Jacksonville's $2 Billion Budget Takes Effect With Record Public Safety Spending and Restored Housing Fund

Jacksonville's new $2 billion city budget took effect Oct. 1, launching a 2026-27 fiscal year that includes record funding for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, more money for road resurfacing and septic tank removal, and $4.9 million restored to the city's affordable housing trust fund after a late fight on the City Council floor.

The City Council approved Mayor Donna Deegan's spending plan on an 18-1 vote on Tuesday night, Sept. 22. Council member Rory Diamond cast the lone dissenting vote; Diamond, a second-term member, has never voted to approve a city budget, according to local reports.

The budget includes a General Fund of $2,026,502,015 and a Capital Improvement Plan of $586,110,854, according to the mayor's office. For the second year in a row, the administration said, the budget is balanced without drawing any money from city reserves.

What is in the budget

Public safety accounts for the largest share of spending. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department together receive more than $1 billion in the new budget, with both agencies receiving increases to continue providing services, according to the mayor's office and local coverage. Local reports described the funding for police and fire as record levels for the city.

The plan also includes a $13.2 million increase to the city's roadway resurfacing budget and a $16 million increase for the septic tank phaseout program, according to the mayor's budget presentation. The septic program, which connects older neighborhoods to central sewer service, has been a long-running priority for residents in parts of the city where failing septic systems have contributed to water quality problems in the St. Johns River and its tributaries.

The mayor's office described the budget as continuing investments in public safety, infrastructure, health, housing, homelessness, economic development and quality of life initiatives that it said have bipartisan support. Public service grants, which fund nonprofit organizations that deliver services for the city, were fully funded in the final budget after their status had been in question during council review, according to local reports.

The fight over affordable housing money

The most visible change made on the council floor involved affordable housing. During its line-by-line review, the council's Finance Committee removed $4.9 million in proposed funding for affordable housing measures from the budget, according to local reports.

Council members Matt Carlucci and Ron Salem brought amendments on Sept. 22 to restore the money to the affordable housing trust fund, and those amendments succeeded before the final vote. Carlucci had publicly urged colleagues earlier in September to put the money back, arguing that the city needed to keep investing in housing that working families can afford.

The debate played out against questions about how quickly the city spends housing dollars. Local reporting in the spring found that Jacksonville had roughly $13 million in unspent affordable housing funding, a figure that some council members cited as a reason for caution and that housing advocates said reflected the time it takes to line up projects and partners rather than a lack of need.

Public safety at the center

As in most Florida local governments, public safety is the single largest piece of Jacksonville's operating budget. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff T.K. Waters, serves as the primary law enforcement agency for the consolidated city and county and also runs the city's jail. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue provides fire suppression and emergency medical services across the same sprawling territory.

Because the two agencies together account for more than $1 billion of spending, changes in their budgets largely drive the overall direction of the General Fund. Increases for public safety typically reflect negotiated pay raises for police officers and firefighters, pension contributions, new hires, vehicles and equipment, and costs tied to opening or staffing new stations as the city grows.

Council members across party lines have generally supported public safety increases in recent budget cycles, which helps explain why this year's plan drew broad support. The debate on the council floor focused instead on smaller dollar items such as housing and nonprofit grants, where members had more differences about priorities.

Growth on the city's edges, particularly in the fast-developing areas of north and southwest Jacksonville, has added pressure to extend police, fire and road services to new neighborhoods, a trend city leaders have cited in recent years as a driver of rising costs.

A calmer vote than last year

The 18-1 margin marked a sharp contrast with the city's budget fight a year earlier. In September 2025, the council approved the 2025-26 budget after a marathon session that lasted more than 13 hours and voted 10-9 to cut the city's property tax rate, diverging from Deegan's recommendation to keep the rate unchanged.

That session also featured a heated dispute over amendments from Diamond that restricted city spending on abortion-related services, assistance for undocumented residents, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Deegan publicly criticized those last-minute additions at the time, calling them divisive distractions from the city's core budget work.

This year's process was quieter. In July, when the council set the maximum property tax rate that the city could levy, members held that ceiling steady, according to local reports, effectively ruling out a tax increase and limiting the room for another floor fight over the rate. Local outlets described the final product as a lean budget, with the Finance Committee trimming items during its review and the full council making targeted additions.

Background: How Jacksonville builds a budget

Jacksonville operates as a consolidated city and county government, an arrangement adopted in 1968 that merged the city of Jacksonville with Duval County. The 19-member City Council, made up of 14 district members and five at-large members, approves the budget proposed by the mayor each year.

The process begins in July, when the mayor presents a proposed budget to the council. The Finance Committee then holds a series of hearings in August and early September, reviewing each department's request with help from the Council Auditor's Office. The full council takes a final vote in September so the budget can take effect with the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, the same date used by Florida counties and most Florida cities.

Deegan, a Democrat and former television news anchor, took office in 2023 as the first woman elected mayor of Jacksonville. She is serving her first term, and the next Jacksonville mayoral election is scheduled for 2027, which means the 2026-27 budget is the last full budget she will oversee before voters weigh in on her tenure.

What it means for Jacksonville residents

For residents, the most noticeable effects of the new budget are likely to come through public safety staffing, road work and neighborhood infrastructure. The resurfacing increase is intended to accelerate repaving on city streets, and the septic phaseout funding will move additional neighborhoods closer to connection to central sewer lines.

The restored housing trust fund money gives the city additional resources to support affordable housing development and preservation, at a time when rents and home prices across Northeast Florida have climbed sharply over the past several years. Housing advocates have argued that consistent annual funding is important to give developers and nonprofit partners confidence to plan projects.

The full funding of public service grants means nonprofit organizations that provide services ranging from senior programs to youth services and homelessness assistance can plan for the year without the uncertainty that hung over the grants during council review.

The Florida context

Jacksonville's budget debate unfolded alongside a statewide conversation about property taxes. A proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes is on the November ballot, and local governments across Florida have warned that changes to the property tax system could constrain future budgets. Florida cities and counties rely heavily on property tax revenue to pay for law enforcement, fire rescue, parks, libraries and other core services.

Like other large Florida local governments, Jacksonville has faced rising costs for public safety pay and pensions, insurance and construction. Holding the tax rate steady while increasing spending depends in large part on growth in taxable property values, as new homes and businesses are added across Duval County and existing properties are reassessed.

Jacksonville is Florida's most populous city and one of the largest cities by land area in the continental United States, which means the cost of maintaining roads, drainage and utilities is spread across a very large footprint.

What's next

With the budget in effect, the City Council resumes its regular committee schedule next week after a fifth-week break with no meetings from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. The Rules Committee and the Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee meet Monday, Oct. 5, and the Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Land Use and Zoning Committee meet Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to the council's calendar.

Any changes to the budget during the year, such as moving money between accounts or appropriating new grant dollars, will come to the council as separate legislation that goes through the committee process before a full council vote.

The city's TRUE Commission, a citizen advisory body that reviews city finances and government efficiency, meets Thursday, Oct. 8, at City Hall.

Over the coming months, the council will monitor how quickly departments put the new money to work, particularly the restored housing funds and the septic and resurfacing programs, while the 2027 mayoral race begins to take shape around many of the same budget priorities.