Public expected to take stand against Latham Park changes at Jax Beach City Council meeting

Princess Jhané Stepherson,Allison Matthews
·2 min read

It’s been one week since the Jacksonville Beach City Council met to discuss the final plans for the redesign of Latham Plaza and Seawalk Pavilion.

However, some people aren’t happy about it, saying a redesign could negatively impact residents and small business owners. Tonight, residents are being called to speak out against the changes in a petition that is gaining traction online.

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The City Council meeting is tonight at 6 p.m., and the petition’s organizer said that because of the construction that will need to take place for these new designs, Jacksonville Beach is in danger of losing its green space and business from event producers when the plaza is shut down for over a year, which will pause all festivals.

The organizer also said that no one from the City Council or the design firm reached out to event producers about the final conceptual designs for Latham Park and the Seawalk Pavillion.

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The mayor of Jacksonville Beach, Chris Hoffman, said that new plans for the area are meant to capitalize on the local economy.

Meanwhile, John McGowan, the organizer for Jax Beach art markets held in Latham Park, said decreasing the amount of event space in the area could impact more than the event promoters.

“That significantly reduces the amount of vendors, significantly reduces the amount of revenue for the event producers and it reduces revenue for the city because people will not be renting this facility anymore,” McGowan told Action News Jax.

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According to the petition website, public commentary on the matter is welcomed at 6 p.m. at 113rd Street North in Jacksonville Beach.

The petition also has almost 1,100 of its desired 1,500 signatures to try and, “Stop changes to Latham Plaza and Seawalk Pavillion.”

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