Interlocal Agreements with the City of Jacksonville

July 10, 2025 Update:

The City of Atlantic Beach and the City of Jacksonville are considering modifying the financial provisions of their agreement for fire and rescue services. This adjustment would decrease the annual payment from the City of Atlantic Beach to the City of Jacksonville from $1.5 million to $750,000, effective for the fiscal period spanning June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026. This revised structure will yield a direct saving of $750,000 for Atlantic Beach taxpayers during the specified one-year term. Both entities are committed to a thorough and diligent process of reviewing and evaluating the existing broader Interlocal Agreement. This comprehensive review will encompass a third-party assessment of the intergovernmental arrangement and an examination of applicable local and state statutes, with the ultimate objective of developing a formal amendment to the current agreement or establishing a completely new Interlocal Agreement. Here is the City Commission's July 14, 2025, meeting agenda item on this matter.

Background:
 
The cities of Jacksonville and Atlantic Beach have multiple interlocal agreements in place, as is common between a large county-level government (Jacksonville, as a consolidated city-county) and its smaller, independent municipalities within the county. Key interlocal agreements between the City of Jacksonville and the City of Atlantic Beach are routinely extended or updated to ensure the continued provision of essential shared services.

 Here are some of the key agreements: 

• Fire and Rescue Services:
  • This is a significant and long-standing agreement. This agreement was extended for two years on June 1, 2024. Under this agreement, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department continues to provide 24-hour Advanced Life Support Fire and Rescue Services to Atlantic Beach. Atlantic Beach pays Jacksonville for these services, with the amount adjusted annually. This agreement has been in place for over 25 years and is a crucial shared service.
• General Interlocal Agreement (1982, amended 1996):
  • The foundation for many shared services between Jacksonville and the Beaches cities (Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach) is the 1982 Interlocal Agreement, which was amended in 1996. This agreement was established to resolve disputes over tax distribution and shared government services after the consolidation of Jacksonville and Duval County. It outlines which services Jacksonville provides to the beach cities in exchange for a portion of their property tax dollars (e.g., Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Courts, Libraries, Jails, County Road Construction/Maintenance, etc.).
• 9-1-1 Services:
  1. An interlocal agreement for 9-1-1 services outlines the distribution of 9-1-1 User Fees to Atlantic Beach for its pro-rata share of call taker salaries and other related expenses.
• Dutton Island Preserve:
  1. There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Jacksonville and the City of Atlantic Beach for the joint operation of Dutton Island Preserve.
• Sea and Sky Spectacular:
  1. There's also an interlocal agreement related to the conduct of the Sea and Sky Spectacular among Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and U.S. Naval Station Mayport/Jacksonville.