House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan’s “Citizens for Building Florida’s Future” political committee is no more, at least not under that name.
On Sept. 11, treasurer and registered agent Noreen Fenner requested a name change to the “Better Jacksonville Committee,” suggesting that the term-limited legislator may be close to announcing a campaign against Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan next year.
Sources familiar with Duggan’s thinking say he could file to run as soon as October, months ahead of the January deadline to qualify.
Duggan’s committee has nearly $1.35 million on hand, a sharp contrast to the underfunded field of 11 challengers that has emerged thus far, though far short of Deegan’s nest egg.
Her political committee “Duval for All” has more than $2.2 million on hand; she also has nearly $175,000 in her campaign account.
Deegan led Duggan by 20 points in a recent St. Pete Polls survey of the city’s likely voters conducted for Florida Politics, drawing 53% support in a hypothetical head-to-head contest.
If that holds, it will reverse a long-term trend. No Democrat has been re-elected Mayor since Jake Godbold in 1983.
For Deegan, the near-term goal in her campaign is to get more than half the vote in March 2027. If she fails to do that, the top two finishers advance to the General Election in May.