Duval County

Jacksonville Mayor-elect Donna Deegan announces new transition team with notable names

By Meghan Moriarty, Action News Jax
By Meghan Moriarty, Action News Jax

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor-elect Donna Deegan held her first news conference at city hall on Thursday to announce her “transition team.”

“Our administration will guided by the principle that every person should have a voice in city hall and a seat at the table,” Deegan said. “[This] as we usher in a new era of real and lasting change.”

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Six well-known community members will aid in the transition from one administration to the next:

  • Former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney
  • Former Sheriff’s Office candidate and retired JSO officer Lakesha Burton
  • Operation New Hope CEO Kevin Gay
  • Former Jacksonville Sheriff Nat Glover
  • Florida Blue Market President Darnell Smith
  • Brightway Insurance Executive David Miller

“This team is a Jacksonville team,” Miller said.

The biggest items on the agenda are budget, permitting, and crime.

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“We are going to make sure that that permitting process is better, is less bloated, and easier for businesses to navigate,” Deegan said. “One of the top priorities for this administration will be to make Jacksonville the small business leader.”

Deegan also said addressing crime is a top priority.

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“I said during the campaign that I do believe we need more officers on the streets,” Deegan said. “If you look at the data of how many people we have in the city and how many officers we have in this city, we need more police officers.”

We also asked Deegan about the Florida-Georgia contract extension and how it plays out with renovations. She said there’s a lot of new information, but it’s too much to share at the Thursday news conference. Those details will come later.

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