Money isn’t exactly flowing to the four Democrats running in two House Primaries in Jacksonville this cycle.
With less than three weeks until the Aug. 18 Primary, the HD 13 race appears likely to be driven by grassroots outreach rather than ad buys, while the HD 14 contest looks one-sided.
In 13, former Senate caucus leader Audrey Gibson and attorney Leslie Jean-Bart are roughly equivalent.
Audrey Gibson and Leslie Jean-Bart compete for the Democratic nomination in House District 13.
Jean-Bart has raised less than $19,000 so far, has lent herself $3,500, and has less than $15,000 on hand. Wayne Hogan and Florida Rising are among her backers.
Gibson has raised a little more than $23,000 and has almost $20,000 on hand. Corrine Brown, the Fraternal Order of Police, the REALTORS PAC, bestbet and the First Coast Manufacturers Association are on her side, as is HD 14 incumbent Kimberly Daniels.
Speaking of Daniels, Rhian Tutson is not presenting much of a challenge to the political veteran and professional evangelist.
The political newcomer has raised a little more than $4,000 and has roughly $300 on hand.
Daniels, who is backed by the FOP and the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, has raised and self-funded nearly $65,000 thus far. She’s spent more than $18,000 of that, including $10,000 in advertising.
NEFBA nod
The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) is throwing in behind Republican candidates in every race possible next month, except for a state House race where only Democrats are running.
The group backs incumbent Senators Clay Yarborough and Jennifer Bradley for re-election in Districts 4 and 5.
Speaker-designate Sam Garrison is the choice in House District 11, with fellow Republican incumbents Kiyan Michael, Dean Black, and Jessica Baker the choices in HD 15, 16, and 17, respectively.
Jennifer Bradley and Clay Yarborough secure Northeast Florida Builders Association support for re-election.
Jacksonville City Councilman Terrance Freeman is also the group’s selection to replace exiting Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan in HD 12. Freeman has a massive financial advantage against his Democratic opponent Ben Sandlin.
NEFBA did not endorse in the HD 13 Democratic battle between former Senate caucus leader Audrey Gibson and attorney Leslie Jean-Bart, but the group is supporting incumbent Kimberly Daniels in HD 14.
The group is also backing Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander Deborah Wesley in her Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group One Special Election contest against Democrat Moné Holder and Libertarian Addison Patrick.
Outside of Duval County, the GOP lean continues. Speaker-designate Sam Garrison of Clay County is the choice in House District 11
Additionally, NEFBA backs the re-election of Kim Kendall in HD 18, Sam Greco in HD 19, and Judson Sapp in HD 20.
Kendall hails from St. Johns County, Greco from Flagler, and Sapp from Clay.
“The candidates NEFBA endorses support the continued economic growth of Northeast Florida and understand the importance of the construction industry to the ongoing success of our community,” said Scott Brannock, 2026 President of NEFBA and President of Tidewater Homes.
NEFBA represents industry interests in Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker, Putnam, and Bradford Counties.
Endorsers highlighted
Michael Kirwan, a Democrat running in Florida’s 4th Congressional District, is allowing his supporters to explain why he’s the best candidate to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean this Fall.
The spots feature incoming Senate Democratic Leader Tracie Davis, Jacksonville firefighters, small-business owner Hila Head, Dawn Curling of Melanin Market, and preachers backing the Jacksonville lawyer and former Chair of the city’s Ethics Commission.
Aaron Bean and Michael Kirwan could meet in Florida’s 4th Congressional District race.
“These testimonials represent the people and communities this campaign is fighting for,” Kirwan said. “I am honored to have the support of leaders who serve Northeast Florida every day and who believe our District deserves effective representation, stronger leadership, and a real opportunity for change.”
Davis lauds Kirwan’s “experience, roots and fight to get things done for us in Washington.”
Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters President Kelly Dobson says Kirwan will “go to D.C., take on the hard fights, and have our backs.”
“This digital program reflects the energy building behind Michael Kirwan’s campaign,” campaign consultant Obi Umunna said.
“Northeast Florida is ready for new leadership, and Democrats finally have a candidate who can build a broad coalition, compete across the entire District, and win this race. Michael is bringing together firefighters, elected officials, faith leaders, entrepreneurs, and community advocates who believe it is time to turn the page and deliver real change for Florida’s Fourth Congressional District.”
To get to a contest against Bean, Kirwan still must win the Primary. His opponents are former nominee L.J. Holloway and Democratic Socialist Brit Robinson.
Debate dodge
Lt. Col. Alex Vindman continues to advance a General Election message even as state Rep. Angie Nixon, his opponent in next month’s Senate Primary, says she believes she can win the nomination amid frustrations about his unwillingness to debate her.
