JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council voted down a resolution Tuesday night that would have urged the city to keep any future jail out of historically redlined neighborhoods — after emotional public comment and a debate among council members.
The resolution, introduced by Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, was framed as a way to set “guardrails” as Jacksonville begins the early process of considering a replacement or relocation of the Duval County Jail in downtown Jacksonville.
What the resolution proposed
The resolution would have put City Council on record recommending that any future pre-trial detention facility or corrections center not be located in areas labeled “hazardous,” or Grade D, on 1937–1940 Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) residential security maps — a system widely linked to redlining and discriminatory housing practices.
The legislation also encouraged environmental justice, equitable development and community engagement in any site-selection process…