Nearly $50M Downtown Publix incentive deal heads to full Jacksonville City Council after deadlock in committee

A nearly $50 million incentive package for a planned downtown Publix is headed to the full Jacksonville City Council Tuesday, after Council President Nick Howland discharged the legislation from committee Thursday night.The move came after the City Council Finance Committee deadlocked 3-3 on the proposal Wednesday, leaving its future in Howland’s hands.In an email to News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee Friday morning, Howland said he had pushed to delay the vote until Council had a better understanding of the city’s finances following the passage of Amendment 3.“I pushed for the bill’s deferral a few weeks ago so that Council would vote on it AFTER we had a better idea of our City’s financial posture following the result of A3,” Howland wrote. “The people have spoken on A3. The vote will occur Tuesday night. I will not support the bill as it stands.”Howland’s decision to discharge the bill clears the way for a full Council vote, but his opposition adds another hurdle for the developer as