True to form, Vindman didn’t mention his intraparty opposition during remarks to St. Johns County Democrats this week, preferring instead to focus on November over August, until an audience member spoke up during his close and forced him to deviate from scripted questions to address his main Primary opponent.
Alex Vindman and Angie Nixon battle for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.
“I’m laser-focused on the General Election,” Vindman said, going on to conflate Nixon’s name and Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody’s before correcting himself.
“We unseat Angie Nixon, we put in another Democrat, we get control of the Senate. That’s when, yeah, when we unseat Angie — Ashley Moody, that’s when changes really occur.”
Vindman, like Val Demings and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell before him, seems to be betting on Democrats being willing to give him the nomination without intraparty face-offs, under the premise that a generic electability argument will translate into success for him. That didn’t work out well for previous nominees who didn’t debate Primary opponents, though.
Polling suggests he may need more of an opportunity to introduce himself to voters in his own party.
A survey released this week from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab finds that Nixon takes 42% in the hypothetical General Election matchup, with Vindman commanding 40% support. And 90% of Democrats back Nixon against Moody, while Vindman only takes 86% of those in his party.
Black voters, a key demographic for the Democratic Party in Florida, are more committed to Nixon than to Vindman in this survey.
If Nixon is the nominee, she wins the group 78% to 8%. If the pick is Vindman, he would also take Black voters, but by a smaller margin: 73% to 10%.
Women also seem to prefer Nixon to Vindman. Moody carries female voters 47% to 44% against Vindman, a recent arrival to the state after his military career. Nixon splits the group with Moody, with each candidate taking 46% in the poll.
Vindman ultimately believes that voters with no party affiliation, or NPAs, will be the key in the election, and they simply aren’t looking at the race yet.
“NPAs are probably just not paying that much attention. They’re busy living their lives. I think Democrats and Republicans tend to be more plugged in. NPAs less so. They’re not as ideologically driven, which means that they’re not as locked in,” Vindman said.
“So, the bulk of my efforts, especially as we get into the endgame of this campaign, is going to be figuring out how to connect with NPAs in the I-4 corridor — going out and connecting with communities not on the basis of politics, but on the basis of delivering a brighter future. That’s going to be the struggle.”
No more games
Former House Speaker Paul Renner is betting on a new ad to drive Republican voters to support him over better-funded and better-polling rivals in the Gubernatorial Primary.
The 30-second “Stop the Games” spot, reported by POLITICO Florida as a seven-figure ad campaign funded by the Friends of Paul Renner political committee, finds the former prosecutor from Northeast Florida walking through a commercial kitchen, talking about how people struggle to “make ends meet.”
To watch the ad, please click the image below:
Paul Renner takes his affordability message into a commercial kitchen.
He then pivots to addressing the tenor of the campaign thus far.
“Insults and TikTok videos are not leadership,” he says.
Renner says he alone has a plan to eliminate property taxes, lower insurance rates, prosecute public corruption, and stop “foreign workers from taking our jobs.”
“Stop the political games. I’ll make Florida affordable again,” he says in his close.
While it’s unclear what plan Renner has to address root causes of unaffordability that include but aren’t limited to monetary supply expansion and untrammeled federal spending, what’s clear is this spot is intended to be a silver bullet to redress a profound structural imbalance in the race.
Whereas front-runner Byron Donalds has cleared the nine-figure Mark in campaign fundraising after a nearly $11 million haul in the last week of Florida Elections Commission records, Renner raised nearly $40,000 during the week, leaving him roughly $1.5 million to spend as of July 17.
Most of that money went into this buy, of course.
“As the campaign enters its final push, this ad buy sends a clear message: enough is enough! Floridians have had enough political theater, enough empty stunts and enough excuses while families are stretched thin,” a Renner adviser told POLITICO Florida.
Yet with Donalds and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins already on TV with bigger buys, even the clearest message may be drowned out by the din of the home stretch before the GOP Primary in 22 days.
Capitol conversations return
The JAX Chamber will host Capitol Conversations with the NEFL Delegation on Wednesday, Aug. 12, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the University of North Florida. Lunch will be provided.
Attendees will hear directly from Speaker-designate Sam Garrison, Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, Sen. Clay Yarborough, Reps. Dean Black, Kim Kendall and Kiyan Michael.
The lawmakers will recap the 2026 Legislative Session, discuss priorities affecting Northeast Florida and preview the upcoming election season. They also will share their perspectives on key issues facing voters, including the proposed property tax referendum.
The event offers business and community leaders an opportunity to engage with the region’s legislative delegation. For additional information or to register, visit JAX Chamber Capitol Conversations.
