Sheriff T.K. Waters endorses Daniel Davis for Jacksonville mayor

JACKSONVILLE (FLV) – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters endorsed Republican Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis and applauded his commitment to supporting law enforcement.

“One of the most important partnerships that JSO can have is a supportive mayor and only one candidate has a proven track record of supporting law enforcement and promoting innovative solutions to address violent crime in Jacksonville and that is Daniel Davis,” Waters said.

“His proven commitment to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the resources we need to keep our community safe and his record of promoting prevention and intervention strategies with the Jacksonville Journey is exactly what Jacksonville deserves from our next mayor.”

The newly-elected sheriff picked Davis out of a slew of candidates in the mayoral race.

“These next four years will mark an important step in public safety for neighborhoods across the city, and I know that Daniel is best suited to work with us to keep Jacksonville safe,” Waters said. “I am proud to stand with Daniel Davis and strongly endorse him for Mayor of Jacksonville because I know he will continue to stand with our officers and the people of Jacksonville. I trust Daniel, and ask Jacksonville voters to join me in voting for Daniel Davis on March 21st.”

Davis also received an endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) this month. Public safety has been the centerpiece of the candidate’s campaign and Florida’s Voice asked Davis how much it means to him to now also have the sheriff’s endorsement.

“It’s incredible, I said on the stage a couple weeks ago, this is a game changer, it’s a game changer for the citizens of Jacksonville,” Davis said. “The citizens of Jacksonville overwhelmingly want public safety and that’s the number one job of government. Sometimes government gets off track and we’re going to bring government back on track, make sure the citizens are safe, make sure we’re properly funding infrastructure. But the number one job of our government is to make sure that you are safe while you prosper and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Florida’s Voice asked Waters why Davis is the only candidate he can trust to keep Jacksonville safe.

“Well I know his history. I know what he’s done in the past, I know he was a city council member, he was the youngest ever city council president, he was the president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association which is just another side part about his business [….] His mind, and he’s been our chamber CEO [….] So it’s clearly, it’s easy that he’s the best candidate for the job. 100 percent, it’s so easy,” Waters said.

U.S. Rep. John Rutherford also recently endorsed Davis along with the FOP.

“We are proud and we have full confidence in Daniel Davis to be the next mayor of Jacksonville. No other candidate has the resume or has the proven track record as Daniel Davis to have the backs of the men and women that we represent. I proudly announce the endorsement of Daniel Davis for mayor of Jacksonville,” Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Reaves said.

Davis has served as the president and CEO of Jax Chamber since 2013 with an emphasis on promoting business-friendly policies. He was previously the executive director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. It is Florida’s largest local membership trade association representing the building and construction industry in Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties.

Davis also served on the Jacksonville City Council and served four years in the State House of Representatives.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Jacksonville mayoral candidate Daniel Davis and Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters