JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At the end of next week, Jacksonville will no longer have a sheriff after current Sheriff Mike Williams retires.
Williams said Thursday he plans to step down on June 10 rather than fight a court battle over his residency issue that sparked controversy.
Questions about an impending legal decision over whether he vacated his office have been swirling since last week when it was discovered that Williams had moved from Duval to Nassau County last year. According to the city’s charter: “If the sheriff should die, resign, or remove his residence from Duval County during his term of office, or be removed from office, the office of sheriff shall become vacant.”
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So what happens next?
The Jacksonville City Council plans to hold a special meeting next week to set a date sometime in August for a special election to fill Williams’ unexpired term. It’s not yet clear exactly when the meeting will happen.
That special election will be followed by a general election runoff in November.
Before those elections take place, the city’s charter calls for Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint an interim sheriff to serve for at least a few months. It’s not clear when that could happen.
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News4JAX contacted a DeSantis spokeswoman to ask about the coming appointment.
“We thank Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams for his years of service dedicated to serving and protecting the residents of Duval County. We will let you know if or when we have any further updates,” spokeswoman Christina Pushaw wrote in an email to News4JAX.
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In a prepared statement, Duval County Democratic Party Chair Daniel Henry said, “While we call on the Governor to make a swift appointment of an interim caretaker Sheriff. The appointment should not be any candidate seeking the elected position. Voters should decide who serves as the next elected Sheriff.”
Following the special elections later this year, there will still be a general election in spring 2023 for the office. Right now, there are six candidates who are running in that race.
