Guide to the Jacksonville, Florida, Government Consolidation Collection
Collection Number: M07-3
Title: Jacksonville, Florida, Government Consolidation
Collection
Dates: 1968-2008
Extent: 2.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Repository: Manuscripts and Personal Papers, Thomas
G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida
ABSTRACT
On October 1, 1968, the governments of the city of Jacksonville, Florida
and Duval County merged into one unified
and consolidated government. The collection
contains newspaper clippings which provide insight, commentary,
and documentation on this transformative era in Jacksonville history.
Special Florida Times-Union newspaper supplements from October
1, 1968, and October 1, 1969, provide extensive details on the
history and background of the governmental merger. Additional newsclippings
marking the consolidation anniversaries of 1993 and 2008 update
the changes and developments attributed to consolidation in
the intervening years.
LANGUAGE English.
ACQUISITION
Majority of materials donated by Hans G. Tanzler, Jr., former Mayor of
Jacksonville from 1967-1979.
ACCESS TO THE COLLECTION
The collection is open for research. For additional information and
to make an appointment to view the collection, contact E. Brady at
904-620-1533; email: ebrady@unf.edu
PREFERRED CITATION
Jacksonville, Florida, Government Consolidation Collection,
Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida, Jacksonville,
Florida.
RELATED MATERIALS AT UNF LIBRARY
Crooks, James B. Jacksonville : the consolidation story, from civil rights
to the Jaguars. Gainesville : University Press of Florida, c2004.
Hancock, Robert. The history of area planning in Jacksonville, Duval
County, Florida : historical background, 1513-1810, 1811- 1899, 1900-1960
: area planning, 1961-66 : consolidation, 1967-69. [Jacksonville,
Fla.] : Jacksonville Area Planning Board, [1971]
Jacksonville, Florida, merges city and county governments. Washington,
D.C. : Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, c1968.
Jacksonville, the inside story [videorecording] / [presented by]
Florida Community College at Jacksonville ; a Lifelong Learning production ; produced by Kathleen Clower. Jacksonville, Fla. : Florida Community
College at Jacksonville, c1988.
Martin, Richard A. A
quiet revolution : Jacksonville-Duval County consolidation and the
dynamics of urban political reform. [Jacksonville, Fla.] : White
Pub. Co., c1993.
Race relations [videorecording] / [produced by] UNF Humanities
Council ; producer, James Crooks; project director, Carolyn Williams.
Jacksonville, Fla. : University of North Florida, 1993. (Jacksonville
civic leaders discuss the racial situation in Jacksonville prior
to consolidation of the city and county government on October 1,
1968. They share their perceptions of how consolidation helped begin
the move toward racial equality in Jacksonville and discuss what
has yet to be accomplished if racial equality is to be achieved.)
Reflections & rededication [videorecording] : 25 years of consolidation
/ produced by Carolyn Broughton, Capt. Rob Sorensen [for the City
of Jacksonville]. [1993] (Marks the October 1, 1993, 25th anniversary
of consolidated city/county government in Jacksonville, Florida, by
reviewing the conditions which motivated the move to a consolidated
form of government and the numerous changes which can be attributed to consolidation.)
Towers, William Benjamin. The Duval County-Jacksonville experience
: a case study of the consolidation movement in local government.
[1947] Thesis.
Wright. L. M.
A summary of "Consolidation: Jacksonville-Duval
County, the dynamics of urban political reform" presented to
the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Charter Commission, September 9, 1969,
by L.M. Wright, Jr. [S.l. : s.n., 1969]
BIOGRAPHICAL / HISTORICAL NOTE
In the mid-1960s, the city of Jacksonville, Florida, faced complex urban
problems and challenges: loss of accreditation for local high schools,
collapsing and outdated infrastructure of sewage and road systems, heavily
polluted air from pulp mills and chemical plants, rampant water pollution
in the St. Johns River, numerous corruption charges and grand jury
indictments of public officials, widespread areas of substandard housing,
lack of rudimentary city services to outlying areas, and high property
taxes vis-a-vis the quality of governmental services. Multiple governmental
structures, including a City Commission, City Council, County Budget Committee,
and County Commission, overlapped political jurisdictions which led to
inefficient, costly and duplicative services. To ameliorate these problems,
key Jacksonville business and civic leaders met in 1965, and decided the
solution was to merge city and county governments. After considerable planning
by a Local Government Study Commission, a "Blueprint
for Improvement" (1966) and a proposed Charter (1967)
for a new form of consolidated metropolitan government were submitted
to the Duval Legislative Delegation. The Delegation amended the Charter
and adopted it as a state law subject to voter approval. The Charter
was ratified by local voters in a special referendum held on August 8,
1967, which ushered in a transitional planning period of just over a year
to prepare for the official establishment of the new government.
