Those voting in Duval County’s August Primary will be picking a new City Councilman, as term-limited Terrance Freeman announced plans to step down amid a House bid.
Freeman, who was appointed to the Jacksonville City Council in 2018 then elected in 2019 and 2023, said his resignation is effective either in Nov. 2 or in August, depending on when a replacement is elected.
He is running to replace term-limited Republican Rep. Wyman Duggan in House District 12.
The August election, which is countywide since Freeman is one of five at-large members of the Council, will be open to all voters, since Jacksonville’s local Primaries are nonpartisan. If one candidate gets a majority, the election is decided. Otherwise, the top two face off during the November General Election.
While the Duval County Supervisor of Elections webpage has not been updated to reflect the Special Election, three candidates were running for Freeman’s seat in the 2027 General Election.
Republican Deborah Wesley, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander, is the choice of 10 current members of the City Council. She has raised nearly $80,000 as of the end of March.
Libertarian Addison Jade Patrick has raised nearly $500. Independent Nancy Quinones has yet to report fundraising.
Those looking to qualify by petition will need 1,855 signatures. Otherwise, they will have to pay $3,408 if they are members of a party, or $2,272.16 if unaligned.
Qualifying runs from noon on June 11 to noon the next day.
Freeman is well-positioned for his Primary. He has raised nearly $445,000 combined between his campaign account and his political committee, For the Future We Want.
In Q1 of this year, he brought in more than $43,000 through his campaign account and an additional $38,500 through his PC.
He currently is unopposed in the HD 12 race.