JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Conversations around the safety of downtown Jacksonville have been swirling following the recent decision by Citizens Insurance to leave downtown. 

Safety concerns raised by employees played a role in the company’s decision to move out.

First Coast News spoke with a handful of people who work in downtown Jacksonville about these safety concerns.

Gili’s Kitchen has been a staple of downtown Jacksonville since 2018. Owner Ricki Ben Simon said she has not always felt safe downtown, but things have improved since the statewide ban on public sleeping went into effect in October 2024.

“It’s cleaner, it’s nicer and it’s definitely safer lately,” Ben Simon explained.

Herb Turner just started working at an office downtown. He said he feels safe in downtown Jacksonville but has concerns with the city’s homeless population.

“It’s just not the opportunity to take a walk or enjoy a break and then get back to work,” Turner said.

First Coast News looked into data from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Crime Map. The numbers on this map are approximates, but since this time last year, the map only shows one murder or non-negligent manslaughter in the downtown area. This is compared to three the year before. The number of aggravated assaults appears to be around the same over the last two years along with the number of thefts. 

First Coast News reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for more context surrounding this data, and we are still waiting to hear back.

In the meantime, City Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, who represents downtown Jacksonville, weighed in. He said he understands people’s concerns, and he is working with Jacksonville City Council and the mayor’s office to address the issue and help those experiencing homelessness.

“Frankly, we need to do more. We need to do a lot more. A lot of my colleagues cut out most of the homelessness stuff in last year’s budget, and right now we’re kind of doing piecemeal approaches to fix the problem. We have the PATH team led by JFRD, which is doing a great job, but at the end of the day, the mayor’s office and myself advocated for more resources to get the homeless out of downtown and into some more housing,” Peluso said.

Peluso believes the new development downtown will only ease people’s worries.

“What I believe is that when you walk outside and you see more people around, you don’t really see that one or two individuals that’s unhoused, or when you see a lot of people around, you feel just safer naturally, better lighting, more street level activity. That’s what’s really going to kind of breed things and make people want to be in the downtown environment,” Peluso said.

First Coast News received updated numbers on the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department’s PATH Team, which connects homeless people to services in Jacksonville. Since the initiative started back in November 2024, 438 people experiencing homelessness have been connected to shelters and services.