THE MAYOR

Jacksonville Charter pt. A, art. 6

in effect

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.01 Qualifications and term of office.

Section 6.01. - Qualifications and term of office. The mayor shall be a qualified elector of Duval County and a resident of Duval County, and shall have resided in and been a qualified elector of Duval County for at least 365 consecutive days immediately before the date on which he or she qualifies to run for the office of mayor. If he or she shall cease to possess any such qualifications during his or her term of office, he or she shall forthwith forfeit the office, and the council shall remove him or her therefrom. He or she shall be elected for a period of 4 years and shall assume office on the first day of July following his or her election and serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified. No mayor elected and qualified for two consecutive terms shall be eligible for election as mayor in the next succeeding term. The mayor shall devote his or her entire time to the performance of the duties of his or her office and shall hold no other public office or public employment. (Ord. 79-821-516, § 2; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.02 Elected constitutional officer.

Section 6.02. - Elected constitutional officer. The mayor shall be considered an elected constitutional officer for purposes of s. 8 of Article II, of the Florida Constitution. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 77-582; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.03 Compensation.

Section 6.03. - Compensation. The mayor shall receive a salary fixed by the council, but no ordinance shall be effective to reduce the salary of the mayor during any term of the mayor unless adopted or approved by the council at least 90 days prior to the consolidated government election, immediately preceding such term. If any member of the council shall later be elected to the office of mayor or assume the duties and powers of the office of mayor, said member of the council shall not receive a benefit of any increase in the salary of the mayor which he voted for while serving as a member of the council. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 77-580; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.04 Powers and duties of mayor.

Section 6.04. - Powers and duties of mayor. The executive power of the consolidated government (except such as is retained by the second, third, fourth, or fifth urban services districts) is vested in the mayor who is the chief executive and administrative officer of the consolidated government. He shall be responsible for the conduct of the executive and administrative departments of the consolidated government. The mayor shall administer, supervise, and control all departments and divisions created by this charter and all departments and divisions created by the council. The mayor shall appoint the directors and authorized deputy directors of each department and the chief of each division within each department, subject to confirmation by the council, and they shall serve at the pleasure of the mayor. The mayor is authorized to require any executive officer of the consolidated government to submit to him written or oral reports and information relating to the business and affairs of the consolidated government. The mayor shall from time to time submit reports and recommendations to the council with respect to the financial condition, business, and general welfare of the consolidated government and all offices, departments, and divisions thereof. The mayor shall submit to the council an annual budget for the consolidated government. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 78-536, § 8; Ord. 84-1307-754, §§ 4, 5; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.05 Mayor's veto power.

Section 6.05. - Mayor's veto power. The mayor may veto any ordinance or resolution adopted by the council except ordinances and resolutions relating to: (a) Consolidation of the urban services districts. (b) Appointments to the zoning board and the building codes adjustment board. (c) Zoning exceptions and variances. (d) The auditor, the secretary of the council, or other employees of the council. (e) Internal affairs of the council. (f) Investigations by the council or any duly appointed committee thereof. (g) Quasi-judicial decisions made by the council. Any ordinance or resolution adopted by the council over which the mayor has a veto power shall be presented to the mayor for his consideration and recommendations. If he approves the ordinance or resolution he shall sign it and it shall become effective according to the terms thereof. If he disapproves he shall return the ordinance or resolution to the council without his signature, accompanied by a message indicating the reasons for his disapproval and recommendations. Any resolution or ordinance so disapproved by the mayor shall become effective only if, subsequent to its return, it shall be adopted by two-thirds of all the members of the council present at any meeting; except that if the mayor vetoes any item in the consolidated budget appropriation, only a majority vote of the members of the council shall be required to adopt the same as law over the mayor's veto. Any resolution or ordinance shall become effective on the date provided therein unless it be disapproved by the mayor and returned to the council at or prior to the next regular meeting of the council occurring 10 days or more after the date when the ordinance or resolution was delivered to the mayor's office for consideration. The mayor may disapprove the sum of money appropriated by any one or more items, or parts of items, in any ordinance appropriating money for the use of the consolidated government or any independent agency, in any manner provided herein. The one or more items or parts of items disapproved or reduced shall be void to the extent that they have been disapproved or reduced, unless they shall be restored to the ordinance and become effective by the vote of a majority of the members of the council. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 72-572; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1; Laws of Fla., Ch. 98-467, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.06 Vacancy in the office of mayor.

