🚨 IMPORTANT PETITION UPDATE: This Fight Is Now About More Than a Sidewalk

Our petition has now grown to more than 4,600 signatures, and your support is making a difference. Since this petition began, several new developments have made the Mandarin Road sidewalk project even more troubling. 🔹 JTA’s Financial Crisis Recent reporting indicates JTA is carrying more than $15 million in unpaid bills, with millions already more than 60 days past due. City Council liaison to JTA, Rory Diamond, has publicly stated the agency is facing a structural deficit and needs to cut spending. That raises a serious question: Why is JTA continuing to pursue a costly discretionary sidewalk project while struggling to pay its existing bills? 🔹 Costs Have Escalated Dramatically This project originally received a $3 million federal grant, with JTA providing a local match. However, information previously provided by JTA indicated the estimated cost had already grown to at least $6.75 million, even before additional inflation and unforeseen construction expenses. The project has since been shortened, but cost overruns remain a real possibility. 🔹 Environmental Concerns Continue A resident recently photographed what appears to be a state-protected gopher tortoise within the Mandarin Road corridor. To our knowledge, JTA has not applied for environmental permits or wildlife review through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission related to this protected species. If protected wildlife is present, those concerns deserve careful review before any project moves forward. 🔹 Taxpayer Dollars Matter This is no longer just about a sidewalk. It is about responsible government, fiscal accountability, and ensuring scarce taxpayer dollars are spent where they are truly needed. When an agency reportedly owes more than $15 million, it should be focusing on paying its obligations and maintaining essential transportation services—not advancing an expensive project that thousands of residents oppose. Please continue sharing this petition with your friends, neighbors, family, and fellow Jacksonville taxpayers. Every signature sends a message that fiscal responsibility matters, environmental laws should be respected, and taxpayer money should be spent wisely. Together, we can continue to demonstrate that the people of Mandarin—and residents across Jacksonville—expect better stewardship of our tax dollars. Please sign, share, and help us reach 5,000 signatures. Every voice counts.