Credit: Johnny Milano for The New York Times
The runoff election for Jacksonville City Council will be on May 14, 2019.
Voters need to know which candidates will make the St. Johns a priority and lead the charge to address the problems that degrade our river's health. As a result, St. Johns RIVERKEEPER asked all of the candidates running for Jacksonville City Council to sign a Resiliency Pledge and complete our Candidate Survey.
HAVE YOUR CANDIDATES IN THE RUNOFF ELECTION TAKEN THE PLEDGE TO CREATE A MORE RESILIENT JACKSONVILLE?
Also, read the linked Candidate Surveys to know where your candidates stand on river issues.
MAY RUNOFF ELECTION
District 8
- Ju'Coby Pittman – Signed Pledge
- Tameka Holly – Signed Pledge
District 10
- Brenda Priestly Jackson – Signed Pledge
- Celestine Mills – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
District 14
- Sunny Gettinger – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
- Randy DeFoor – Signed Pledge
At-Large Group 1
- Lisa King – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
- Terrance Freeman – No Reply
At-Large Group 3
- Tommy Hazouri – Signed Pledge
- Greg Rachal – No Reply
MARCH UNITARY ELECTION WINNERS
Mayor
- Lenny Curry – No Reply
At-Large Group 2
- Ron Salem – No Reply
At-Large Group 4
- Matt Carlucci – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
At-Large Group 5
- Sam Newby – No Reply
District 1
- Joyce Morgan – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
District 2
- Al Ferraro – No Reply
District 3
- Aaron Bowman – No Reply
District 4
- Scott Wilson – Signed Pledge
District 5
- Leanna Cumber – No Reply
District 6
- Michael Boylan – Signed Pledge, Candidate Survey
District 7
- Reggie Gaffney – No Reply
District 8
- Garrett Dennis – No Reply
District 11
- Danny Becton – No Reply
District 12
- Randy White – No Reply
District 13
- Rory Diamond – No Reply
We need your help! Take Action Today.
1. Contact the remaining candidates and Council Members who have not responded and ask them to sign the Resiliency Pledge.
2. Share and pass out the Resiliency Pledge Flyers to your friends, family, and colleagues.
3. Attend a Candidate Forum in your district. (See our list of Candidate Forum Questions you can ask your candidates).
4. Encourage candidates to complete St. Johns RIVERKEEPER's City Council Candidate Surveys.
WHY WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION:
Hurricane Irma was a wakeup call for Jacksonville and the State of Florida. The historic flooding was shocking. The property loss, economic impact, and human toll were heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, scientists are predicting slower and more intense storms, further increasing the risk to low-lying communities like ours.
- Northeast Florida Regional Council recommends planning for rising waters of 1 to 3 feet by 2060.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects an increase in water levels in the river by up to 12% during smaller, “high frequency” storms within the next 5 years.
Other major cities throughout the country are focused on becoming more resilient and better equipped for a future of rising waters.
Jacksonville's time to act is now by:
- Protecting our natural defenses (wetlands and buffers) and restoring tributaries;
- Implementing green stormwater infrastructure, such as bioswales, rain gardens, and urban trees;
- Improving the permitting process to reduce and mitigate flooding impacts to neighbors, waterways, and public infrastructure