City Council Prez under scrutiny as employer receives millions in city grants

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Jacksonville City Council President under scrutiny as employer receives millions in city grants

By Ben Becker, Action News Jax
October 21, 2025 at 6:47 pm EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico is facing tough questions from Action News Jax over whether he benefits directly or indirectly from millions in city grant money being allocated to his employer, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida.

Carrico, who earns a six-figure salary as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the nonprofit, said he follows all ethics rules, abstains from related votes, and discloses his employment in official forms.

Still, the overlap between his public role and his professional one is prompting calls for greater scrutiny and transparency.

$12M in grants for 2025-2026

As council president, Carrico plays a key role in shaping Jacksonville's budget priorities. At the same time, the Kids Hope Alliance (KHA), a city-funded agency with a $50 million budget, has allocated over $12.2 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. That's three times more than any other organization KHA supports.

Despite KHA's most recent public report showing the nonprofit receiving only about $3 million, Action News Jax uncovered the full $12.2 million figure through a public records request.

"I would love to review that site or anyone with [the Office of General Counsel] to make sure they are accurately reporting that," Carrico said in response to the discrepancy.


Salary growth tracks with grant increases

The funding boost also coincides with Carrico's rise in pay at the nonprofit. According to state filings, his salary increased from $111,500 several years ago to $149,000, not including the $60,000 he earns annually as a council member.

KHA's support for the Boys & Girls Clubs has steadily increased year-over-year:

Fiscal Year   KHA Grant to Boys & Girls Clubs
2019-2020   $5.27 million
2020-2021   $7.74 million
2021-2022   $8.02 million
2022-2023   $8.65 million
2023-2024   $9.71 million
2024-2025   $12.99 million
2025-2026   $12.36 million
Carrico joined the council in a 2020 special election, became vice president in 2024, and assumed the presidency in 2025.

"With growth [at Boys & Girls Clubs] comes more revenue and a more complex job," Carrico said, defending the correlation between increased grant money and his rising salary.

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https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/jacksonville-city-council-president-under-scrutiny-employer-receives-millions-city-grants/ZJNUOAB55ZDUNKRYICVDUM4UB4/#

[Charles Hunter]

And this, at the end of the article, is why there are these problems

As for Carrico, he wouldn't object to another elected official being in a similar position.

"Politically, if someone had the same situation, would you have a problem with it?" he was asked by Becker.

"I wouldn't have a problem with it. No," Carrico replied.

He, and I am sure others, have no problems with such apparent conflicts of interest. As long as the rules, written by other City Councils, are followed, "there's no problem."