The City of Jacksonville’s Military Affairs and Veterans Department received a $322,500 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force (FDSTF) to support the department’s Encroachment Protection Program, which promotes compatible land use in the Military Influence Zone (MIZ) of Duval County Navy bases and installations.
 
The program prevents development that would severely impact the mission of local Navy bases by acquiring restrictive use easements over properties that fall in the MIZ. To purchase land from willing property owners, the Navy provides 75% of the funding while the City is responsible for the remaining 25%; the City receives grants, like the one awarded by the FDSTF, to make its contribution. Over the past 11 years, approximately 1,300 acres have been protected from incompatible development. The FDSTF grant will help leverage $967,500 of Federal Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration funds for future projects.
 
“Our city has a strong relationship with the military, particularly the U.S. Navy,” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “This funding will ensure that our bases and installations are protected from development that is incompatible with the operations that secure our freedom.”