Section 6.06. - Vacancy in the office of mayor. If the mayor should die, resign, or remove his residence from Duval County during his term of office, or be removed from office, the office of mayor shall become vacant. A vacancy in the office of mayor shall be filled in the following manner: (a) An incumbent mayor who resigns in order to seek a state or federal office in the general statewide election held in November immediately preceding the last year of his term, shall submit his resignation at least 10 days prior to the first day of the qualifying period for the office to which he seeks election and his resignation shall be effective no later than the date on which the general statewide election is held. A vacancy in the office of mayor shall exist as of the effective date of the resignation. In the event a mayor's resignation should be effective before the date of the general statewide election, then the vacancy in the office of mayor shall be temporarily filled in the following succession. The president of council, the vice president of council, the chairman of the council committee on rules, and the chairman of the council committee on finance are established as successors to the office of mayor for the purpose of filling a vacancy in the office. In the event a vacancy should occur, the president of council shall serve as mayor until a successor mayor is qualified and elected, and, if there is no president of council, then the vice president shall so serve. If there is no vice president, then the chairman of the council committee on rules shall serve, and, if there is no chairman of the council committee on rules, then the chairman of the council committee on finance shall serve. If none of these successors can serve as acting mayor, the council shall by ordinance designate an acting mayor until the office of mayor shall be filled as provided herein. If any elected official in the line of succession should refuse to serve as acting mayor or if any such official who is serving as acting mayor should qualify to run for the office of mayor, then he shall no longer serve as acting mayor and the official next in line of succession shall assume the duties of acting mayor. A candidate seeking election to fill the vacancy created by this resignation of an incumbent mayor seeking other elected office shall qualify to run in a special mayoral election to be held as part of and at the same time as the general statewide election. The time period during which such candidates may qualify to run in this special mayoral election shall commence at the same time as does the qualifying period for candidates seeking office in the general statewide election and shall terminate on noon of the seventh day following the date on which the qualifying period for the general statewide election ends. A mayor elected to fill an unexpired term shall take office and assume and exercise all duties of office immediately as of the date of certification of the election returns by the supervisor of elections as provided by law. (b) In the event that a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs other than as provided in subsection (a), then such a vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by election of a mayor at a special election to be called pursuant to resolution of the city council and held on a date no sooner than 1 month and no later than 6 months after the vacancy occurs. This special election shall, if possible, be held in conjunction with any other election scheduled to be held within the county. A resignation by the mayor shall be submitted to the supervisor of elections (with a copy to the secretary of the city council), shall specify the date on which it is effective, and shall be irrevocable. If a mayor submits a resignation which is effective at a date later than that on which it is submitted, the city council may, by resolution, call a special election for the election of a successor, this special election to be held on a date not less than 1 month after the date the resignation is submitted nor more than 6 months prior to the date the resignation is effective; and such special election shall, if possible, be held in conjunction with any other election scheduled to be held within the county. A vacancy in the office of mayor occurring as contemplated in this subsection shall be temporarily filled in the same manner established in subsection (a). The acting mayor shall exercise all the powers of the office of mayor until a successor mayor is qualified, elected, and assumes office. If an acting mayor should qualify to run for the office of mayor at this special election, then he shall no longer serve as acting mayor and the official next in line of succession shall assume the duties of acting mayor. Should a special mayoral election not be held at the same time as any other election scheduled to be held within the county, then the special primary election for nominations of candidates of political parties for the office of mayor to be voted upon in the special election shall be held at the times specified by the council in the resolution calling the special mayoral election, provided that at least 2 weeks shall intervene between the dates set for the first and second primary elections and at least 2 weeks shall intervene between the second special primary election and the special mayoral election. The time period during which candidates may qualify to run in the special primary elections and special mayoral elections shall be specified by the council in the resolution calling the special election, provided that at least 7 calendar days shall be fixed for the qualifying period and that the last date on which candidates may qualify shall occur not less than 3 weeks before the date of the first special primary election. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 77-576; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 85-433, § 1; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.07 Mayor's staff.

Section 6.07. - Mayor's staff. (a) The mayor may appoint administrative aides and one personal secretary to have such duties as he may determine and to serve at his sole pleasure. The mayor's aides and secretary shall be excluded from the civil service provisions of the charter and ordinances of the City of Jacksonville. (b) The mayor shall appoint a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) who shall be responsible for overseeing all operating departments; managing the day-to-day affairs of the City of Jacksonville; and overseeing the implementation of the City's annual operating budget and capital improvement plan. The Chief Administrative Officer shall have a bachelor's degree from an accredited post-secondary institution in business administration, public administration, or a similar field, and seven (7) years' experience in an administrative capacity in municipal government, three of which are in a management capacity, and a thorough understanding of the principles of municipal administration and of applicable provisions of the Laws of the State of Florida; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The mayor shall fill any vacancy in the position of Chief Administrative Officer within 60 days of such position becoming vacant. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 71-694; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1; Ord. 2015-51-E, § 1)

Jacksonville Charter, art. 6, § 6.08 Mayor's absence, incapacity or suspension.

Section 6.08. - Mayor's absence, incapacity or suspension. During any absence of the mayor from Duval County, the president of the council shall automatically become acting mayor, with emergency powers to act only when the public interest requires and with such additional powers to act only when the public interest requires and with such additional powers as the mayor may designate. If the mayor becomes incapable of acting as the mayor and incapable of delegating his duties, or in the event that the mayor is suspended in the exercise of his office, and in either case as long as the incapacity or suspension lasts, the president of the council shall automatically become acting mayor, with all the powers of the office. If the mayor and the president of the council are simultaneously absent from Duval County, or simultaneously incapable of acting as mayor and incapable of delegating the duties of the office of mayor, or simultaneously suspended in the exercise of the office of mayor, the vice president of the council shall automatically become acting mayor with the same powers as the president of the council would have had in like circumstances. The council may by ordinance provide for further succession to the same powers as provided in this section. (Laws of Fla., Ch. 70-748; Laws of Fla., Ch. 77-576; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 4; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)

Source: City of Jacksonville, Ordinance Code and Charter and Related Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CHRELA_PTACHLACHJAFL_ART6THMAFetched: 10/27/2026