Al Ferraro withdraws nomination following appointment waiver controversy

By Lydia Nusbaum

Published Sep. 1, 2023, 5:15 p.m. ET | Updated Sep. 1, 2023

Al Ferraro and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. (Photos/Al Ferraro and Donna Deegan Facebook pages)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Al Ferraro withdrew his nomination for consideration to be Jacksonville’s Director of Neighborhoods following weeks of controversy over whether city council should approve a requirement waiver.

“Al has always stood up for people and neighborhoods even when it has hurt him politically. Today is no different,” Democrat Mayor Donna Deegan said Friday in a statement.

The mayor hinted at finding another position within the administration.

“I’m grateful for his willingness to serve Jacksonville, and I look forward to identifying a role where he can continue doing so,” Deegan ended with.

After picking Al Ferraro to serve in the neighborhoods position, Deegan asked the city council to waive his lack of requirements for the position.

The position requires a four-year college degree that Ferraro does not hold.

The city council previously deferred a vote on waiving the requirement for Ferraro to have a bachelor’s degree for his newly appointed position.

At the time, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Florida’s Voice that Ferraro’s appointment was deferred Monday so that he could “have more time to meet with members of the City Council.”

Ferraro is a former Republican city council member and mayoral candidate who the mayor selected after taking office in 2023.

Ferraro’s education includes a highschool diploma, according to his resume.

He and his wife have owned a landscaping business since 1986, which Deegan’s office reportedly pointed to as a means to waive the requirements of the director of neighborhood’s role. Her office also noted his community leadership roles and his connections to neighborhoods across the city.

The director of the neighborhoods department oversees animal care and protective services, environmental quality division, mosquito control division, municipal code compliance division, housing and community development division, office of consumer affairs, neighborhoods services office, neighborhoods property administration, and the city’s customer service center.