Elected Officials and Council — Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville's elected leadership spans a mayor and 19-member City Council operating under the consolidated city-county government established October 1, 1968.

Structure of Elected Government

Jacksonville's elected officials govern under a consolidated city-county charter that took effect on October 1, 1968, merging the former City of Jacksonville with Duval County. The consolidation referendum passed 54,493 to 29,768, as documented by News4Jax. Under this structure, Jacksonville functions as a single municipality that is simultaneously the county seat of Duval County — one of the few arrangements of its kind in the United States.

Elected authority under the consolidated charter is divided between the Office of the Mayor and a 19-member City Council. The mayor serves as the chief executive, while the Council exercises legislative power, approves the annual budget, and must authorize major financial commitments. The City of Jacksonville's consolidation history documents explain how the 1968 merger concentrated previously fragmented municipal and county functions under this two-branch elected structure.

The Mayor

As of April 30, 2026, Donna Deegan serves as Mayor of Jacksonville, having been elected in 2023, according to the City of Jacksonville's Office of the Mayor and confirmed by Ballotpedia. Her administration has identified public safety compensation, infrastructure investment, and downtown development as central priorities.

Mayor Deegan's fiscal record reflects the scale of those priorities. The FY 2024-25 budget she presented was reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record at a then-record $1.92 billion, including $62 million for road construction, drainage, pedestrian crossings, and sidewalks. For FY 2025-26, Deegan presented what Florida Politics described as the first $2 billion general fund budget in city history, as confirmed by the mayor's official budget address on jacksonville.gov. That budget includes $12 million for affordable housing and anchors a five-year Capital Improvement Plan for 2026-2030 totaling $1.7 billion.

The mayor's office also administered a $14 million Community Benefits Agreement funding allocation tied to the EverBank Stadium renovation, as noted in the FY 2025-26 budget address.

Mayor
Donna Deegan
City of Jacksonville / Ballotpedia, 2026
Elected
2023
City of Jacksonville, 2023
FY 2025-26 General Fund Budget
$2 billion
jacksonville.gov budget address, 2025
5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (2026–2030)
$1.7 billion
jacksonville.gov budget address, 2025

City Council Composition

The Jacksonville City Council consists of 19 members. Fourteen represent individual single-member districts drawn across the consolidated city-county territory, while the remaining five are elected at-large from the city as a whole. The Council holds authority over legislative matters, including ordinances, the annual budget, land-use decisions, and major financial agreements between the city and private parties.

The Council's 19-member size reflects the scale of the consolidated government it serves: Jacksonville's population was estimated at 961,739 by the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023, making it the most populous city in Florida. The at-large seats provide citywide representation alongside the geographically specific district seats, a structure inherited from the consolidation framework documented by the City of Jacksonville's consolidation history.

The Council's voting record on major matters reflects its role as the primary check on executive proposals. The 14-1 vote approving the $1.4 billion EverBank Stadium renovation agreement with the Jacksonville Jaguars, reported by ESPN, and the 16-0 vote granting Johnson and Johnson a $10.5 million property tax refund for expansion, documented by JAX Today in April 2026, illustrate both unanimity and dissent across different classes of decisions.

Total Council Members
19
City of Jacksonville, 2026
District Seats
14
City of Jacksonville, 2026
At-Large Seats
5
City of Jacksonville, 2026

Recent Council Decisions

The City Council's most consequential votes of the past two years span stadium development, downtown revitalization, and economic incentives. The 14-1 approval of the EverBank Stadium renovation agreement — which commits the city to a $1.4 billion project with the Jacksonville Jaguars — was reported by ESPN and confirmed by city records. Construction began in early 2025, with the Jaguars scheduled to play at reduced capacity through 2026 and full completion targeted for the 2028 NFL season, according to the Jacksonville Jaguars. City estimates, as reported by JAX Today, project the project will create 18,000 jobs and generate approximately $2.4 billion in economic impact over time.

More recently, on April 28, 2026, the Council voted 14-4 to approve $3.53 million in loans for downtown revitalization projects, as reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record. Separately, in April 2026 the Council voted 16-0 to grant Johnson and Johnson a $10.5 million property tax refund tied to a facility expansion, according to JAX Today. These votes followed the Council's approval of Mayor Deegan's FY 2025-26 general fund budget of $2 billion — the first in city history to cross that threshold, as confirmed by the official budget address on jacksonville.gov and corroborated by Florida Politics.

