Urban Agriculture Pathways Ordinance
At a glance
- What: Ordinance 2026-0807, "Pathways to Urban Agriculture" (formerly the Free to Garden Act), which would make neighborhood-friendly community and market gardens permissible by right instead of requiring a rezoning (speakers put that cost at about 5,000 dollars).
- Where it stands: speakers on 2026-10-13 described a summer rewrite by the mayor's office and the planning department and said the bill is close to ready. The captions show no committee action yet.
- Sponsors and supporters named by speakers: Arias and Peluso introduced it; Pittman and White were thanked for support.
- Requested amendments: as written, any gathering of more than five people on a market garden counts as a "market day," capped at 12 a year (anchored to the city's garage sale limit), and workshops, garden tours and student farm days count against the same 12. Cross-sales of produce or products from other Duval County farms are forbidden. Speakers asked the council to rename them community access days, raise the limit to 70, keep exemptions for routine operations, and allow cross-sales. They said they would file their amendments with the record.
- Why speakers backed it: local food access, small growers hemmed in by code and zoning rules, vacant lots put to use, and community and youth programs. A representative of the Duval soil and water conservation district was among them.
- Official minutes (2026-10-13, City Council): 2026-0807 (Urban Agriculture; introduced by Peluso and Arias, co-sponsor Pittman) was introduced and assigned to committee. It amends Zoning Code Chapter 656 to add community gardens and market gardens requirements and to define 'Community Garden', 'Market Garden' and 'Urban Agriculture'.
Sources
- 2026-10-13 - City Council (council meeting of 2026-10-13; auto-captions)
- City Council minutes, October 13, 2026: https://jaxcityc.legistar1.com/jaxcityc/meetings/2026/10/3736_M_City_Council_26-10-13_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
- 2026-10-13 - City Council
Discussion time
About 17 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - City Council | 17 |
Log
2026-10-13 - City Council
About ten urban farmers, market managers and garden organizers backed the bill and asked for the market-day cap, cross-sale and educational-activity amendments; no council action.
Minutes: introduced and assigned.
2026-11-02 - Rules Committee
Item 2026-0807 listed for deferral on the 11/2 Rules draft agenda and NCSPHS.