JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s first-ever IRONMAN brought nearly 2,000 competitors to a route spanning parts of Duval and St. Johns counties this weekend, drawing crowds downtown, and prompting widespread complaints about traffic, road closures and access issues in neighborhoods like Riverside’s Five Points.
Business owners and employees along Park Street told News4JAX they supported hosting a major event but felt overlooked by the closure plan, saying customers canceled appointments, workers arrived late and parking became difficult for staff and visitors.
“A couple of our customers had to cancel their appointments because the traffic was so crammed up, so they couldn’t make it,” said Gozde Duyar, a guest relations specialist and piercing artist at Cleopatra Ink Tattoo & Piercing…