Jacksonville Beach will use a $23,813 state grant to remove invasive Brazilian pepper from the 43-acre Cradle Creek Preserve along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The City Council voted unanimously to accept the funding through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, known as FWC, and its Upland Invasive Plant Management Program, as first reported by the Beach Gazette on Sept. 22.

One resident's email sparked the effort

It started with one email. Roxanne deSousa, who lives in the Marshside subdivision next to the preserve, noticed the shrub spreading through the property in February and contacted Council member Sandy Golding.

"They heard her concern and they applied for funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and got over $23,000 from the state to be able to address the Brazilian pepper," Golding said at the meeting, crediting the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

DeSousa thanked the city for its follow-through. She said the pepper had been stifling native plants and that bird life in the area had diminished significantly.

Brazilian pepper, which originated in South America, forms dense thickets that crowd out other vegetation. Volunteers with the Timucuan Parks Foundation cleared it from Cradle Creek during a 2020 Weed Wrangle event, but it returned.

How the state grant will work

Under the grant, Jacksonville Beach will not handle the money directly. FWC will issue the purchase order and pay the contractor. The city's role covers staff coordination, site access, project oversight and future maintenance of the treated areas.

The FWC program, established in 1997 under Florida Statute 369.252, funds invasive plant control on public conservation lands statewide. Projects are recommended by regional working groups, including the First Coast Invasive Working Group. The program has invested $282.7 million in nearly 3,800 operations over almost 30 years, the Beach Gazette reported.

Golding said local tax dollars are not paying for the work itself but do fund the department that coordinated the grant application and responded to deSousa.

Preserve stays open while work awaits

No start date has been announced. Cradle Creek Preserve, which includes marsh, wetlands, trails, boardwalks and a kayak and canoe landing, remains open to the public.