In the mid-1960s, the city of Jacksonville, Florida, faced complex urban problems and challenges: loss of accreditation for local high schools, outdated infrastructure of sewage and road systems, polluted air from pulp mills and chemical plants, rampant water pollution in the St. Johns River, numerous corruption charges and grand jury indictments of public officials, widespread areas of substandard housing, lack of rudimentary city services to outlying areas, and high property taxes vis-a-vis the quality of governmental services. Multiple governmental structures, including a City Commission, City Council, County Budget Committee, and County Commission, overlapped political jurisdictions which led to inefficient, costly and duplicative services. To ameliorate these problems, key Jacksonville business and civic leaders met in 1965, and decided the solution was to merge city and county governments. After considerable planning by a Local Government Study Commission, a "Blueprint for Improvement" (1966) and a proposed Charter (1967) for a new form of consolidated metropolitan government were submitted to the Duval Legislative Delegation. The Delegation amended the Charter and adopted it as a state law subject to voter approval. The Charter was ratified by local voters in a special referendum held on August 8, 1967, which ushered in a transitional planning period of just over a year to prepare for the official establishment of the new government.
On October 1, 1968, amidst much celebration, the merger abolishing separate city and county governments and instituting the only consolidated government in the State officially occurred. An often noted and quoted fact was that the City's population instantly more than doubled to over 500,000, making it the largest city in Florida (by population), and the largest city, in land area, in the continental United States. The merger streamlined government, with the establishment of one elected Mayor, one Sheriff's Office, and a nineteen seat City Council. Other changes and improvements attributed to consolidation evolved gradually over the years: a better education system, cleaning up of the St. Johns River, expansion of law enforcement, fire, electrical and rescue service to outlying areas, lower tax rate and a broader tax base leading to major civic improvements and public works programs. Historians and observers also attribute other intangible effects to consolidation, such as a more positive image and higher visibility for the city, the creation of more jobs as businesses relocated to Jacksonville, significant local economic development and growth, the opening of a public University (UNF) in 1972, the addition in 1993 of an NFL franchise team (Jacksonville Jaguars), and the competitive advantage of hosting the 2005 Super Bowl.
From the guide to the Jacksonville, Florida, Government Consolidation Collection, 1968-2008, (Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida)
