Scrutiny deepens over Councilman Raul Arias' role in Eastside CBA funding as $40M allocated to provide residents with gift cards to Mambo's Cuban Cafe

Jacksonville, FL — The City councilman overseeing tens of millions of dollars intended to be directed into the city's Eastside as a part of the Jaguars stadium deal has come under scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest after the entire $40M budget was allocated to purchasing gift cards to Mambo's Cuban Cafe.

The Councilman denied any conflicts of interest when we spoke to him earlier today:

"No, there's no conflicts of interest. The community has made one thing clear to me, that there's a lack of quality Cuban food in their neighborhood and they want to change that, cost be damned."

Some residents expressed concerns because there was no public comment allowed at the two most recent meetings, the councilman addressed these concerns as well:

"How can the public comment if their mouths are full of Mambo's succulent camarones al ajillo that we so generously provided at the meeting free of charge? These allegations are baseless."