JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Turning outrage into action, that’s what one local man is doing after he learned how much it costs to produce a nickel.
“Let’s get rid of the nickel,” said Dirk Frazel, founder of NickelPac.
Dirk Frazel from Putnam County started a campaign called NickelPac after reading online how much taxpayers pay for the 5-cent coin.
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“Enough is enough, we are done spending 14 cents to make to make a nickel that worth 5 cents,” said Frazel.
His goal is to stop what he says is wasteful government spending. According to the U.S Mint, they reported a loss of $17.7 million on nickels in 2024.
“The rise on metal prices, nickel, copper, and the rise in need in them it just doesn’t make sense anymore,” said Frazel.
Frazel says his group will pre-file the Nickel Sunset Act with the Florida legislature by 2026. It’s a one-page bill that seeks to halt new nickel production after December 31, 2026.
It would also round up cash transactions to the nearest dime and preserve existing nickels as legal tender.
But others we spoke with today don’t see this as an issue and want to continue with the nickel production.
“I don’t see what the big deal of the nickel costing too much or anything like that...Continue... Matter of fact, I need nickels to feed citizens in our community. Give me the nickels,” said Dwight Anderson, a Jacksonville resident.
Others told us they haven’t used a physical nickel for a while as they rely more on debit and credit cards or digital currency.
“I would say it’s probably been a year. I have a whole piggy bank at home where I sometimes collect cool coins, but probably the last time I’ve seen one,” said Quin Roth, Jacksonville resident.
For now, Frazel says he will stock up on nickels and reach out to lawmakers to get his voice heard. He is also trying to hire Canadian rock band Nickelback to perform a free concert next summer to support the campaign.
He says the nickel is on the same path as the penny.
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