Top two mayoral candidates stake out positions ahead of May runoff election

The Jacksonville mayor’s race is now in its second and final phase, with Democrat Donna Deegan and Republican Daniel Davis set to face off in a May runoff election.

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Action News Jax spoke with both candidates Wednesday to gauge where each stands on some of the top issues facing the city.

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On public safety both Davis and Deegan said they want to see more officers on the street.

Deegan noted that’s only part of her solution.

“I simply think that we need to bring some additional tools to the shed, community policing being one of them, to make sure that we have better communication between our community and our police officers,” Deegan said.

Davis highlighted the Sheriff’s support of his candidacy.

“It is incredibly important to have the sheriff and the mayor in a partnership because that’s how you solve criminal issues in the community,” Davis said.

Read: FULL RESULTS: Jacksonville mayoral, city council and property appraiser races

On a new stadium for the Jaguars, Davis highlighted his experience working with the business community.

“I’m going to go to that table and I’m going to negotiate on behalf of the citizens and it needs to be a fair, transparent, long term deal that everybody can be a part of,” Davis said.

Deegan said negotiating a deal would have to involve all interested parties and work for the taxpayers.

“It’s just a matter of negotiating a deal works for us, as opposed to just having an open checkbook,” Deegan said.

Before making any of those decisions, one of the candidates will have to declare victory.

With Deegan securing the largest swath of the vote, but Republicans outvoting Democrats overall in the first round, Deegan expects it will all be about turnout.

Read: 2023 Jacksonville election: Here are the winners, results for each City Council race

“If you want the type of quality of life in Jacksonville that I believe we all want, the city that we all want, that brings us all together and works for all of us, then you got to engage in these local elections,” Deegan said.

For Davis, it will be turnout and earning the support of voters who picked a different Republican candidate in the first round.

“And it’s not just my party. I think there’s lots of conservative people in Jacksonville that may not have an R next to their name and they believe the same way we do and we want to get all of those votes as well,” Davis said.

There’s also the question of whether Governor Ron DeSantis steps into the race.

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He’s been largely credited for flipping Duval red in 2022 and a decision to endorse or not could make a big impact on the outcome on the May election.

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