Jacksonville City Council votes to create new taxing district in Baymeadows

The Jacksonville City Council passed a measure to create a new taxing district in the Baymeadows area on Tuesday night in a 9-8 vote.

It’s called the Baymeadows Community Improvement District (BCID) plan.

You can see a map of the areas affected here:

Councilmember Danny Becton who backed the legislation, said on his website:

“The BCID provides for the creation of a local representative government body. The ‘BCID Board’ is comprised of 7 Commissioners that would be elected by community membership, to manage and work on behalf of its members in resolving these issues which overlap and are not being served by the dysfunctional coordination of its current homeowner association bodies. This government body would be able to generate a Non-Ad Valorem Assessment from its members only upon the creation of a budget and the annual approval of that budget by the Jacksonville City Council.”

In a rare move, Becton abstained from a vote because he said he owns property here and considers that a conflict of interest.

Becton goes on to say on his website that the funds would go towards “improving and enhancing roadways, fixing and improving drainage and storm water systems.”

But some property owners disagree with paying for improvements that won’t really benefit them.

“We have taxation without any representation,” Anthony Maria said. “We can’t figure out why the city couldn’t take over those roads.”

Maria has lived in the Baymeadows neighborhood since 2006. He feels the taxes would be unfairly distributed when comparing his condo association to surrounding areas.

“From what we’ve been told, it’s approximately $400 a unit in here,” he said of the estimated yearly increase.

He calculates it to be about a $33 a month. But, nearby apartments, “would probably up their rent $2 or $3 dollars a year,” he said.

As the treasurer of the board for his condo association, Maria worries about whether his neighbors could afford it.

“The people here, the majority, they’re retired so they just live on a fixed income,” he explained.

“Even if we have to go up $5 or $10, it’s a burden to them,” he added.

The next step is for all the private and commercial properties to be assessed so the district can establish a budget, and city council will vote on whether to approve that budget.

“We’ll have to wait and see what they do,” Maria said.

We reached out to Becton for an interview to learn about the reasons he supported the plan, and we are waiting to hear back.

Baymeadows Community Improvement Plan means more taxes for some Jacksonville residents

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