The first female mayor of Jacksonville was sworn in on July 1 ,2023.  Donna Hazouri Deegan was born in Jacksonville, Florida on February 28, 1961.  She became the first woman to be elected as mayor of the Bold New City of the South on July 1, 2023.    

Judge Swears in first Female Mayor Donna Deegan (Photo- Ramey)

Jacksonville is believed to have been petitioned to become a city on June 15, 1822 according to city records.  Documents and information are sparce regarding the early history of the city and certainly many papers were lost in the Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901.  What information has been gathered has come from newspapers and other papers not affected by the fire.

The first mayor of Jacksonville was William Mills. He began his term in 1832.  During the Civil  War there was no mayoral leadership due to the military taking command.  In the early years of Jacksonville’s existence it had small towns within a town.  There was Brooklyn, East Jacksonville,  Fairfield, LaVilla, Riverside, Springfield and more….  Each had leadership of its own until in 1887 when a new charter gathered areas together with one mayor serving two terms.

Donna Deegan speaks to Inaugural crowd (Photo-Ramey)

Over these some 200 years, only men have served as Mayor until this year when Donna Deegan was elected on May 16, 2023.  At  her swearing-in on July 1, 2023, she used her cousin, Tommy Hazoui’s Bible marking the first time a woman would hold the office of Mayor for Jacksonville, Florida.  Tommy Hazouri, her cousin had served as Mayor from 1987-1991. He too was a Democrat.

The New Mission

The Deegan Administration will be guided by the principle that every person should have a voice in City Hall and a seat at the table. Ourculture will be an inclusive one where we encourage collaboration between leaders from all walks of life and who look like Jacksonville. Transparency, accountability, and innovation will be at the center of our decisions as we build a bridge to the next generation and industries of the future. These values will guide the next chapter in Jacksonville’s history and the culture that we will strive to create.

Mayor Deegan is committed to a comprehensive review of opportunities and challenges facing Jacksonville and identifying policy solutions that give every person the opportunity to have a good quality of life. To fulfil that pledge, the transition team is forming a series of policy and outreach committees charged with developing plans that move forward Mayor Deegan’s vision of a healthy, safe, resilient, inclusive, and innovative city that works for all of us.

Focus Areas

• Infrastructure
• Health
• Economy
• Public Safety
• Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
• Constituency and Community Outreach
• Military and Veteran Affairs

The race was a divided race however, Deegan has asked for the city to come together in unity so as to have the children of Jacksonville live in a city that “fully see’s them” and where they can reach their “full potential”.

In her Inauguration speech, she said that “love won” in this election and encouraged those listening to help her complete the task of growing the city to “rise”.

Deegan’s inauguration was complete with calling on God for help, having set goals to meet and to look forward to a new day. We can only judge a person by their work, decisions and how they govern. Yes, “It is a New Day” in Jacksonville, Florida.

See you tomorrow,

Nan