THICK FOG THAT’S SUPPOSED TO BE IN PLACE UNTIL 9 THIS MORNING. SAFE TRAVELS. AND
THAT’S A LOOK AT YOU. KEEP
UNTIL YOU AT A TIME SAVER
TRAFFIC.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: WELL,
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
WAS TRYING TO TAKE THE
POLITICS OUT OF THE
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S RACE BY
NAMING PAT IVEY INTERIM
SHERIFF. THERE ARE THOSE IN
THE COMMUNITY WHO SAY HE
DIDN’T DO A VERY GOOD JOB.
JOINING ME ON THE MORNING SHOW
NEWS 4 JAX POLITICAL ANALYST
AND HEAD OF THE J U PUBLIC
POLICY INSTITUTE. RICK
MULLANEY. GOOD MORNING, RICK
MORNING, BRUCE. SO PAT IVEY IS
WELL QUALIFIED TO LEAD THE
DEPARTMENT AND KUDOS TO
CHOOSING SOMEONE WHO IS NOT
GOING TO BE ON THE BALLOT.
AUGUST 23RD. BUT WHAT DID YOU
THINK WHEN THE GOVERNOR IN THE
SAME BREATH THEN TURNS AROUND
IN THE DOOR SAYS KEEP TK
WATERS WHO WAS STANDING RIGHT
THERE ON THE SAME DAY.
>> I MIGHT SEPARATE OUT THE
RUNNING OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR
SAYS THE ELECTION AND BY THAT
THE RACE AND THAT, I MEAN, IN
APPOINTING PAT IVEY, THE
GOVERNOR TURNED TO SOMEBODY
WHO’S RESPECTED AND HAS DEEP
EXPERIENCE HE SAID WOULD
PROVIDE CONTINUITY AND THE 6
CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR SHERIFF
ALL SUPPORTED THAT
APPOINTMENT. AND YOU’RE
AVOIDING POLITICIZING THE
DEPARTMENT. SO THE DEPARTMENT
GETS RUN WELL ON THE ELECTION
ITSELF. NO SURPRISE THERE.
THAT INVOLVES POLITICS IN THE
POINT OF TK WATERS IS THE
LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE.
HE CERTAINLY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF
A HIGH-PROFILE MORE MOMENT AND
FOR HIM TO MAKE THE
APPOINTMENT. BUT I WOULD
SEPARATE OUT D POLITICIZING
THE RUNNING OF THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE. CERTAINLY YOU’RE GOING
TO GET SOME POLITICS IN THE
SHERIFF’S RACE. I THOUGHT
OVERALL IT SET THE TABLE WELL
FOR WHAT’S AHEAD. TAKING
NOTHING AWAY FROM TAKE A BUT
IF YOU WERE THE GOVERNOR,
GIVEN THE FACT THAT PEOPLE
SAID, OK, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE
SOMEBODY AS INTERIM SHERIFF
WHO IS TOTALLY DISASSOCIATED
WITH THE RACE, WHICH HE DID IN
APPOINTING, YOU KNOW, PAT,
SHOULD HAVE MAYBE WAITED FOR
ANOTHER FORUM IN ORDER TO SAY
I ENDORSE TK WATERS, POSSIBLY
SO. BUT REMEMBER, THE TOPIC OF
THE DAY IN JACKSON RIGHT NOW
IS THE LEADERSHIP OF THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE, AND THAT
INCLUDES THE NEAR TERM CHANGE
THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE THIS
SATURDAY WITH A NEW SHERIFF
AND INCLUDES A LONGER TERM
CHANGE, WHICH WILL SEE AT THE
END OF THE SPECIAL ELECTION.
PROBABLY NOVEMBER. AND
REMEMBER THAT? YEAH, THERE’S A
SPRING. THERE’S AN ELECTION
NEXT SPRING. SO I DO THINK IN
THE END THIS FORUM WAS A
PARTICULAR FORM OF HIGH
PROFILE WITH PUBLIC INTEREST
AND HE DID TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THAT PUBLIC ATTENTION. I WILL
SAY THIS TO THE BRUCES. YOU
LOOK TO THE ELECTION IN THE IN
THE LONG RUN. I THINK YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO SEE THAT THE
RUNNING OF THE DEPARTMENT IS
SEPARATE FROM THE RACE AND
IT’S GOING TO BE A SPRINT NOW,
OK? AND SOME OF THE CANDIDATES
SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, SPECIALLY
GOING TOWARD AUGUST 23RD,
WHICH IS SOMETHING LIKE WHAT,
80, 80 DAYS AWAY. SO LET’S
TALK ABOUT THE SERIES
ELECTIONS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AUGUST 23RD
COULD BE A RUNOFF IN NOVEMBER.