Northeast Florida lawmakers return for the JAX Chamber’s Capitol Conversations.
Hope for Holder
Democrats are in a super-minority on the Jacksonville City Council despite holding the registration edge in Duval County.
Still, it’s clear donors believe a Special Election to replace outgoing Republican Terrance Freeman offers an opportunity to redress that imbalance.
Holder, the chief advocacy and political officer at Florida Rising, is getting some help from Jacksonville Together, a political committee advertising on behalf of her campaign.
Moné Holder looks to shift the balance on the Jacksonville City Council.
The spot, now airing on local television, introduces viewers to Holder’s biography, including her role as Chair of the Jacksonville Planning Commission, and says she would work to counteract the “good ol’ boys” on the City Council.
The committee is well-funded, mostly through a $200,000 loan from lawyer Steve Pajcic. Committee Chair Robyn Sieron said the money was classified as a loan in case it isn’t all spent.
Between the supportive political committee and nearly $35,000 in campaign account fundraising, Holder leads the three-woman field in the at-large City Council Special Election, which can be won outright on the Aug. 18 Primary ballot if one candidate takes more than half the vote.
The stakes are high, especially in terms of the morale boost a win would provide.
Democrats control the Mayor’s Office and the Property Appraiser’s Office, but all five at-large Council seats are held by Republicans, who typically outraise their major-party opponents.
The Florida Democratic Party is hoping to change that and has included Holder on its list of Take Back Local candidates.
The FDP points to the program’s track record, with Take Back Local candidates winning 76% of the time across its last four cohorts.
Republicans aren’t ceding this race, of course.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander Deborah Wesley is running as a Republican with strong fundraising of her own: nearly $94,000 in hard money and more than $27,000 in the supportive Building a Stronger Jacksonville political committee.
Kitchen kvetchin’
Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General is raising alarms about years of unpermitted construction in Duval County school kitchens. This pattern not only violates building codes but could endanger students and staff.
“Field inspections and witness statements confirmed that DCPS consistently authorized commercial kitchen renovations, heavy mechanical utility upgrades, and electrical installations districtwide without requesting, issuing, or verifying required State Requirements for Educational Facilities, electrical, mechanical, or gas construction permits. Evidentiary findings further show that Code Enforcement personnel acknowledged that contractors were legally required to obtain permits and failed to do so, resulting in potential life-safety defects,” the OIG asserted in a report released on Wednesday.
Unpermitted Duval County school kitchen renovations raise safety and oversight concerns.
Before launching its formal review, the Inspector General’s team visited Westside High School in 2024 and found major kitchen renovations had been completed without the required permits.
The formal investigation began a year after that initial visit, uncovering a pattern: several expensive projects across the District lacked the state-mandated permits and documentation, with violations stretching back to 2021.
Inspectors found more problems at San Pablo Elementary and Neptune Beach Elementary, where new serving lines were installed without permits, and a commercial range hood was installed without any code inspection.
At the Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Eugene J. Butler and North Shore Elementary, inspections in January 2026 revealed what the report called severe electrical and structural problems — none of which had been permitted.
The District also paid two separate vendors for the same serving lines at North Shore Elementary, raising questions about oversight and accountability.
Even after paying twice, the work at North Shore Elementary was riddled with problems. Inspectors found exposed wiring, open electrical junctions, and uninsulated floor connections beneath the new cafeteria serving lines — conditions that could put both staff and students at risk.
As of the deadline, Duval County Public Schools had not responded to the Inspector General’s findings, despite having 10 days to reply.
The OIG recommends “immediate safety sweeps of all food service facilities modified since 2021, the implementation of financial controls that link procurement to verified permits, contractor performance evaluations related to SREF compliance, and formal disciplinary reviews for administrative personnel who authorized renovations outside statutory requirements.”
Local Ford dealer
Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is lavishing praise on exiting JTA exec Nat Ford, who will head to Dallas to run its mass transit agency.
“Jacksonville knows what Nat Ford’s leadership can accomplish. Texas has the opportunity to find out,” Curry writes in The Dallas Morning News.
Nat Ford leaves Jacksonville after a consequential run leading the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
He says Ford “knows how to build relationships at the local, state and federal levels. He works effectively with Republicans, Democrats and independents.”
And he credits those relationships with delivering tangible results.
“JTA secured more than $400 million in federal discretionary grants and helped advance a local gas tax extension projected to generate approximately $1 billion for regional infrastructure. JTA expanded its regional presence, developed the First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit network, opened the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center and restored the St. Johns River Ferry.”
