JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Changes are coming to Jacksonville’s Park Safety Council after an Action News Jax investigation.
The group was created by executive order in 2020, following the 2017 death of Amari Harley at Bruce Park in Arlington. The toddler died after falling into an unsecured septic tank.
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In May, Action News Jax told you how the six-member volunteer group has been plagued by attendance issues for years, preventing it from doing the work it was created to do, reviewing park inspections and putting out reports so that your family can know about safety at local parks.
Chair of the Park Safety Council, Bruce Tyson, told Action News Jax the group has only put out one report since they started meeting in 2021.
Tyson said over the years, he has repeatedly asked whether the executive order could be amended to lower the quorum threshold to three instead of four, and whether the application process for bringing on new volunteers could be improved.
“I’ve made that request to several different people and entities, and so far I’ve seen no action on it,” Tyson said.
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After our report in May, a city spokesperson told us they would consider amending the executive order to lower the quorum requirement. But earlier this month, a city spokesperson told Action News Jax they appointed a new member to the Park Safety Council and that they “should have a quorum” for Monday’s meeting.
In a statement, city spokesperson Phil Perry said in part, “It’s our intention to see if these new positions smooth out the past quorum challenges before we look to update the executive order that created the Council.”
The newly appointed member did show up for Monday’s meeting, but only three people showed up altogether so the group still did not have enough members to conduct any official business.
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Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes spoke with Tyson after Monday’s meeting, and he said, “I appreciate the city’s efforts to get new members but would appreciate the mayor’s office consider revising the executive order so that official business can be conducted in situations such as today.”
Action News Jax reached out to the city to find out if the mayor will now make that change and a spokesperson said, “Yes – we will move forward with an amendment to reduce the quorum from 4 to 3 members.”
We will keep you updated on the process.
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