AND THEN YOU’VE GOT THE
GENERAL ELECTION. SO SINCE
CONSOLIDATION, THERE HAVE BEEN
5 SHERIFF’S WE TALKED ABOUT
THIS THE OTHER DAY WHEN WE
TALKED ABOUT THE FIELD OF
CANDIDATES AND WE FOUND OUT
THAT MIKE WILLIAMS WAS GOING
TO GO AHEAD AND RETIRE. THERE
COULD POTENTIALLY BE FOR
SHERIFF’S BETWEEN NOW AND THE
END OF THE ELECTION SERIES.
>> IT IS REMARKABLE, BRUCE.
AND AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, FOR
MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY,
JACKSONVILLE HAS ENJOYED
REMARKABLE STABILITY AND
CONTINUITY IN THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE FOR 54 YEARS. SINCE
1968, WE’VE HAD THOSE 5
SHERIFFS. I’VE BEEN VERY
FORTUNATE WORK WITH ALL 5 OF
THOSE SHARES FROM DALE CARSON
TO JIM MCMILLIAN TO NECK LOVER
TO JOHN RUTHERFORD TO MIKE
WILLIAMS. WE’VE HAD SOME VERY
GOOD LEADERSHIP. THIS IS
PROBABLY THE MOST DISRUPTIVE
PERIOD WE’VE EXPERIENCED IN
CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT WHEN
IT COMES TO THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE THIS SATURDAY, WE WILL
HAVE THE 6TH SHERIFF IN THE
HISTORY OF CONSOLIDATED
GOVERNMENT COME THE SPECIAL
ELECTION. WE WILL HAVE THE
7TH, I WILL SAY THIS. WHO EVER
WINS THE SPECIAL ELECTION AND
IT’S LIKELY TO GO FROM AUGUST
INTO A RUNOFF IN NOVEMBER.
WHOEVER WINS THAT WILL BE IN
THE DRIVER’S SEAT AND LIKELY
WILL BE SHARE FOR THE NEXT 4
YEARS. BUT THEN IT IS POSSIBLE
THAT IN THE SPRING YOU COULD
HAVE ANOTHER CHANGE. SO YES,
FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY,
REMARKABLE STABILITY.
REMARKABLE CONTINUITY.
DISRUPTION NOW. AND THERE IS
SOME CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP BOTH
IN THE NEAR TERM AND THE LONG
TERM.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO AS FAR AS
THAT DISRUPTION IS CONCERN FOR
THE FIELD OF 5 WHO WANT TO BE
SHERIFF, HOW DOES THAT CHANGE
THE WAY THEY POLITICKING
CAMPAIGN GOING INTO AT LEAST
AUGUST TO NOVEMBER. I THINK
THEY REALIZE, TOO, THAT IT IS
ABOUT THE SPECIAL ELECTION.
WHOEVER WINS NOW IS LIKELY
GOING TO BE YOUR NEXT SHERIFF.
AND IT IS GONE FOR MORE OF A
MARATHON, A RACE THAT WAS 9
AND A HALF MONTHS AWAY TO ONE
THAT IS 11 WEEKS AWAY.
THEREFORE, IT’S A SPRINT TO
AUGUST 23RD. FOCUS ON
FUNDRAISING, BUILDING YOUR
ORGANIZATION AND TRYING TO
MAKE THE RUNOFF FOR NOVEMBER.
