A new report ranks Jacksonville as having one of the worst quality park systems.
The city of Jacksonville claims it has the one of the largest and unique park systems in the nation with more than 400 park and recreational sites, but according to The Trust for Public Land report, the city actually has one of the lowest quality parks in large cities.
"I didn't think we'd be that bad," Jacksonville resident Betty Dunn said.
A new report ranks Jacksonville's park systems as one of the worsts. How they came to this conclusion tonight at 10 @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/tobYTSxTFw
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) May 26, 2017
The city's park score came in at No. 90 out of 100. The score is based on factors such as median park size, population and parkland as percent of adjusted city area.
"I don't think we have a serious problem, but if we are truly that far down in the top 100, we need to step up," Jacksonville resident Hugh Dunn said.
The ranking is based off of data such as the money spent on the parks per resident and the percent of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park.
"And we do need to work on that, that's something that we can do," city councilman Jim Love said.
Love said he doesn’t think the amount of money was looked at correctly.
"I believe the money spent per person is probably low because in the budget it looks low, but we spend more money from each city councilperson, so that changes the number," Love said.
An Action News Jax investigation earlier this month revealed that 10 public athletic fields are locked and closed off to neighborhood kids to prevent vandalism.
But some people said that is where they need parks the most.
"Well it does seem like there aren't a lot of parks close by, even this one I had to drive to,” Sheila Litwhiler said.
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Dunn said he thinks the city can increase its ranking.
"They need to go out and look at the other parks in the other cities," Dunn said.
And overall, Love doesn’t think the city should have been ranked that low.
"I knew it couldn't be exactly right because we have a lot of parks and lot of area compared to any other city," Love said.
According to the report, most people in Jacksonville live more than a 10-minute walk from the park.
To see The Trust For Public Land's ParkScore 2017, click here.
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