Jacksonville's golf cart lease proposal for Bent Creek Golf Course remained pending after a September 8 public hearing and second reading. Ordinance 2026-675 would require course operator Jax Golf Management to arrange a lease for at least 72 carts, while allowing eligible payments to be deducted from its rent to the city.
Golf Cart Search reviewed the draft amendment, pages 1–3 against the council action record. Under the proposed terms, the operator would procure the carts and could deduct eligible lease payments from rent with written city consent. The draft also allows reserve-account funding and deletes an older $4,320 monthly Club Car payment from the course lease. That amount cannot be used as the price of the proposed fleet.
Has Jacksonville approved the Bent Creek cart lease?
The September 8 council record lists the action as a public hearing, second reading and referral back to committee. Its result column says “Pass,” but that result belongs to the procedural action. It does not show final passage of the ordinance.
The measure was introduced August 25. The Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee recorded a second reading and referral August 31, followed by the Finance Committee on September 1. Those steps preceded the September 8 council hearing.
Civic IQ's September 1 contract summary describes the amendment as under consideration in its introduction, while its FAQ says Jax Golf Management was awarded the equipment contract. The city's later action record supports describing the amendment as pending as of our September 10 review.
Who would pay for the 72 golf carts?
The original bill says Jacksonville historically signed multi-year cart leases and paid them from the Golf Club of Jacksonville Trust Fund. Under the proposal, Jax Golf Management would sign the separate cart lease, subject to city approval.
The draft would let the operator deduct amounts paid under that lease from its monthly rent. Each deduction would depend on the city's prior written consent, and the city could revoke that consent at any time. Amounts arising from the operator's default would be excluded. The draft also permits the city to use reserve-account funds to offset cart lease costs.
For Jacksonville, approved deductions would reduce rental receipts. The documents do not establish a dollar saving from changing who signs the cart lease, because they do not include a priced replacement agreement.
| Proposed term | What it means for the arrangement |
|---|---|
| At least 72 carts | A minimum fleet requirement, not an identified manufacturer award |
| Proposals from at least three lessors | The operator must compare lease offers |
| City approval of lease terms | The operator cannot finalize the arrangement on its own |
| Rent deductions with written consent | Eligible payments could reduce money remitted to Jacksonville |
| Default-related amounts excluded | The operator cannot deduct those amounts from rent |
Is $4,320 the new Bent Creek golf cart lease price?
No. Page 2 of the amendment directs the removal of references to 72 Club Car carts in an existing equipment exhibit, including a $4,320 monthly payment and a $237,600 purchase amount. Those are figures in the older schedule being removed. Neither is a verified quote for the proposed procurement or evidence of current market pricing.
The amendment repeats a base-rent schedule of $220,000 annually through March 31, 2030, payable in monthly installments of $18,333.33. The proposed cart deduction would operate against monthly rent payments. Without an approved cart lease and the city's consent terms, the resulting rental receipts cannot be calculated.
For comparison, our St. Johns County fleet report reconstructs an approved payment from a priced equipment proposal. Jacksonville's amendment supplies the purchasing rules but no equivalent replacement-cart price schedule. The two records do not support a per-cart cost comparison.
What would the operator and lessors have to agree to?
The proposed cart lease must be assignable to Jacksonville at the city's discretion, with mutual written consent from the lessor and the city. A default by Jax Golf Management under the cart lease would also constitute a default under the course lease.
The operator would have to maintain the carts in good working order and cover them under its required general liability insurance, with coverage shown on the certificate supplied to Jacksonville. These obligations belong alongside payment terms when assessing renting versus buying golf carts.
The next records needed to establish a completed transaction are final legislative action, an executed amendment and the city-approved cart lease. The proposal reviewed September 10 does not identify a selected lessor, replacement model, powertrain, lease duration or delivery date.
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Jacksonville: proposed Bent Creek lease amendment