BUT CLEARLY THE DYNAMICS OF
THE RACE HAVE CHANGED. IT IS
GAME ON. I DO THINK THE
GOVERNOR’S APPOINTMENT HAS SET
THE TABLE WELL FOR ALL 6
CANDIDATES TO NOW RACED
TOWARDS AUGUST AND THEN
NOVEMBER. BUT WHOEVER WINS
THAT IS GOING TO BE IN THE
DRIVER’S SEAT. DO YOU THINK
THAT ALL 5 WILL SURVIVE GOING
INTO AUGUST? YOU THINK A
COUPLE MAY SIT BACK AND SAY
OKAY, THERE ARE 2 WHO ARE
LEADING THE FIELD, AT LEAST
WHEN IT COMES TO THE AMOUNT OF
MONEY RAISED FOR THE CAMPAIGN
AND MAYBE AT THIS POINT MIGHT
BE MORE PRUDENT FOR US TO STEP
BACK AND TAKE A BACK SEAT.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: CLEARLY HAVE
THE BIG FUNDRAISING EDGE. AND
WE’RE TALKING TK WATERS IN THE
CASE THOSE 2, ONE REPUBLICAN,
ONE, A DEMOCRAT. THEY ARE THE
LEADING CONTENDERS, BUT THERE
ARE SOME OTHER STRONG
CANDIDATES. I EXPECT THE
MAJORITY OF THOSE 6, IF NOT
ALL OF THEM TO RUN. I DO
EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE A
RUNOFF IN NOVEMBER AND THOSE 2
LEADING CONTENDERS ARE VERY
STRONG CANDIDATES IN
PARTICULAR. BUT THERE’S SOME
OTHERS COMING ALONG WHO COULD
MAKE IT VERY, VERY
INTERESTING. AND IN THE
MEANTIME, AS FAR AS THE JETS
OFFICERS ARE CONCERNED, IT’S
BUSINESS AS USUAL. THIS HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WAY
THEY OPERATE. AND THAT’S WHY
PAT IVEY IS A GOOD CHOICE
BECAUSE HE DOES HAVE THE
EXPERIENCE. HE KNOWS THE
OFFICERS. HE’S GOT THE
CREDIBILITY. HIS APPOINTMENT
WAS APPLAUDED. LIKE I SAID FOR
THOSE RUNNING, HE’S APPLAUDED
ON BOTH SIDES. I THINK FOR THE
GOVERNOR, THERE’S VERY
COMPELLING REASONS TO APPOINT
PAT IVEY AS THE ACTING SHERIFF
AT THIS POINT TIME. AND IT’S
ALSO IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT
THERE WAS A BIG EVENT IN
JANUARY. THINK IT WAS AND A
MAJORITY OF THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THREW
THEIR SUPPORT BEHIND RON
DESANTIS BECAUSE THEY SAID,
LOOK, HE DOES SUPPORT NUMBER
ONE PAY RAISES FOR THEM AND HE
SUPPORTS THEM GETTING THE
FUNDING THEY NEED IN ORDER TO
FIGHT CRIME. THERE’S NO DOUBT
THAT THE GOVERNOR IS VERY
POPULAR WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THERE’S VERY NOT. THERE’S NO
DOUBT THAT HIS ENDORSEMENT
CARRIES GREAT WEIGHT, WHICH HE
DID YESTERDAY FOR TK WATERS.
IT WAS A GOOD DAY. IT’S A
MIXED BLESSING, QUITE FRANKLY,
TO GET THE APPOINTMENT. YOU
HAVE THE PROFILE. YOU HAVE THE
BULLY PULPIT. YOU CAN RUN BUT
ALSO TAKES AWAY YOUR CAMPAIGN
TIME FOR TK WATERS. HE KIND OF
GOT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. A
HIGH-PROFILE ENDORSEMENT. PLUS
HE’S FREE TO CAMPAIGN FOR THE
NEXT FEW WEEKS. BUT THE
GOVERNOR’S ENDORSEMENT DOES
CARRY GREAT WEIGHT WHEN IT
COMES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. BUT
LUCKY BURTON ALSO HAS THE
SUPPORT OF THE RANK AND FILE
AND JSO. SO WE’LL WAIT AND SHE
HAD A GOOD DAY, TOO, BY THE
WAY, BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT
ONE OF YOUR POINT. YOUR
OPPONENT, PONIES, YOUR
OPPONENTS, GETTING THE
APPOINTMENT. AND AS A
DEMOCRAT, SHE CERTAINLY DIDN’T
EXPECT TO GET THE APPOINTMENT