Addendum to 2026 Fundraiser Letter
Street Repaving
Over the past year, JEA has repaired and renovated water and sewer lines throughout the neighborhood. That work required excavation and subsequent paving of affected streets. JEA and the City of Jacksonville’s Department of Public Works have different understandings of how much of each street JEA must repave.
Jennell Milton, JEA’s Government Relations Associate, told me that JEA’s position is that it must repave only the excavated half of a street when the damage does not cross the center line. Public Works’ position is that JEA should repave from curb to curb. I raised our concerns with Public Works Director Nina Sickler at Mayor Deegan’s town hall meeting at Ortega Elementary School last month. She is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it.
Separately, Public Works inspects Duval County roads every two years and scores their condition on a scale of 0 to 100. Roads that fall below a designated score are scheduled for resurfacing. Mayor Deegan’s proposed budget for next year includes a significant increase in resurfacing funds. If approved, that funding could allow more roads to qualify.
Flock Security Camera Update
On August 31, 2026, Sheriff T. K. Waters directed the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to stop using license plate reader cameras immediately. Commander Jonathan Randolph of JSO’s Real-Time Crime Center confirmed to me that JSO was no longer accessing these cameras anywhere in Duval County. Our Flock dashboard also shows no JSO access to our cameras since August 31.
The broader question is how license plate reader cameras can support public safety while protecting people from inappropriate surveillance. District 7 Councilman Jimmy Peluso recently suggested a 120-day statewide pause to give legislators time to study the issue and consider enforceable safeguards.
At its recent meeting, the OFA board discussed three options: keep our Flock cameras, switch to another provider, or discontinue the cameras. Flock’s system has been reliable and easy to use, and it has strengthened its controls. Commander Randolph has described its value in investigations and missing-person cases. At the same time, concerns about trust in Flock deserve serious attention. Switching providers might address some of those concerns, though another system could raise similar questions. Removing the cameras would eliminate their surveillance capabilities, along with their potential value in investigations.
Our neighborhood first installed cameras about 20 years ago after a neighbor was carjacked in her driveway by someone who had followed her home. When that original system became unreliable and difficult to maintain, we moved to Flock about six years ago. Its images can provide useful information to law enforcement quickly.
For now, the cameras remain active, but JSO is not accessing them directly. If JSO requests help with a serious incident, we can decide whether to retrieve relevant images and share them. If you report a crime, please mention the neighborhood cameras and ask the responding officer to contact me at president@ortegaforest.org.
Our lease is not up for renewal until January 2027. That gives us time to consider our options and see how the situation develops.
I welcome your thoughtful comments on the subject using the survey form below. Survey closes Friday, November 6 at 5:00pm.