JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Final preparations are underway for the Inauguration of Jacksonville's first African American mayor.
Alvin Brown was watching and listening as the new City Council president talks about the serious issues facing Jacksonville. Brown knows he has a big job ahead.
"I'm a little nervous, excitement more than anything," said Brown.
Education, jobs, and the budget top the list of priorities. Brown says he has a plan. "I'm going to focus on the port. It's a $19 billion economic engine," said Brown.
The port is one thing Brown's transition team looked hard at. "That's a priority, but we have to make sure we get the funding in place for it," said State Representative Mia Jones.
Jones is on the economic development transition team. She agrees the port is big, but so is focusing on the big and small businesses already here. "We have businesses doing international business and we don't know it," said Jones.
One of Brown's top priorities is education. After sports were cut to close a budget deficit and 4 schools were put on the state's radar, Brown plans to hire a chief education officer to work with the district. "I think the core issue is math, reading, writing and science. So they'll have an ambassador in education," said Brown.
Brown hopes he'll be an ambassador for Jacksonville. "I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity to become the next mayor and I'm excited."
You can count on Action News to bring you complete coverage of the Inauguration.
