Vice President Kevin Carico announces run for Jacksonville City Council president; colleagues pledge support

Vice President Kevin Carico announced he is running for president of the Jacksonville City Council and asked colleagues to sign pledges of support at a leadership meeting, saying, "I am running for council president."

The announcement, made by Carico at the start of the meeting, drew multiple statements of public backing from current and former council members and a pledge-signing drive; no formal vote was held at the session. The floor discussion included praise for Carico's work chairing the LUZ committee and one council member raising concerns about language in an immigration bill Carico has filed.

Dr. Salem, a past council president, praised Carico's committee leadership and interaction with the public and colleagues, saying, "I think the LUZ committee is probably by far the toughest committee to manage because you have such public input, you've got your colleagues, you've got lobbyists, and and trying to make sure that whole process is done in a fair way is, is a skill." Dozens of council members then took the microphone to offer support and sign pledge letters. Council President Randy White told Carico he is prepared for the transition, saying, "You'll be ready July 1 because you're ready now, and I'm proud for you."

Several council members emphasized Carico's record on the LUZ committee (land-use and zoning) and his relationship-building skills. Councilman Howland said Carico is "one of the best relationship-building leaders there is in this city," and Councilmember Miller commended Carico for calmly handling intense situations and helping the council "find a way forward." Multiple members indicated they would sign pledges at the meeting.

Not all remarks were unqualified endorsements. Councilman Peluso said he supported Carico personally but raised objections to an immigration bill Carico filed, saying some language referring to "aliens, undocumented aliens, is something that I that I just cannot support." Peluso asked whether Carico would consider amendments or splitting the legislation to remove language Peluso called unnecessary. Carico replied that committee review was the appropriate forum, that once a bill is filed it "belongs to the council," and that he looked forward to committee dialogue on the measure: "So we'll get into it in committee."

Other speakers who publicly offered support included Councilmember Layne, Councilmember Gay, Councilmember Peluso (who expressed conditional support), Councilmember Carlucci, Councilman Gaffney, Councilman Arias, Dr. Johnson, and Terrence Freeman, among others. Several speakers referred to Carico's outside work mentoring young people and his experience on the LUZ committee as reasons for their backing.

No formal motion, ballot, or vote on council presidency occurred at the leadership meeting. Carico told attendees he expects a formal vote in May and that he would rely on colleagues' support if unforeseen challenges arise during his term. The session ended after pledge signatures were collected and Carico closed the meeting.

Votes at a glance: none — no formal votes were taken on council leadership at this meeting.

Ending: Carico thanked colleagues and asked them to "hold me up" if the presidency brings difficult days; he closed by saying he looks forward to the May vote and adjourned the meeting.