OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Leadership Election - May 26, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 26, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:30
Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I don't know what.

0:04

Yeah, yes, I don't know what.

0:07

It is four o'clock.

0:09

Do we have or need a quorum?

0:11

We good.

0:12

I don't know what he's doing.

0:17

All right.

0:18

Good afternoon and welcome.

0:19

I officially call this meeting to order.

0:22

This is the 2026-2027 special council meeting on leadership vote.

0:29

So let's do roll call.

0:42

Council President, we have a quorum with 18 present.

0:45

We have eighteen present.

0:49

We don't need any introductions.

0:51

So I'm going to turn it over to the council secretary to get us in order.

0:57

Oh, no, he said.

1:05

Thank you, Mr.

1:06

President.

1:07

This is the council leadership vote of May 26th, 20.

1:12

I'm on mute.

1:18

Thank you, Mr.

1:19

President.

1:20

This is the City Council leadership vote of May 26, 2026.

1:25

The council rules require paper ballots for leadership vote.

1:28

You should all have your ballots in front of you.

1:30

The council president vote is first, and the council vice president vote is second.

1:36

The council president will open the floor for nominations.

1:38

Once the nominations are closed for president designate, you can make your selection, sign your ballot, and legislative services staff will collect them.

1:46

Each signed written ballot shall be delivered to the council secretary who shall read each ballot orally after all ballots have been received and shall total and announce the results thereof.

1:56

When no nominee for an office receives a majority on the first ballot, the two nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be voted on on a second signed written ballot.

2:05

All other nominees being dropped from consideration.

2:09

In the event of a tie vote for the position of second nominee, the members involved in such tie vote shall immediately be voted on separately by all council members voting to break the tie, with the person receiving the most votes there from being the second nominee.

2:23

The process will be repeated for the council vice president designate.

2:27

Following the leadership votes for both offices of council president designate and council vice president designate, the president will extend the privilege of the floor to the newly elected officers.

2:42

You turn that back over to me.

2:43

Alright, before we open the floor for nominations, I see uh past President Carlucci in the queue.

2:48

Did you have a question or anything to add before we open?

2:54

Oh.

2:55

Alright, yes, we got you.

2:57

Okay.

2:57

So I officially opened the floor for nominations for the Office of City Council President.

3:02

Dr.

3:02

Johnson, you're recognized.

3:05

Thank you, Mr.

3:06

President.

3:07

Colleagues, uh members of the council.

3:08

First of all, it's good to be here today.

3:10

I turned 50.

3:12

I just gotta say it.

3:12

It feels good, y'all.

3:15

Feels good.

3:16

Three years ago, I got to know uh the person I'm gonna nominate as a friend, uh Nick Howland, and I met him standing in line with royalty.

3:25

Uh now to be clear, the royalty that we had been visiting that particular day had been passed on for more than a tri-millennium.

3:32

We were at the King Tut exhibit surrounded by gold, antiquity, breathtaking art, and just an amazing experience.

3:40

However, the other royalty that I stood with was our uh the person I'm nominating, his mother, because even though we were in awe of the artifacts, I got to know someone who was just as beautiful as the jewels and wonderful things that I saw.

3:55

Uh I met this woman in line and she asked me about my family.

3:59

And I told her about my mom, who had passed away a few years before.

4:03

It's only had only been three years at the time.

4:05

And when I was at it, something inside me, she could tell that I had a moment when she asked me about my mother.

4:11

Now, anybody who's ever lost a mom knows that it is not an easy thing at all.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████97%
Economic Development█3%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville City Council Leadership Election

On May 26, 2026, the Jacksonville City Council held a special meeting to elect its President and Vice President for the 2026-2027 term. With a quorum of 18 members present, the council proceeded with paper ballots.

Discussion Items

  • Nomination of Council President: Councilmember Dr. Rockman Johnson nominated current Vice President Nick Howland for Council President. The nomination was seconded by Councilmember Clark Murray. No other nominations were made. All 19 council members voted, with one initial abstention. Councilmember Peluso later affirmed his vote, resulting in a unanimous 19-0 election of Nick Howland as Council President-designate.
  • Nomination of Council Vice President: Four council members were nominated: Joe Carlucci (nominated by Councilmember White, seconded by Arias), Chris Miller (nominated by Councilmember Gay, seconded by Boylan), Ken Amaro (nominated by Councilmember Freeman, seconded by Howland), and Rockman Johnson (nominated by Councilmember Pittman, seconded by Harris). On the first ballot, no candidate received a majority: Chris Miller received 7 votes, Joe Carlucci 6, Rockman Johnson 4, and Ken Amaro 2. Per council rules, a runoff was held between the top two candidates, Miller and Carlucci. On the second ballot, Joe Carlucci received 10 votes and Chris Miller 9 votes, electing Joe Carlucci as Vice President-designate.

Key Outcomes

  • Council President (2026-2027): Nick Howland elected unanimously (19-0).
  • Council Vice President (2026-2027): Joe Carlucci elected by a vote of 10-9 over Chris Miller.
  • Post-election comments: Newly elected President Howland outlined priorities including public safety, infrastructure, fiscal discipline, job creation, and council teamwork. Vice President Carlucci expressed gratitude and called for consensus-building. Councilmember Peluso explained his initial abstention concerned norms and protocol. Former Council President Carlucci praised the competitive election and suggested making the vice president vote unanimous, a motion not formally made.

Consent Calendar

  • No routine approvals were considered.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were taken.

Meeting Transcript

I don't know what. Yeah, yes, I don't know what. It is four o'clock. Do we have or need a quorum? We good. I don't know what he's doing. All right. Good afternoon and welcome. I officially call this meeting to order. This is the 2026-2027 special council meeting on leadership vote. So let's do roll call. Council President, we have a quorum with 18 present. We have eighteen present. We don't need any introductions. So I'm going to turn it over to the council secretary to get us in order. Oh, no, he said. Thank you, Mr. President. This is the council leadership vote of May 26th, 20. I'm on mute. Thank you, Mr. President. This is the City Council leadership vote of May 26, 2026. The council rules require paper ballots for leadership vote. You should all have your ballots in front of you. The council president vote is first, and the council vice president vote is second. The council president will open the floor for nominations. Once the nominations are closed for president designate, you can make your selection, sign your ballot, and legislative services staff will collect them. Each signed written ballot shall be delivered to the council secretary who shall read each ballot orally after all ballots have been received and shall total and announce the results thereof. When no nominee for an office receives a majority on the first ballot, the two nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be voted on on a second signed written ballot. All other nominees being dropped from consideration. In the event of a tie vote for the position of second nominee, the members involved in such tie vote shall immediately be voted on separately by all council members voting to break the tie, with the person receiving the most votes there from being the second nominee. The process will be repeated for the council vice president designate. Following the leadership votes for both offices of council president designate and council vice president designate, the president will extend the privilege of the floor to the newly elected officers. You turn that back over to me. Alright, before we open the floor for nominations, I see uh past President Carlucci in the queue. Did you have a question or anything to add before we open? Oh. Alright, yes, we got you. Okay. So I officially opened the floor for nominations for the Office of City Council President. Dr. Johnson, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, uh members of the council. First of all, it's good to be here today. I turned 50. I just gotta say it. It feels good, y'all.

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