State Sen. Clay Yarborough and state Reps. Jessica Baker, Dean Black, and Kiyan Michael are backing House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan in the Jacksonville mayoral race. The early endorsements further show establishment consolidation behind Duggan in a crowded field of 13 challengers, including five Republicans, against incumbent Mayor Donna Deegan, a Democrat running for her second term. Yarborough says Duggan “has been invaluable to Duval County throughout his entire tenure in the Florida House.” 
Donna Deegan and Wyman Duggan head toward a high-stakes contest for Jacksonville City Hall. “Together, we’ve secured hundreds of millions of dollars for our communities and passed major legislation that improves life for families and seniors. Tax relief, property insurance reform, utility‑rate protections against data centers: Wyman played a key role in all of it,” the Senator said. Baker says Duggan is “principled, hard-working, and deeply committed to Jacksonville’s future.” “He’s brought millions in state funding home and passed meaningful legislation to help families struggling with Florida’s high cost of living. Wyman won’t squander taxpayer money on vanity projects; he’ll focus on efficiency, accountability, and real results,” she added. Black said Duggan “has been tireless in fighting for the people he represents by passing legislation to protect children, reduce taxes, crack down on insurance fraud, balance the state budget, and bring home millions for Jacksonville.” “Right now, Jacksonville needs leadership that’s disciplined, serious, and focused,” he added. “With Wyman as Mayor, taxpayers won’t be footing the bill for waste or watching City Hall stumble from scandal to scandal. Jacksonville deserves better, and Wyman Duggan is ready to deliver.” Michael accused Deegan of failing to work with him to address city problems. “From the start of the current Mayor’s tenure until this very day, the Mayor’s failure to take time to meet with me as a member of the Duval Legislative Delegation speaks volumes. Sending her staff to meet with me instead of showing up herself is an alarming concern on several levels,” she argued. “As a citizen and as a legislator, my family has called for city services for debris from homeless encampments, downed fencing, overflowing business dumpsters, traffic enforcement and more, and those calls are left unresolved. Tickets are opened and immediately closed without resolution,” Michael continued. Duggan contextualized the endorsements. “These are the people who have worked beside me to pass property tax cuts, property insurance reform, balance the budget and secure millions in funding for Jacksonville. They have seen how I work when nobody is watching. They know I show up. They know I do the homework. They know I bring results home to Jacksonville. That is the kind of Mayor I will be. I’m grateful for their trust, and I’m proud to have them with us.” The endorsements come during a quiet fundraising period for Deegan and her likely May opponent. Deegan’s “Duval for All” committee raised nothing and spent $6,800 during the week ending Oct. 9. All but $50 went to “research” for Washington, D.C.’s Spiros Consulting. The committee still has nearly $2.2 million on hand. Deegan also has nearly $200,000 in her campaign account. Duggan’s “Better Jacksonville Committee” raised just $20,000 in the same week from Marc Padgett’s Summit Construction, suggesting he still struggles to get entities to put their names on donations and potentially cross the incumbent. The committee spent more than $10,000 on digital ads during the same period. It still has less than $1.5 million in cash on hand. Deegan and Duggan are the only viable candidates based on donor interest. The next leading candidate, Republican Ron Armstrong, has less than $13,000 on hand. |