Swamp thing
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) addition of the Okefenokee Swamp to the World Heritage List is thrilling to North Florida environmentalists.
The Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a huge 438,000-acre tract of protected wetlands that’s mostly in Georgia. But it also has portions in North Florida in Baker County.
North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) officials are thrilled with the designation, which was formally approved by UNESCO during meetings in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday.
The Okefenokee Swamp earns recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“The economic impact that will be coming in the next few decades will be enormous,” said Allison DeFoor, CEO and President of the NFLT. “It’s going to be a deal, not just for the economy of South Georgia but for North Florida.”
The UNESCO designation is intended to draw additional protections for sites and calls for those areas to be honored as treasures. It requires local governments to oversee and care for the property legally. There are 1,273 UNESCO World Heritage List properties across the globe.
DeFoor said the Okefenokee Swamp provides the headwaters for the Suwannee River, which is a valued waterway that’s still relatively environmentally sound as it courses through much of North Florida. The swamp is also the beginning of what many environmental groups and Florida government officials refer to as the Ocala To Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor, which covers a massive 100-mile, 1.6 million-acre stretch of protected public and private sensitive lands.
“I’m surprised it took this long” for the UNESCO designation, DeFoor said. “It’s that important. It’s a watershed for this whole region. It has the same kind of ecosystemic integrity that the Everglades has.“
Uthmeier’s big bust
Attorney General James Uthmeier says a multi-agency investigation ended with 49 arrests in a suspected drug trafficking ring along Florida’s east coast.
The dozens of suspects are charged with running a drug distribution network in Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns, Marion and Orange counties. Uthmeier said they’re accused of selling cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and marijuana. Elements of the investigation began as early as 2024.
James Uthmeier announces 49 arrests in a multi-county drug trafficking investigation.
“This joint investigation dismantled a criminal organization that pumped deadly fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into Florida communities,” Uthmeier said.
“Through the tireless work of Florida’s law enforcement, state attorneys, and our statewide prosecutors, we have arrested 49 traffickers and disrupted these networks. Florida families deserve safe streets free of dangerous drugs, and we will continue holding every member of this organization fully accountable.”
The multi-agency investigation culminated June 30 with search warrants executed in several locations. Three suspects are believed to be the ringleaders: Vetrick Maurice Shavers Jr., Richard Gene Hocker III and Antonio Bejon Lee. They’re all facing charges of trafficking in fentanyl and conspiracy to traffic the drug, as well as other charges.
Uthmeier said the investigation is not over and there could be additional arrests.
Jags injury watch
As the Jaguars opened training camp this week, several players were still dealing with injuries, including at least four who are anticipated to be starters or key backups.
The first is cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. Last season, the Jaguars traded up to the second pick of the draft to select Hunter. The Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado flashed his skill occasionally, catching 28 passes in seven games, including one touchdown. But a knee injury in October ended his rookie season. He is visibly stronger in his upper body and is expected to be a full participant in training camp, although how he will be utilized remains a question. The Jaguars have said that he will focus on cornerback first, unlike his rookie season when he was primarily focused on wide receiver in the preseason.
Travis Hunter returns to Jaguars training camp after a knee injury ended his rookie season.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis injured his foot when he was stepped on during the Jaguars’ victory in Denver on Dec. 21. The injury ended his season and required surgery. Lewis, who could be the nickel cornerback if healthy, sat out offseason practices and was limited to working on the side as he rehabbed the injury. He is expected to see his participation increase as training camp opens, but where he will fit into the cornerback rotation remains to be seen.
Also in the defensive backfield, safety Caleb Ransaw injured his foot during training camp in 2025 and had surgery that sidelined him for his rookie season. Ransaw has been cleared to return to the field for training camp and could compete for the third safety spot behind expected starters Eric Murray and Antonio Johnson.
On the offensive side of the ball, tackle Cole Van Lanen will have to wait to work in training camp. After signing a contract extension, Van Lanen injured his knee in the regular season finale. This week, he was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning that he will not practice with the team for now. Van Lanen was anticipated to be the starting left tackle, but with the injury, Walker Little has taken over the role. Van Lanen can be transferred to the active roster at any time during training camp once he is medically cleared. How the Jaguars’ offensive line performs will be a major factor in the team’s success this season.
With the departure of Travis Etienne, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, the Jaguars have added former Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez to the roster. However, Rodriguez has not been able to work on the field after injuring his foot at the start of the offseason conditioning program. The injury required surgery, and Rodriguez is expected to be a full participant in training camp. With returning players Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen ready for their second seasons in the NFL, the Jaguars should see some intense competition at the running back position in the preseason.
The Jaguars open the preseason schedule with a game at New Orleans on Aug. 15.