April 11--The federal government is reviewing a $5.9 million grant to hire Jacksonville firefighters because of discrimination claims against the fire department, letters the city released Thursday show.
"It has come to the attention of the department that a number of complaints and allegations of illegal discrimination have been made against JFRD regarding both its hiring and promotion practices," a Department of Homeland Security administrator wrote to General Counsel Cindy Laquidara last month.
The city isn't worried, a spokesman said.
"We are comfortable that, as the review concludes, the City will move forward under the intent of the program," said the spokesman, David DeCamp.
It's not clear how long the review will last.
Homeland Security officials asked the city to deliver 16 pieces of information, including rosters of firefighters and "a position statement on the subject matter" on the review, by late May. The city is putting together the information, DeCamp said.
When city officials announced the grant in January, they said it would allow the city to hire 67 firefighters.
DeCamp said the grant money remains "part of our financial plans" for next year's budget, which Mayor Alvin Brown will propose in July.
The federal review is touching on a time-worn topic in the fire department.
The Justice Department sued the city in 2012, saying there had been a "pattern or practice of employment discrimination" within the department. That case is still pending, and Homeland Security officials noted another federal court fight started in 2013.
The city has denied discriminating, and has consistently agreed to follow federal policies as it has received a series of earlier grants.
Despite that, the Homeland Security letter said, "we have been alerted to actual findings discussing JFRD's conduct with respect to its nondiscrimination obligations."
The letter quoted a finding from a 1995 federal court case that the "city has a history of discriminating against African-Americans in the fire department" and a 2006 report by the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission of "[f]ar too many instances of unfair or alleged discriminatory treatment."
Steve Patterson: (904) 359-4263
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