The City of Jacksonville was recognized in the 2021 Census Best Practices Showcase for our partnerships and strategic efforts for the 2020 Census.
To ensure that our city earned its fair share of federal funding to support vital programs in housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, public policy, and more, I formed the Duval Counts Complete Count Committee to develop community-wide partnerships and media strategy to ensure an accurate count throughout our community.
We engaged with more than 115 strategic partner organizations in 17 key industries through approximately 105 community meetings and presentations. Our team also brought together a network of Community Ambassadors, a group of local leaders and trusted voices to share the 2020 Census message and encourage community participation.
The City also managed a $150,000 media campaign to encourage citizen participation, with a specific focus on undercounted communities. My team and I launched this campaign in a news conference last year.
And when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our daily lives, we adapted and found new ways to encourage the Jacksonville community to participate. We put up signage at COVID-19 testing sites, sent our alerts through out JaxReady Emergency Preparedness system, shared materials through our relief programs, and included reminders in our regular media briefings.
Because of these efforts, we saw a 4.5% increase in self-responses over the last Census in 2010 and moved from 22nd to 11th out of all 67 Florida counties.
I could not be prouder of my team and our community partners for making this possible, helping to ensure that Jacksonville gets every dollar in federal funding we deserve. The Duval Counts Complete Count Committee included Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Stephanie Burch, Director of Strategic Partnerships Dawn Lockhart, Director of Community Affairs Dr. Charles Moreland, Director of Public Affairs Nikki Kimbleton, Strategic Partnerships Coordinator Sarah Schmidt, and Director of Planning & Development Bill Killingsworth.
And thanks to you, Jacksonville, for making your mark and being counted in the 2020 Census!
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