Raul Arias Jacksonville City Councilman - District 11

Friday morning, 10AM Town Hall? I’m in🤗

The agenda was simple: open conversation about anything and everything that matters to our community.

Great conversation today with neighbors at Artisan Lakes in Nocatee the southernmost part of District 11.

We covered a lot: Downtown’s future, infrastructure, public safety, and the growing conversation around e-bikes and upcoming state legislation.

I host these every other month, and it’s always great to see more communities getting involved and staying engaged.

Thank you for having me, looking forward to the next one✅

Had a great week connecting with our community. I met with residents from Del Webb Sweetwater and E-Town on back to back days for my District 11 town halls.

We had great conversations covering topics like safety with JSO, homelessness and the PATH team with JFRD, roads and infrastructure with Public Works, parks including Fort Family Park and Deerwood Rotary Children’s Park, and services available for our seniors.

Some people call this work, but I call it connecting with our community. Grateful for the residents and city team members who came out to be part of the conversation.

Looking forward to continuing these meetings throughout the year✨

This marks my second year reading to 4th graders at River City Science Academy and once again it was an incredible experience.

The students were engaged, curious and asked thoughtful questions about the role of a city council member. Reading with them and having those conversations was truly rewarding.

And for the first time ever… I was asked for autographs. I guess city council is officially cool now. 📚😄

Good morning. As many of you are aware, I have deferred the animal stray hold legislation for an additional two weeks to ensure departments address the concerns raised by our community.

I will be holding a publicly noticed meeting on Tuesday, January 13, in the Henry Cook Room at City Hall to bring the department and community together for continued discussion.

Please come out, ask questions, and be part of the conversation. I look forward to seeing you there.

After meeting with so many passionate pet lovers this week, I’m committed to keeping this conversation going and improving our pet community.

Earlier in the week, CM Diamond, Chief Bricker, Director Reichard, and I held a publicly noticed meeting to kick things off. Today, I continued that dialogue in the community to hear directly about the concerns surrounding the pet adoption process.

The list of issues is long, but one thing is clear: these are challenges we can fix at ACPS. The City of Jacksonville hears you, and we won’t stop working until our shelters meet and exceed your expectations.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to join these meetings, share your experiences, and help move solutions forward. Your voices matter

It was an honor to speak last night in front of a full room of hoteliers and entrepreneurs right here in Jacksonville.

We discussed the importance of tourism in our city and how working together helps ensure our community stays safe and thriving.

Special thanks to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for sharing new safety initiatives and to Nicole from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association for providing key legislative updates impacting our hospitality industry.

Thank you to the Asian American Hotel Owners Association for bringing us all together to strengthen our community and to Jitan for continuing to stay engaged and committed to Jacksonville’s growth and success. 🌆👏

Great start to the day running with the Marathon High Run Club and students from all across Jacksonville including Atlantic Coast right here in District 11! 🏃‍♂️💨

These students were flying out there… glad I managed to keep up (for the most part 😅)

When Council President Kevin Carrico appointed me as this year’s Jacksonville Finance Chair, I asked myself one thing: how can we make a real impact for our families?

The answer was simple: lower taxes, reduce debt, and protect our reserves. Last night after a 13.5 hour council session we accomplished all three. ✅

We passed the largest budget in Jacksonville’s history at $2.2 Billion, while also delivering a $13.4 Million property tax cut for our taxpayers.

This budget invests in programs our families rely on expanding healthcare access, fighting food insecurity, and increasing senior services funding from $150k last year to over $1.7 Million this year.

The process isn’t perfect, and it’s not always pretty, but it works. And through it, I’ve realized just how much I love this city and its people. 💙

This is just the start and we’ll continue moving forward with balance and patience.

Had the pleasure of attending Atlantic Coast High’s ribbon cutting ceremony for their brand new artificial turf field, unveiled during their matchup against Sandalwood High.

It was great catching up with Travis, who teaches History at ACHS, School Board Member Melody Bulduc, and of course our 2024 Principal of the Year, Dr. Michael George.

Best part of the night? The Stingrays brought home the win 40–37! 🏈✨

As Finance Chair, my mission was clear: lower taxes, reduce debt, and build reserves all while protecting services for our most vulnerable. And we did just that.

With a city budget of over $2 billion and more than $240M in additional revenue collected in just 2 years, it’s clear: this isn’t government money, it’s your money. Families are overpaying, and it’s time we say: enough is enough.

That’s why I’m proud to stand with my colleagues to deliver a millage cut and real relief for our citizens! All while still funding $1.7M for Meals on Wheels to feed our homebound seniors, adding $2M more to children’s services (totaling nearly $59M), $1.5M for 24/7 Telehealth, plus major investments in public safety and infrastructure.

All this, while STILL lowering property taxes. Who says it can’t be done? With teamwork, discipline, and focus anything is possible.

Huge thanks to my colleagues on the Finance Committee! Because of your hard work, we’re able to give our citizens both the services they need and the relief they deserve.

Big thanks to Gerrie Ford, ECA to Council Member Terrance Freeman, for another incredible back-to-school giveaway! It was great to spend some time with her and my colleague Council Member Chris Miller.

By 11 AM, 2,746 students had already received supplies and she’s not done yet! Next weekend, she’s teaming up with Durham School Services to deliver even more to neighborhoods in need.

Gerrie, you’re a true community hero! 👏📚