JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After eight years in office, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is stepping aside.
On Wednesday, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new fire station set to open next month on the Westside, Curry said his goodbyes as a new administration led by Donna Deegan will take over Saturday.
There was always a lot to talk about during Curry’s time in office. Never short on news. From police and fire pension reform, buildings being torn down, COVID-19, JEA and late-night tweets.
On Wednesday, Curry looked back on his tenure and forward to his future.
“It’s bittersweet, I’m going to miss, the biggest thing, I’m gonna miss the people,” Curry said.
When Curry was sworn in eight years ago, his promise was to protect people in Jacksonville. Curry said he kept that promise.
“Over eight years ago, when I launched my first campaign, I said that I was going to make sure that we invested in our police and fire,” Curry said.
Jacksonville has seen its share of change and challenges in the past eight years.
“I saw the best of Jacksonville through the multiple crises we dealt with, which included two major storms, COVID a mass shooting, and people rallied around each other,” Curry said. “So one city one Jacksonville is a very fragile idea. It’s it’s an idea of perfection that you can never achieve. But you can certainly strive towards it.”
Curry also touched on the low points of his administration.
“The burnout after the crises, you know, when you go through storms, and you’re making the decisions that affect people’s lives. When you go through COVID and you’re having to make tough decisions that affect people’s lives,” he said. “It’s pretty stressful. And when you come out of the other side of the event, that’s when you crash and hit a low.”
The city looks somewhat different. The Landing and other landmarks were torn down. The Landing was replaced with Riverfront Plaza, or as some call it, “Lenny’s Lawn.”
Some also gave Curry the nickname “The Teardown Mayor.”
“Somebody had to tear all that garbage down,” Curry said. “I mean, the previous administration spoke for years about doing something downtown and they let those rotten buildings sit. So, we knocked all the rot down and they’re prepared now for development. And I think Lenny’s lawn looks pretty, it’s a beautiful green space that will at some point have vertical on it.”
While Curry is stepping aside, there is no real word, only rumors, of a possible future run for office. Governor or Congressman Curry, maybe? He is not saying, but he does have advice for Mayor-Elect Deegan.
“In the end, the decisions are yours. There are going to be a lot of people around you giving you advice, but when you think something’s right, you can’t have paralysis analysis. You got to make a decision and go and take the arrows. And the other thing I would say is the things that you care about do not let the schedule eat you alive. I know she likes to run, make sure you still get your runs in and make sure you find time for your family,” Curry said.
While he will no longer be mayor, Curry said it’s not really goodbye. He plans to remain in Jacksonville and weigh in on important matters.