On October 1, 1968, amidst much celebration, the merger abolishing
separate city and county governments and instituting the only consolidated
government in the State officially occurred.
An often noted and quoted fact was that the City's population instantly
more than doubled to over 500,000, making it the largest city in Florida
(by population), and the largest city, in land area, in the continental
United States. The merger streamlined government, with the establishment
of one elected Mayor, one Sheriff's Office, and a nineteen seat City Council.
Other changes and improvements attributed to consolidation evolved gradually
over the years: a better education system, cleaning up of the St. Johns
River, expansion of law enforcement, fire, electrical and rescue service
to outlying areas, lower tax rate and a broader tax base leading to major
civic improvements and public works programs. Historians and observers
also attribute other intangible effects to consolidation, such as a more
positive image and higher visibility for the city, the creation of more
jobs as businesses relocated to Jacksonville, significant local economic
development and growth, the opening of a public University (UNF) in 1972,
the addition in 1993 of an NFL franchise team (Jacksonville Jaguars), and
the competitive advantage of hosting the 2005 Super Bowl.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists of newspaper clippings pertaining to the
consolidation of city and county governments in Jacksonville,
Florida on October 1, 1968. Articles describe historical
developments leading to the merger, and provide commentary and analysis
on the changes, perceived accomplishments and progress attributed to
consolidation from 1968 to date. Special Florida Times-Union newspaper
supplements include a multi-section edition published on October 1,
1968, and another supplement, dated October 1, 1969, marking the one-year
anniversary of the merger.
ARRANGEMENT
Chronological.
INDEX TERMS
The following terms have been used to index the description of
this collection in the Library's online catalog:
Metropolitan government -- Florida -- Jacksonville.
Jacksonville (Fla.) -- Politics and government.
Jacksonville (Fla.) -- History.
Duval County (Fla.) -- Politics and government.
Florida -- Politics and government -- 1951-
CONTAINER LIST
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PRINTED MATERIALS |
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1-6 |
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Newspaper articles, special
edition supplements.
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1968: Times-Union and Journal. Jacksonville, Fla. : Times-Union
and Journal, October 1, 1968. Special Supplement; 84 pages.
Section
AA: "Giant Step. Consolidation: The Thrust of New Leadership."
Section
BB: "Giant Step. Jacksonville - Duval: One People One Government."
Section CC: "Giant Step... to a Bold New City."
Section DD: "Giant
Step. The Economy: Flexing its Muscles."
Section EE: "Giant Step.
The Outlook: Opportunities Unlimited."
Section FF: "Giant Step. The
Constitution: Bridge to the Future."
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1968: "C-Day in the Land of a Giant. Tanzler: Let's Take the
Floodtide."
Jacksonville, Fla. : Jacksonville Journal, October 1, 1968. 14 pages. |
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4 |
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1969: Times-Union and Journal. Jacksonville,
Fla. : Times-Union and Journal, October 1, 1969. Special Supplement;
52 pages.
Section A: "Giant
Step...Plus One. The Lawmakers."
Section B: "Giant
Step...Plus One. The Administrators."
Section C: "Giant
Step...Plus One. The Independents."
Section D: "Giant
Step...Plus One. Point of View." |
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1993: "Bigger, bolder,
brighter, better, A quarter-century later - progress, problems."
Jacksonville, Fla. : The Florida Times-Union, September 26, 1993.
Insight Section E. 8 pages. |
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2008: "Jacksonville's Consolidation -
40 years later, Where do we stand today?" Jacksonville, Fla.
: The Florida Times-Union, September 28, 2008. Section A, page 1,
column 1. |
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6 |
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2008: "Jacksonville's Consolidation -
40 years later, What it was like before consolidation." Jacksonville,
Fla. : The Florida Times-Union, September 28, 2008. Section A, page
15, column 1. |
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6 |
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2008: "Jacksonville's Consolidation -
40 years later, These people helped consolidation come together." Jacksonville,
Fla. : The Florida Times-Union, September 28, 2008. Section A, page
16, column 1. |
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6 |
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2008: Editorial: "Consolidation - Still
working." Jacksonville,
Fla. : The Florida Times-Union, September 28, 2008. Section B, page
6, column 1. |
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6 |
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2008: Viewpoint by Richard Mullaney: "Consolidation
changed Jacksonville's image." Jacksonville, Fla. : The Florida
Times-Union, September 28, 2008. Section B, page 7, column 1. |
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6 |
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2008: Viewpoint by Tonyaa Weathersbee: "Consolidation
represents no celebration for many blacks." Jacksonville,
Fla. : The Florida Times-Union, October 1, 2008. Section B, page
7, column 3. |
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2008: Viewpoint, In Reply by Earl Johnson,
Jr.: "Consolidation
has been a major asset for blacks." Jacksonville, Fla. : The
Florida Times-Union, October 9, 2008. Section B, page 5, column 1. |
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