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (961,739), median age (36.4), median household income ($66,981), median home value ($266,100), median gross rent ($1,375), poverty rate (15%), unemployment rate (4.5%), labor force participation (76.2%), bachelor's degree or higher (21.6%), housing units (422,355), households (384,741), owner-occupied (57.4%), renter-occupied (42.6%)
  2. Consolidation History — City of Jacksonville City Council https://www.jacksonville.gov/city-council/docs/consolidation-task-force/consolidation-history-rinaman Used for: Historical context on 1968 city-county consolidation structure and background
  3. The City of Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated into one government 55 years ago — News4Jax https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/09/29/the-city-of-jacksonville-and-duval-county-consolidated-into-one-government-55-years-ago/ Used for: Consolidation referendum vote count (54,493 to 29,768) and effective date (October 1, 1968)
  4. Jacksonville Fire of 1901 — Florida Memory, State Library and Archives of Florida https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/exhibits/photo_exhibits/jacksonvillefire/ Used for: Cause and description of the Great Fire of 1901; role of architect Henry John Klutho in rebuilding
  5. Great Fire of 1901 Jacksonville FL — Florida State College at Jacksonville Library https://guides.fscj.edu/HistoryFlorida/GreatFire1901JacksonvilleFL Used for: Characterization of 1901 fire as the largest metropolitan fire in the American South
  6. June 15, 1822: City of Jacksonville founded — Florida History Network http://www.floridahistorynetwork.com/june-15-1822-city-of-jacksonville-founded-named-after-andrew-jackson.html Used for: Founding date and naming of Jacksonville after Andrew Jackson
  7. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve — National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/timu/ Used for: Size (46,000 acres), contents (Fort Caroline, Kingsley Plantation, Theodore Roosevelt Area), and description of 6,000 years of human history
  8. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve — National Parks Conservation Association https://www.npca.org/parks/timucuan-ecological-historic-preserve Used for: Description of 35 Timucua-speaking Native American chiefdoms and preservation of enslaved persons' history at Kingsley Plantation
  9. A Mighty Military Presence — Florida Trend https://www.floridatrend.com/article/23647/a-mighty-military-presence/ Used for: Employment figures for NAS Jacksonville (12,000 military, 7,000 civilian) and Naval Station Mayport (13,000 military, home of Navy 4th Fleet)
  10. SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal — JAXPORT https://www.jaxport.com/cargo/port-improvements/ssa-jacksonville-container-terminal/ Used for: $72 million modernization completed 2025; 650,000 TEU annual capacity; 150% capacity increase
  11. SSA Marine Terminal Modernization — JAXPORT https://www.jaxport.com/ssa-marine-reaches-halfway-point-in-72-million-terminal-modernization-project-at-jaxport/ Used for: JAXPORT described as Florida's No. 1 container port by volume; 47-foot deepwater shipping channel
  12. JAXPORT Financial Reports — Jacksonville Port Authority https://www.jaxport.com/corporate/about-jaxport/financial-reports/ Used for: 2024 cruise passenger record (206,720); container terminal expansion and deep-water berth construction details
  13. ONE Connects Asia and JAXPORT Through New Container Service — Florida Ports Council https://flaports.org/one-connects-asia-jaxport-through-new-container-service/ Used for: February 2025 launch of direct Asia-Jacksonville container service by Ocean Network Express
  14. JAXPORT Growth Outlook — Jacksonville Port Authority https://www.jaxport.com/jaxport-growth-outlook-includes-business-diversification-new-trade-lane-connectivity/ Used for: Air-draft improvement expected by end of 2026; breakbulk terminal expansion
  15. Jacksonville City Council Approves Renovation of EverBank Stadium — ESPN https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40432558/jacksonville-city-council-approves-renovation-jaguars-everbank-stadium Used for: City Council 14-1 vote approving $1.4 billion EverBank Stadium renovation
  16. Stadium of the Future — Jacksonville Jaguars https://www.jaguars.com/stadiumofthefuture/ Used for: Construction scheduled complete August 2028; Jaguars playing at home during 2026 season under construction
  17. Jaguars Stadium Improvements — JAX Today https://jaxtoday.org/2025/10/03/jaguars-stadium-improvements/ Used for: City projection of 18,000 jobs and $2.4 billion economic impact from stadium renovation
  18. Office of the Mayor — City of Jacksonville https://www.jacksonville.gov/mayor Used for: Mayor Donna Deegan's priorities: public safety, first responder salaries, pension, infrastructure
  19. Mayor Deegan's Budget Address FY25-26 — City of Jacksonville https://www.jacksonville.gov/welcome/news/mayor-deegan-s-budget-address-fy25-26 Used for: $2 billion general fund budget FY25-26; $1.7 billion five-year Capital Improvement Plan 2026-2030; $12 million affordable housing; $14 million Community Benefits Agreement funding
  20. Donna Deegan $2B Budget — Florida Politics https://floridapolitics.com/archives/747130-donna-deegan-2b-budget/ Used for: First $2 billion budget in city history; $12 million for affordable housing; workforce center for Urban League
  21. Deegan Presents Record $1.92 Billion 2024-25 City Budget — Jacksonville Daily Record https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/jul/15/deegan-presents-record-192-billion-2024-25-city-budget-proposal/ Used for: $62 million for road construction, drainage, pedestrian crossings and sidewalks in FY 2024-25; library funding at Oceanway and Beaches locations
  22. Downtown Development Update — Downtown Investment Authority, City of Jacksonville https://dia.jacksonville.gov/news/downtown-development-update-part-i-projects-rising Used for: Downtown revitalization activity in late 2024 and early 2025; construction on Northbank and Southbank
  23. Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.fl_jacksonville_msa.htm Used for: Jacksonville MSA as a distinct BLS-tracked labor market
Last updated: May 1, 2026