The following results are from a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida.
Read the Story: UNF Poll Finds Majority Favors Referendum on Jax Beach Fire Dept. Merger Question
What is the most important problem facing Jacksonville Beach?
| Answer Options | Jax Beach Residents |
| Crime | 21% |
| Environment | 6% |
| Development/Growth | 9% |
| Bars/Bar Crowd | 1% |
| Traffic | 7% |
| Non-Residents | 2% |
| Economy | 4% |
| Overcrowding | 3% |
| Homelessness | 15% |
| Fire Department Contract | 1% |
| Parking | 8% |
| Other | 14% |
| Don’t Know | 1% |
| Refusal | 7% |
| Answer Options | Democrats | Republicans |
| Crime | 21% | 20% |
| Environment | 13% | 3% |
| Development/Growth | 12% | 10% |
| Bars/Bar Crowd | 3% | <1% |
| Traffic | 8% | 6% |
| Non-Residents | 1% | 3% |
| Economy | 6% | 3% |
| Overcrowding | 3% | 4% |
| Homelessness | 10% | 18% |
| Fire Department Contract | 1% | – |
| Parking | 6% | 11% |
| Other | 13% | 12% |
| Don’t Know | 1% | 1% |
| Refusal | 3% | 8% |
Recently, the Jacksonville Beach city council has been discussing the proposed Fire Service Agreement between the City of Jacksonville Beach and the City of Jacksonville. This agreement would contract out the Jacksonville Beach Fire Department to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for a county-wide, consolidated service provision. How familiar are you with this Fire Service Agreement?
| Answer Options | Jax Beach Residents |
| Not at all familiar | 39% |
| Slightly familiar | 28% |
| Moderately familiar | 24% |
| Extremely familiar | 10% |
| Don’t Know/Refusal | – |
Do you support or oppose the City of Jacksonville Beach contracting out its fire services to the City of Jacksonville?
| Answer Options | Jax Beach Residents |
| Support | 46% |
| Oppose | 41% |
| Don’t Know/Refusal | 13% |
| Answer Options | Democrats | Republicans |
| Support | 43% | 45% |
| Oppose | 42% | 43% |
| Don’t Know/Refusal | 14% | 12% |
Should the Jacksonville Beach City Council call for a binding referendum to approve the terms and conditions of the Fire Service Agreement?
| Answer Options | Jax Beach Residents |
| Yes | 61% |
| No | 26% |
| Don’t Know | 13% |
| Answer Options | Democrats | Republicans |
| Yes | 67% | 58% |
| No | 23% | 28% |
| Don’t Know/Refusal | 10% | 14% |
Currently, the City of Jacksonville Beach has no regulation of short-term vacation rentals beyond regulation of nuisance behavior such as noise, parking, garbage and other life-safety issues. From the list below select all of the ordinances that the City of Jacksonville Beach should add to their regulation of short-term vacation rentals.
| Answer Options | Jax Beach Residents |
| Requirement for registration with the City | 40% |
| Proof of business tax receipts from County and City | 30% |
| Proof of certificate of registration with Department of Revenue | 29% |
| Proof of license from Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation | 31% |
| Multiple minimum life-safety requirements to meet the standards of the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Code including: 1. Smoke/CO detectors (including specialized for hearing impaired) 2. Automatic sprinkler system for three stories and more | 50% |
| Maximum occupancy limitations | 58% |
| Off-street parking standards | 56% |
| Solid waste handling requirements | 43% |
| Requirement to comply with all other City regulations including noise limits, setbacks, stormwater, etc. as it may be applicable | 63% |
| Initial and ongoing compliance inspections by the Building Official and/or Fire Marshall | 40% |
| Required language for lease agreements and postings | 32% |
| Designation of a responsible party available 24/7 | 50% |
| Enforcement by the Code Enforcement Special Magistrate | 29% |
| Fines and Fees | 34% |
| No additional regulations | 16% |
Survey Demographics
| Party Registration | Jax Beach Residents |
| Democrat | 24% |
| Republican | 51% |
| NPA and other | 25% |
| Age | Jax Beach Residents |
| 18 to 24 | 7% |
| 25 to 34 | 20% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% |
| 45 to 55 | 16% |
| 56 to 64 | 18% |
| 65 and older | 22% |
| Race | Jax Beach Residents |
| White (not Hispanic) | 89% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3% |
| Hispanic | 3% |
| Other | 5% |
| Sex | Jax Beach Residents |
| Male | 48% |
| Female | 52% |
| Education | Jax Beach Residents |
| Less than high school | – |
| High school graduate | 5% |
| Some college | 35% |
| College graduate | 33% |
| Post graduate degree | 26% |
| Refusal | 1% |
Methodology
The UNF Jacksonville Beach Poll was conducted and sponsored by the Public Opinion Research Lab at UNF from Monday, May 6, through Sunday, May 12, through email via Qualtrics, an online survey platform. The sample frame was comprised of registered voters who reside in Jacksonville Beach. The email addresses used for this survey were sourced from the January 9 update of the Florida Voter File. Those who had an email address were sent the questionnaire May 6 at 3:46 p.m. A reminder email was sent to unfinished respondents May 9 at 3:53 p.m., and then May 11 at 10 a.m. Overall, there were 343 completed surveys of registered Jacksonville Beach voters, 18 years of age or older.
The margin of sampling error for the total sample is +/- 5.3 percentage points. Data was weighted by partisan registration, age, sex, race, and education. Education weights were created based on the 2017 American Community Survey. Partisan registration, age, sex, and race weights were created from the January 9, 2019, update of the Florida voter file to match the active voters in Jacksonville Beach. All weighted demographic variables were applied using the SPSS version 23 rake weighting function, which won’t assign a weight if one of the demographics being weighted on is missing. Individuals without a weight were manually given a weight of 1. There were no statistical adjustments made due to design effects. This study had a 16.8 percent response rate. The American Association of Public Opinion Research Response Rate 3 calculation was used, which consists of an estimate of what proportion of cases of unknown eligibility are truly eligible. This survey was sponsored by the UNF PORL and directed by Dr. Michael Binder, UNF associate professor of political science.
The PORL is a full-service survey research facility that provides tailored research to fulfill each client’s individual needs from political, economic, social and cultural projects. The PORL opened in 2001 and is an independent, non-partisan center, a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organization. As members of AAPOR, the PORL’s goal is to support sound and ethical practices in the conduct of survey and public opinion research. Moreover, the PORL is a charter member of the AAPOR Transparency Initiative and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations.