House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan Launches Bid to Unseat Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan

Florida House Speaker pro tempore Wyman Duggan, a Republican state representative from Jacksonville, filed paperwork Friday, Oct. 2, to run for mayor of Jacksonville, setting up a challenge to Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan in a race that could become one of Florida's most closely watched off-year elections. Duggan filed at the Duval County Supervisor of Elections office downtown and told reporters he is running to rein in record city spending and ease the fees, property tax bills and utility costs he said are "squeezing" residents.

Deegan, who became Jacksonville's first woman mayor when she won in 2023, filed for a second term in April. The first election is March 9, 2027, and if no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers advance to a May 18, 2027 general election, according to the Duval County Supervisor of Elections.

Who Duggan is

Duggan, a land use and zoning attorney who has also worked as a lobbyist, was first elected to the Florida House in 2018 from District 15 and has represented District 12 since 2022. The district covers San Marco, Mandarin and parts of the Southside and Westside. He serves as speaker pro tempore, the No. 2 presiding position in the House, and is term-limited in the Legislature.

Local outlets described him as the presumptive Republican front-runner. Republicans locally have been looking to consolidate behind a single challenger to Deegan, and several other prominent names, including City Council members Ron Salem and Rory Diamond and Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland, considered the race but did not run, the Florida Times-Union reported. Former Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican who held the office from 2015 to 2023, has made clear his support for Duggan, according to Florida Politics.

Duggan's long courtship of the race drew attention before he filed. Florida Politics reported in recent months that a political committee supporting him received a six-figure check from developer Aubrey Edge, and separately that partners at his own law firm hosted a fundraiser for Deegan while he was weighing a run.

His pitch: spending, fees and accountability

Duggan framed his campaign around affordability and what he called a breakdown of Jacksonville's consolidated city-county government. He promised "less talking, more problem-solving" and said residents tell him they love Jacksonville but too often do not believe City Hall is working for them.

He said the city budget has grown by roughly $500 million over the past four years and pledged to review about $300 million in potentially wasteful spending that he said the city's chief financial officer had identified, News4Jax reported. He promised to lower spending, cut the property tax rate and examine fees on residents' JEA bills, and said he would consider redirecting the utility's annual contribution to the city toward lowering utility costs for ratepayers. He also said he would protect first responder pensions.

Duggan argued that the Deegan administration has focused too heavily on downtown. He said he opposes cash incentives for luxury apartments on the Southbank while families are struggling, and pledged to steer more investment into neighborhoods outside the urban core.

JTA and JEA at the center

The sharpest attacks focused on the city's independent authorities, especially the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Duggan singled out JTA's Skyway and its NAVI autonomous shuttle as examples of misplaced priorities. "Jacksonville did not need an expensive urban science fair project while workers are trying to get to their jobs and seniors are trying to get to the doctor," he said, according to News4Jax.

His criticism lands as JTA is in a deep financial hole. In mid-September, the agency announced it would cut $39 million from its fiscal 2027 budget, eliminate up to 194 jobs, reduce bus service, stop carrying passengers on the Skyway beginning Nov. 2 and pause NAVI service on Jan. 1, 2027. On Sept. 29, News4Jax reported that JTA had received a subpoena from the Florida Attorney General's Office in a criminal probe that seeks records on tuition reimbursements, contracts with an organizational development firm, scholarships and NAVI ridership figures, along with communications involving former CEO Nat Ford. Cleveland Ferguson is serving as interim CEO. Clay County commissioners have also voted to end their funding agreement with the agency.

Duggan also cited problems over the past year at JEA, the city-owned utility, and pointed to the Jacksonville Housing Authority and Jacksonville Aviation Authority as agencies that need more accountability. He promised to "hold people accountable" at the authorities.

How Deegan's side responded

The mayor's office pushed back on the JTA criticism, saying JTA is a regional transportation agency whose staff are not city employees. "It's disconcerting that an eight-year member of the state legislature and current Speaker of the House is either unaware of the structure or intentionally misleading the public," the office said, according to News4Jax.

Deegan's campaign said the city is "experiencing unprecedented momentum," pointing to investments in first responders and infrastructure and to tens of millions of dollars directed to historically disinvested neighborhoods, Action News Jax reported. Duval County Democratic Party Chair Millie Leeds questioned Duggan's legislative record, saying he has put Tallahassee ahead of Jacksonville.

Money will be a factor. Deegan had about $2.2 million in cash on hand, while Duggan has roughly $1.4 million in political committee funds, according to Action News Jax.

The rest of the field

Duggan is not the only Republican who has filed. Ronald Armstrong Jr., a first-time candidate, is also running, and local reports list Keith Bernard Brown Jr., Harry Daniel Long III and Fitzgerald Desprez among other Republican filers. Candidate filings are open until qualifying, and the field can still change before then. Because Jacksonville uses a unitary election, every candidate appears on one March ballot regardless of party, which is why Republicans have been eager to avoid splitting their vote.

The key dates for the race:

Why it matters beyond Jacksonville

Jacksonville is Florida's most populous city, and Deegan's 2023 victory put a Democrat in charge of it during a period when Republicans have dominated statewide politics. A Duggan win would return City Hall to Republican control; a Deegan win would give Democrats a rare signature success heading into the second half of the decade.

The race also tests a statewide argument over local government spending. Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders have pressed cities and counties on budgets and property taxes, and Duggan, a House leader, is now asking voters to apply that critique to his hometown.

What's next

Duggan now begins a campaign of roughly five months before the March 9 first election. Watch for whether additional Republicans withdraw to clear his path, how quickly both campaigns build their fundraising, and how the JTA cuts play out when the Skyway goes dark in November. City Council budget and JTA developments over the winter are likely to shape the debate, and formal qualifying in January will set the final ballot.