🔒 Insider: LIVE Sheriff’s Debate Chat

Five candidates vying to be the next leader of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and News4JAX wants to help you determine who the best option is.

At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, News4JAX-Channel 4 will host a live one-hour debate in conjunction with the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute.

RELATED: Candidates for Jacksonville sheriff to answer your questions in live debate on Channel 4 & News4JAX.com | News4JAX Voter’s Guide

While the candidates are fielding questions, we want to know what you think about their answers.

We will host a live chat in the comments section of this article during the debate to get your real-time feedback.

Some of your comments may be used in our post-debate coverage on The 10 O’Clock News.

Please join us for this News4JAX Insider exclusive experience.

Free Sheriff’s Debate Tickets

If you’d like to attend the debate, we are offering News4JAX Insiders FREE tickets. Simply go to www.jutickets.com and request your tickets while they last.

This Week In Jacksonville

• TWIJ: Clark, Waters highlight how they’d build community trust as Jacksonville sheriff
• TWIJ: Sheriff candidate Cummings says city ‘hemorrhaging from violent crime’
• TWIJ: Burton, Jefferson answer questions as special election for Jacksonville Sheriff nears

News4JAX interviews

• ICYMI: ‘We have to get back to serving the people’: Lakesha Burton says changes needed in Jacksonville policing
• ICYMI: ‘The city deserves better’: Tony Cummings plans public accountability office if he’s elected Jacksonville sheriff
• ICYMI: Candidate Ken Jefferson: ‘I intend to be a totally, unequivocally, 100% transparent sheriff’
• ICYMI: ‘We owe it to the public to be transparent’: Sheriff candidate Wayne Clark promises to release body camera footage
• ICYMI: ‘I’m not controlled by a party’: T.K. Waters says he’ll be transparent if elected Jacksonville sheriff

Below is a little bit about each candidate. A more thorough background of the candidates can be found by following this link.

Lakesha Burton

Party affiliation*: Democrat

Occupation: Retired Law Enforcement

Age: 47

Your family: Husband of 14 years, Greg - Blended family of 5 children (2 daughters/3 sons)

Education: Master’s Degree in Criminology / Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology

Political experience: N/A

Wayne Clark

Party affiliation*: Democrat

Occupation: Retired 40-year Jacksonville Law Enforcement Professional

Age: 60

Your family: Married 38 years, Karol, three children and four grandchildren

Education: Master’s in Public Administration - Central Michigan University, Graduate of the 231st session of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, Va.

Political experience: None

Tony Cummings

Party affiliation*: Democrat

Occupation: Retired Law Enforcement

Age: 51

Your family: Married, 2 daughters

Education: Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership

Political experience: Ran for Sheriff in 2015 and 2019

Ken Jefferson

Party affiliation*: Democrat

Occupation: Law Enforcement Officer (ret.), Crime & Safety Expert

Age: 64

Your family: Wife of 27 years, Rhonda; 5 adult children; 1 grandchild

Education: Master’s Degree, Honorary Doctorate, St. Thomas Christian University

Political experience: I’ve run for Sheriff twice. In 2011, I earned 37.69% of the votes. In 2015 I ran again, losing by 2% after earning 48.47% of votes.

T.K. Waters

Party affiliation*: Republican

Occupation: Chief of Investigations (Retired)

Age: 52

Your family: Married to Robin for 24 years, 3 kids and 4 grandkids

Education: Bachelor of Science from Liberty University, Interdisciplinary Studies with a Minor in Homeland Security

Political experience: None