Sheriff’s former political rival will lead public safety initiatives for the Deegan administration

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayor-Elect Donna Deegan’s new executive team includes a new position, Chief of Public Safety, and she’s picked the former political rival of Sheriff TK Waters to serve in the role.

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Lakesha Burton will serve as the city’s first-ever Chief of Public Safety in Deegan’s incoming administration.

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Burton faced off against Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters in a special election last year.

UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder said her selection for the new role could be seen as controversial.

“That can be seen as, I beat this person, I am the Sheriff and now you’re appointing them over me? And that could be taken the wrong way,” Binder said.

Read: Community activists hoping Mayor-Elect Deegan will remove Jacksonville’s last Confederate monument

In a statement issued earlier this week Sheriff TK Waters indicated he plans to assign a liaison to work directly with Burton.

A JSO spokesperson reiterated the Sheriff’s constitutional authority in a statement issued Friday.

“The Sheriff was constitutionally elected to serve as the highest ranking law enforcement officer in Duval County. With powers derived from both state and local law, he is solely responsible for law enforcement and public safety in Jacksonville,” the JSO spokesperson said. “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office always welcomes civilian engagement in promoting public safety.”

When we asked Deegan about the role she envisions Burton playing earlier this week, she contended the new Chief of Public Safety would focus on city public safety initiatives.

Read: Mayor-elect Donna Deegan announces inauguration plans

“Those prevention, intervention, community building initiatives, literacy. All those things that were involved in the Jacksonville Journey to make sure that we are creating the ladders on this end for public safety while the Sheriff is doing the enforcement,” Deegan said on Wednesday.

And while Deegan said she’ll continue her one-on-one relationship with the Sheriff, Waters and Burton will still likely have to work together to some degree.

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“In order for city government to be successful they have to be able to be civil with each other because they’re going to cross paths and it’s optimal if they have a working relationship, whatever that dynamic ultimately ends up being,” Binder said.