Lawsuits, big money roil Jacksonville City Council special election race

A special election to fill an at-large seat on the Jacksonville City Council has erupted into a contentious battle marked by hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign spending and multiple lawsuits challenging candidates' eligibility to run, just days before the Aug. 18 primary.

The race for the At-Large Group 1 seat—vacated when Councilman Terrence Freeman launched a bid for the Florida House—pits Republican Deborah Wesley, a retired Jacksonville Sheriff's Office commander, against Democrat Moné Holder, chief advocacy and political officer with Florida Rising, and Libertarian Addison "Liberty" Patrick. Democrats see an opportunity to chip away at the council's Republican supermajority, which holds all five at-large seats.

What's happening

Steve Pajcic, a prominent trial lawyer and Democratic donor who backed Mayor Donna Deegan, has loaned $300,000 to the Jacksonville Together political committee supporting Holder's campaign. Most of that money has already been spent, according to campaign finance records. Robyn Sieron, the committee's chair, said Pajcic was "furious" after the City Council attempted to cut $1.9 million from Meals on Wheels last year—a program his late wife volunteered with for decades. The council later restored a portion of the funding.

Wesley has raised nearly $95,000 and spent around $20,000, with an additional $10,000 in spending from the Building a Stronger Jacksonville political committee. Her donor list includes sitting council members Joe Carlucci, Kevin Carrico, Terrence Freeman, and Mike Gay, plus a political committee tied to Councilman Rory Diamond. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, Wesley's former boss at JSO, was an early supporter.

Patrick has raised and spent nearly all of $5,700 donated to her campaign. She said she wants to demonstrate that candidates don't need wealth or "fancy job titles" to run for local office.

Unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote on Aug. 18, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff. As of Aug. 12, Democrats had cast 50 percent of the roughly 40,000 votes already submitted through mail-in and early voting, outpacing Republicans in early turnout.

Legal battles over ballot access

The race has been mired in litigation almost since it began. In June, the Republican Party of Duval County sued Patrick to remove her from the ballot, arguing she had not been a registered Libertarian for the minimum one-year period required under a new Florida state law before the qualifying period. A judge dismissed the case, ruling that the law does not apply to special elections.

Patrick then filed a counterclaim alleging that Wesley does not live within the boundaries of At-Large Group 1, which was also dismissed. Under Jacksonville's at-large system, candidates must live within one of five distinct geographic areas to run, even though they represent the entire city once elected.

A separate residency challenge against Wesley filed in late July by former Democratic candidate James Eddy is scheduled for a hearing Friday, just three days before the primary. Eddy's lawsuit claims Wesley's listed address on Amber Ridge Road is located in At-Large Group 5, not Group 1. Court records show Wesley's legal summons was delivered to an apartment at Integra River Run, about ten minutes north of the Amber Ridge Road address. Using JEA electricity bills filed in court, Eddy alleges Wesley did not live at the Integra Drive apartment for the required six months to qualify for the ballot. Patrick joined the suit as a third party on Wednesday.

Duval County court records show Wesley retained the Amber Ridge Road property after her 2024 divorce. Wesley's campaign denied the allegations in a statement, calling them "desperate claims" that "have already been rejected by the courts twice and dismissed with prejudice." The campaign characterized the lawsuit as "baseless political attacks against Republican candidates, particularly when that candidate happens to be a person of color." Wesley's attorney denies she lives outside the required group area.

Wesley initially agreed to an interview but did not respond to efforts to schedule one. She also agreed to participate in a WJCT candidate forum with Holder and Patrick but ultimately did not attend.

What the candidates want to do

Holder, who chairs the Jacksonville Planning Commission as a Mayor Deegan appointee, told The Florida Trib she plans to work across the aisle with the Republican majority. "For me, it's not about partisanship; it's about Jacksonville and making Jacksonville a world-class city," she said. Holder previously worked as a legislative aide in the Florida State House.

