Daniel Davis and Donna Deegan square off in mayoral debate

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Jacksonville Mayoral Candidates Daniel Davis and Donna Deegan debated Thursday as they face off for the May 16 runoff election.

In the candidates’ opening statements, Democrat Donna Deegan said Jacksonville has “got to create a city that turns the page on fear and division, that turns the page on self dealing politics.”

Republican Daniel Davis expressed his support for law enforcement and said he is going to “make Jacksonville a safer, more affordable place to live.”

Recently, the Davis campaign launched an ad against Deegan, which showed clips of what appeared to be violent Black Lives Matter protesters.

The ad repeated throughout with Deegan saying “I went to every one of those Black Lives Matter protests.” It displayed news reports of Black Lives Matter supporting defunding of the police.

During the debate, Davis said the Black Lives Matter movement is about defunding the police and placing “radical activists” in charge of the police department. He said the relationship between the mayor and the sheriff is “critically important.”

“I cannot wait to make sure he [Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters] has every resource he needs to continue driving this crime rate down, and the defund the police movement is not going to come to Jacksonville, Florida,” Davis said.

Deegan tried to respond to Davis’ comments, but was shot down by the moderators.

She said the ad was a “lie” and she was “never involved in a violent march. She defended the Black Lives Matter movement, saying it is about “racism.”

Davis explained his priorities, pointing to crime as the most important issue, as well as providing more infrastructure for the people of Jacksonville and staying focused on how they will spend tax dollars.

“All of the folks that we’ve talked to in their neighborhoods have said that crime is the most important issue,” Davis said. “We’re going to put more officers on the street, we’re going to make your streets safer, we have to make sure that we provide more infrastructure for the citizens as well.”

Deegan said she has a “three pillar plan” that she believes will make the city safer and healthier. Her plan includes “finally fixing the broken infrastructure,” health outcomes, which she said she has a “four point plan” for, and focusing on small businesses.

“I have a plan to bring everybody into this economy instead of just a select few like we do now,” Deegan said.

The candidates discussed crime and safety. The moderators asked Deegan and Davis what they would do as mayor to make Jacksonville safer.

Deegan said she will “fully fund the police” and add more officers to the streets. She explained that “we must do more than the same old” to bring crime numbers down by “going underneath the causes of crime.”

Davis said that he “led the charge” as city council president to add 100 new police officers to the streets. He said if elected mayor, he’s going to partner with Sheriff T.K. Waters to add 200 new police officers to the streets over four years.

He also said his focus is on prevention and intervention to “make sure” young people in the community do not enter the criminal justice system.

Both said they’d bolster infrastructure.

In Deegan’s closing statements, she said she believes the city can come together in “unity,” but she said it cannot be done if there are people in charge who are “dividing” the city with “toxic politics” and “toxic ads.”

“I believe if we have someone in this office who will break the cycle, who will break the cycle of fear and division, I honestly believe that if we break that fever one time, if we say we no longer will accept this sort of behavior in our city, then we will not be that city any longer,” Deegan said.

In Davis’ closing statement, he said he will make Jacksonville a “safer, more affordable city.” He also reiterated his support for law enforcement. He also talked more about his priorities including infrastructure, workforce housing, and lowering taxes.

“We’re going to improve your quality of life. We’re going to make Jacksonville safer. We’re going to make Jacksonville more affordable,” Davis said.