Group: Put Mayport in new district for council Waterfront Partnership says representative is spread too thin and area overlooked.

Drew Dixon
February 20, 2010

MAYPORT - Frustrated by what some call a lack of representation, members of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership want their community represented by a different Jacksonville City Council district.

"One of the things that we might want to change is our representation from District 11" on the council, partnership member Sandra Tuttle said.

Chairman Gary Crumley agreed it may be time to shift Mayport from the district represented by Councilman Ray Holt. District 11 is the city's largest, a huge geographic area that encompasses swaths of agricultural area and the suburban developments on the Northside.

"We have looked to the leadership of Ray Holt to assist us on City Council. It's our hope he'd consider taking an interest in Mayport," Crumley said after Tuesday's partnership meeting.

"Our feeling is he has not taken the full measure of interest because his district is too large," Crumley said. "He's got too many areas to cover."

Holt said he's given Mayport plenty of attention and that he was instrumental in blocking a low-income housing development that was planned for construction next to Hanna Park.

Balancing Mayport into a complicated geographic district has required effort and Holt said he's never backed away from that.

"If anyone wants to call my office and if they want to talk to me about an issue, I certainly can assist them," Holt said Wednesday. "When you have different pockets in your district, most of them feel like they're the redheaded step-child of the council. I hear that everywhere I go. I get the same thing in Oceanway, and that's where I live."

Holt said he can't afford to favor one area of his district over another.

"I'm here to serve all those folks," Holt said. "I'm happy to advocate for them."

Tuttle said Mayport would be better served if it were represented by District 2, which covers most of East Arlington and is represented by Bill Bishop, or District 3, which covers the Southside and along the Intracoastal Waterway . District 3 is represented by Council President Richard Clark.

"I'm very honored that they would suggest I would make a good representative for them," Clark said. "It does make some sense; the entire eastern line of my district is waterfront from the Intracoastal all the way out to the [ St. Johns ] River."

While council redistricting happens every 10 years after the U.S. Census, Clark said he's never heard of a governmental entity such as the Waterfront Partnership suggesting changing the lines on behalf of an area.

"It's new to me," Clark said.

Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said he's equally surprised at the Waterfront Partnership's suggested district change based on the needs of the advisory group that serves the City Council.

But Holland said redistricting work will begin in 2011 after the U.S. Census is complete. Beyond the politics, he said Mayport may be shifted into a different council district because Holt's district has grown so significantly in population.

Holland said Clark's district might make a good geographic fit since it is close to Mayport; or he said the District 13 seat running from Jacksonville Beach to Atlantic Beach could match. That seat is represented by Art Graham, who this month replaced John Meserve, who was suspended from the council after he was charged with illegally profiting from land deals in Mayport.

Still, Holland said there have been radical changes in council geographic districts before. District 13 used to represent the Westside and was switched to the Beaches in the 2001 redistricting because of population growth.

Holland participated in that redistricting as part of a committee when he was on the council. He said his office wants to be more involved in redistricting next year and he said no matter the final boundaries of a district, no changes would take effect until 2015, to provide a buffer against any current political influences.

But Crumley said he's troubled that Holt supported the city's proposed cruise ship terminal at Mayport, a plan that's been put on hold.

"His allegiances for the development of a cruise ship in Mayport ... I think that kind of soured some people in terms of his ability to support us adequately if he's not serving our needs," Crumley said.

Holt said that while Mayport may ultimately be assigned a new district based on population factors, disputes over the cruise ship terminal won't determine the district lines.

"I'll just have to respectfully disagree, I suppose," Holt said. "I feel like having the cruise ship terminal ... would have been a really positive change for the area.

"It's not about me winning a popularity contest," Holt said. "It's about me making the best decision for the community. There are going to be times when people disagree with me. I respect them, too."

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.