in on Atlantic View, south of St. Augustine, in 1964.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. points to a bullet hole in a glass sliding door of a home he was scheduled to stay in on Atlantic View, south of St. Augustine, in 1964.

$400,000: Northeast Florida 21st Century Workforce Development

$366,000: St. Johns EPIC for behavioral healthcare treatment facility and capacity expansion

$210,900: St. Johns EPIC for behavioral healthcare treatment facility and capacity expansion

Clay County 

$3 million: Clay County Substance Abuse Recovery Center.

$1.5 million: Clay County Sheriff's Office for Northeast Florida Intercept Task Force that investigates and assists with the prosecution of child exploitation and human trafficking cases.

Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook, shown at a news conference, spearheaded the request for $1.5 million in state support for the Northeast Florida Intercept Task Force.
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook, shown at a news conference, spearheaded the request for $1.5 million in state support for the Northeast Florida Intercept Task Force.

$1.5 million: Clay County for constructing turn lanes for access to the Clay County Multi-Purpose Youth Sports Complex.

$1 million: Construction and development of Clay County Multi-Purpose Youth Sports Complex to cover rising costs without reducing the scope of the regional sports complex.

$750,000: Clay County for Fire Station No. 20 serving Green Cove Springs.

$750,000: Clay County for Fire Station No. 24 serving Virginia Village.

$750,000: Clay County for public safety warehouse facility.

$724,000: AMIkids gender specific prevention programs.

$500,000: Clay Behavioral Health Center for community crisis prevention team.

$500,000: Clay County Utility Authority for Peters Creek water reclamation project.

$500,000: Clay County Utility Authority for Swimming Pen Creek water reclamation project.

$500,000: Orange Park for Black Creek to Doctors Lake trail connection.

$450,000: YMCA of Florida’s First Coast for Immokalee Unique Abilities Center, phase three of multipurpose facility.

$270,000: Clay County School District expansion of workforce development.

$250,000: Clay County Youth Alternative to Secured Detention program.

$213,500: Clay County School District expansion of Elevation Academy for increasing number of students who earn high school diplomas.

$197,300: Clay County School District expansion of workforce development.

Nassau County

$5.9 million: Town of Hilliard for community center that also would be hurricane shelter.

$2 million: Nassau County Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council for Starting Point Behavioral Health Building expansion.

$1.5 million: Nassau County for County Road 108 extension providing a second east-west route parallel to Florida 200/A1A.

$1 million: Nassau County for Piney Island/Amelia River resiliency and development mitigation.

$1 million: City of Fernandina Beach for historic downtown resiliency seawall construction project. Fernandina Beach will do a nine-phase construction of a seawall along the entire 1.1 mile historic downtown riverfront. The city has finished the first phase and state money would go toward second phase and portion of third phase.

Historic downtown Fernandina Beach, shown here during the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, would get $1 million for construction of a downtown resiliency seawall construction project in the 2023-24 state budget.
Historic downtown Fernandina Beach, shown here during the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, would get $1 million for construction of a downtown resiliency seawall construction project in the 2023-24 state budget.

$625,000: Nassau County for Spring Lake Estates drainage improvements.

$500,000: Nassau County for public transportation improvements.

$400,000: Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida for Camp Deep Pond.

$285,000: Town of Hilliard for 6th Street paving.

$225,000: Nassau County for Amelia Island Trail phase 5 feasibility study.

$110,000: Nassau County Youth Alternative to Secured Detention.

Baker County

$2 million: Northeast Florida State Hospital for water treatment plant improvements.

$650,000: Baker County for new pumper/tanker fire apparatus.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida Legislature backs big Jacksonville area projects in budget