JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Plans to modernize Venetia Elementary School have cleared a major hurdle, but the path forward remains paved with community scrutiny. During a meeting on Friday, the Joint Planning Committee, representing both the City of Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), officially greenlit a proposal to demolish the existing structure and construct a new facility.
The committee’s decision effectively ends any debate regarding renovations, with officials concluding that the cost of updating the aging building far exceeds the price of a total rebuild. The approved plan aims for a new campus with a capacity of 840 students.
However, the approval is not unconditional. Recognizing the significant anxiety among local residents, the committee is mandating a comprehensive traffic study to evaluate the impact on ingress and egress around Roosevelt Boulevard and Timucuan Road. These traffic concerns have remained a focal point of public discourse throughout the planning process.
The project has undergone several revisions following intense community pushback. Last September, the school board initially proposed a much larger facility designed to hold 1,200 students. After parents and local advocates voiced strong opposition to the scale of the expansion, the district scaled the capacity down to its current 840-student target.
The pressure to rebuild is driven by broader district consolidation efforts. DCPS has already voted to merge Ortega Elementary into the Venetia campus at the conclusion of the 2027-2028 school year. Once combined, the new facility is expected to serve approximately 814 students, aligning closely with the proposed capacity.
While the district explored several alternative locations for the consolidated school—including sites such as John Stockton, Timucuan, Bay View, Fishweir, and Sadie T. Tillis elementaries—officials ultimately determined that none of those properties possessed the necessary footprint or infrastructure to support the project.
City Council Member Rahman Johnson acknowledged the intensity of the community response, noting that the school’s future has become a central issue for many residents.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of calls, emails, text messages, carrier pigeons, whatever you say about Venetia,” Johnson said during the proceedings. “A lot of people don’t want the school to go, and they also don’t want it to be as large as it’s pre-slated to be. We’re in that place of figuring out what to do.”
While Friday’s decision marks a significant step, the matter is not yet settled. The Joint Planning Committee’s recommendation will now move forward to the Duval County School Board for a final, binding decision. As the project advances, the results of the upcoming traffic study are expected to play a critical role in how the final design is implemented.
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