JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It was a tragedy felt across the city of Jacksonville in October of 2017.
Three-year-old Amari Harley died after falling into an unsecured septic tank at Bruce Park in Arlington. His death sparked outrage, lawsuits and promises to improve park safety and accountability.
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Action News Jax has learned that a special council established in the wake of Amari’s death to make sure families know about the safety of local parks has not been able to complete its duties for years.
After Amari’s death, his family eventually settled out of court with both the contractor responsible for maintaining the septic tank and the City of Jacksonville.
But beyond the financial settlement, the family pushed for systemic change, calling on the city to establish a Public Facilities Safety Officer and provide greater transparency to families about the condition and safety of local parks.
That effort resulted in Executive Order 2020-01, signed by former Mayor Lenny Curry, which established the Jacksonville Park Safety Council.
The six-member volunteer body of people from each of the city’s planning districts was tasked with developing written park safety standards, reviewing park inspections conducted by the safety officer, and publishing quarterly reports for the mayor, city council, and media.
Under the executive order, a quorum, or majority, of four members is required to vote on items and finalize those quarterly reports. Each report is also required to include the following language in the introduction, “This report is submitted in memory of Amari Harley and is a testament to the need to remain ever vigilant.”
But after reviewing years of Park Safety Council documents, Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes found the group has been unable to fulfill its mandate because not enough members are showing up.
Bruce Tyson, who has served as the volunteer chair of the Park Safety Council since it launched in 2021, said the attendance problem has plagued the group. When asked what percentage of meetings have lacked a quorum, Tyson said, “At least 75 percent.”
Tyson also revealed the Park Safety Council has only put out one quarterly report on park conditions for the public. Tyson said, “One, because we didn’t have a quorum for any more.” Action News Jax found the quarterly report Tyson referenced was released in 2022.
Tyson said the Park Safety Council members who consistently attend meetings take their responsibilities seriously.
“We’ve done our job as far as writing the safety standards. We’ve done our part as far as reviewing the [park] inspections and going over them,” Tyson said. “The thing we have not been able to accomplish is the transparent part, putting out the reports that we’ve been generating, or that would’ve been generated had we had a quorum to pass them.”
Tyson said 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.
Tyson also told Action News Jax he was informed at the start of 2026 that two new volunteers would be joining the Park Safety Council. But Tyson said so far, neither has attended any meetings, so the quorum issue persists.
Action News Jax took our findings to Attorney Kay Harper Williams, who represented the family of Amari Harley. She said the news was both frustrating and deeply troubling.
“To hear that a large component of what we worked to achieve here in protecting kids in the city going forward is not actually materializing in the way that we intended is frustrating. It’s sad, and it requires attention,” she said.
Despite having already served beyond his initial term, Tyson said he is determined to see it through.
“I’m not giving it up until we get it going. I’m committed to getting the Park Safety Council where it needs to be,” Tyson said.
Williams echoed that sentiment and encouraged city leaders to take action.
“I would hope that this story spurs action and we don’t have to evaluate any sort of legal remedies here, because it’s honestly the right thing to do. It’s what we owe to Amari Harley and to the children of Jacksonville. It’s the least we can do,” Williams said.
The Park Safety Council met on Monday, May 18, 2026, the day before this report aired. Action News Jax confirmed that once again, there was not a quorum.
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Action News Jax reached out to the city with several questions, including whether current Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration was aware of the longstanding quorum issue and if any action would be taken to amend the existing executive order. A City of Jacksonville spokesperson sent the following statement:
“The administration is considering an amendment to the current Park Safety Council quorum requirement. At present, the requirement states that 4 out of the 6 appointed members must be present in order to establish a quorum.
“To help improve flexibility and ensure meetings can proceed and reports can still be voted on when attendance conflicts arise, we would revise the quorum requirement to reflect a simple majority of the appointed members, specifically changing the requirement to 50% or 3 members present to establish a quorum.
“This adjustment would still maintain adequate representation while helping avoid delays in conducting council business due to scheduling or attendance challenges.
“At the same time, prioritizing safety along with regular inspections remains a top priority for the City and the Parks Department.”
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Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes asked the city spokesperson when the administration could look into amending the executive order and what the process would involve.
The city spokesperson said that the mayor can draft a new order which would be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel before being signed by the mayor. The spokesperson said the proposed change to the executive order could take several weeks to review.
Action News Jax will continue to follow this story and provide details on any developments.
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