JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Democrat Donna Deegan and Republican Daniel Davis will go head-to-head in next week's runoff election.
Deegan and Davis were the candidates with the most votes during the March 21 election out of a field of seven.
Voters will return to the polls to vote for their next mayor on May 16.
Who is Daniel Davis?
Daniel Davis grew up on Jacksonville's Westside as the son of a pastor and the youngest of five children.
He served on the Jacksonville City Council, in the Florida State House, and led the Northeast Florida Builders Association. For the last decade, Davis has served as CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
"Really the citizens are selecting the next CEO of the city of Jacksonville and I have 25 years of experience to be able to hit the ground running day one," Davis told First Coast News.
Davis's political platform is based on public safety, building the economy, education, and improving the city's infrastructure.
After a violent few days, with four shootings within approximately 24 hours of each other April 30 and May 1, Davis sent a statement to First Coast News saying that he has spoken to Sheriff T.K. Waters about crime trends in Jacksonville and "reassured him" that as mayor, he would give him and his officers resources to keep the city safe.
Who is Donna Deegan?
Donna Deegan says her focus is "the people."
She is a former news anchor, breast cancer awareness advocate and a former congressional candidate. If elected, she will be Jacksonville's first female mayor.
In response to the city's crime rates, Deegan also wants to put more officers on the street but wants to focus on community initiatives as well.
“There’s so many great intervention and prevention programs that if we actually spent some money on, we could keep some of these kids from getting into a life of crime so I think you need the enforcement side you got to put the bad guys in jail and at the same time we got to get to these kids before they get into violent situations," Deegan said.