Her priorities include investing in affordable housing, public safety, and infrastructure upgrades such as sidewalks, parks, and drainage. She argued her experience on the Planning Commission working with constituents on neighborhood issues prepares her for the council. "I'm prepared day one to hit the ground running. My two opponents, they have respectable backgrounds in their own right, neither of which have the educational and the practical experience to on day one move policy for the city," Holder said.

Patrick, a frequent commenter at City Council meetings, said she opposes the property tax referendum and believes the city needs to "press pause" on development and "roll back" spending. "I want to show to the everyday person in Jacksonville that you don't have to have a fancy job title, and you shouldn't have to be wealthy in order to run for local office, you shouldn't be buying an election," she said. "Both sides of the aisle are very authoritarian. Both sides like to tell people what to do, and I don't like to be told what to do."

Patrick told The Florida Trib that Republicans sued to remove her from the ballot because "they are scared" that voters in this area historically see Libertarians as "Republican lite" who could siphon votes from Wesley.

Why this race matters for Jacksonville

The outcome will determine whether Democrats can begin to erode the Republican supermajority on the 19-member City Council. A supermajority—14 or more votes—allows the council to override mayoral vetoes without negotiation. Mayor Deegan, a Democrat elected in 2023, has faced a council dominated by Republicans who have pushed back on some of her policy priorities.

The battle over Meals on Wheels funding that motivated Pajcic's six-figure contribution illustrates the stakes. Budget battles between the council and mayor affect city services, development incentives, infrastructure projects, and quality-of-life programs across Jacksonville and Duval County. An at-large seat represents all residents of the consolidated city-county, giving the winner influence over development approvals, utility decisions, and spending priorities that shape growth patterns regionwide.

The election also reflects broader tensions over development policy in a fast-growing region. Patrick's call to "press pause" on development echoes concerns some neighborhoods have raised about the pace of growth and its effects on traffic, drainage, and local character. Holder's focus on affordable housing and infrastructure addresses supply constraints and quality-of-life issues that come with in-migration. Wesley's background in law enforcement aligns with public safety debates that remain a top voter concern.

What the money tells us

The fundraising disparity—$300,000 on the Democratic side versus roughly $105,000 for Wesley and aligned committees—signals how much Democrats value the opportunity to flip an at-large seat. At-large races in Jacksonville are expensive because candidates must reach voters across the entire consolidated city, not just a district. Television, direct mail, and digital advertising costs add up quickly across a media market that includes more than 1 million residents.

Pajcic's loan is structured to be repaid if the campaign raises sufficient funds, a common mechanism in Florida political-committee financing that allows a wealthy backer to front-load spending while preserving the possibility of recouping the investment. Whether the money is ultimately repaid depends on future fundraising success and the committee's decisions after the election.

Wesley's donor list of sitting council members and the sheriff reflects the Republican establishment's effort to hold the seat. Council members contributing to a colleague's replacement race is unusual enough to signal the seat is a priority. Freeman, the incumbent vacating the seat to run for the state House, is essentially backing his preferred successor.

What happens next

A Duval County judge will hear arguments Friday on whether Wesley meets the residency requirements to remain on the ballot. If the judge rules against her, it could upend the race just three days before the primary. If Wesley is removed, votes already cast for her—potentially thousands from early and mail-in voting—would not count, redistributing support between Holder and Patrick.

Assuming all three candidates remain on the ballot, voters will decide Aug. 18 whether any candidate clears the 50-percent threshold needed to win outright. If not, the top two vote-getters advance to a November runoff. Runoff elections in Jacksonville typically draw lower turnout than primaries held alongside higher-profile races, and Democrats' strong early-vote performance may not translate to the same advantage in a standalone runoff.

The winner will serve the remainder of Freeman's term, which runs through June 2027, and would need to run again next year if they want to keep the seat beyond that. For Democrats, even a one-year foothold in an at-large seat could shift the council's voting dynamics on key 2027 budget and development decisions. For Republicans, holding the seat preserves their supermajority and the leverage that comes with it as Jacksonville continues to navigate rapid growth, infrastructure needs, and fiscal pressures that define Northeast Florida's development landscape.