John Hawley
Sep 25, 2026
The Influence Network Part V — Who Shapes Jacksonville and How?
Jacksonville voters elect a mayor and 19 City Council members. But some of the most consequential decisions involving electricity, transportation, airports, the port and Downtown development are also overseen by appointed boards whose members never appear on a citywide ballot.
Those directors help govern organizations including JEA, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville Aviation Authority, JAXPORT and Downtown Investment Authority. Jacksonville itself describes its independent authorities and commissions as integral to city government and says their members are generally appointed and/or confirmed by the mayor or City Council.
That raises the next question in The Influence Network: Who gets appointed to these boards—and does Jacksonville's leadership pool substantially change when its elected political leadership changes?
Who Appoints Jacksonville’s Public Boards and Authorities?
There is no single Jacksonville appointment system. Different authorities divide appointment power differently among the Jacksonville mayor, City Council president and Florida governor.
JEA, for example, has seven directors. Four are nominated by the Jacksonville City Council president and confirmed by Council, while three are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by Council.
JAXPORT also has seven directors, but four are appointed by Jacksonville's mayor and three by Florida's governor. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority reverses that balance, with four gubernatorial appointments and three mayoral appointments.
DIA operates under still another arrangement. Five of its nine directors are appointed by the mayor and four by the City Council president, with all nine subject to Council confirmation.
Jacksonville’s Appointment Structure Spreads Power Among Different Political Leaders
That division matters because Jacksonville's boards are not simply extensions of a single mayoral administration. A director appointed by one mayor can serve alongside someone selected by a different mayor, a City Council president or a Florida governor.
Board terms also cross election cycles. As administrations change, previously appointed members can remain while new members are added or existing directors are reappointed.
The result can be institutional continuity even when political leadership changes. Whether Jacksonville's current boards demonstrate that continuity—and where their members come from—is something that can be measured.
City Council Has Its Own Vetting Process for Jacksonville Board Appointments
Appointment does not necessarily mean immediate membership. Jacksonville City Council has a formal confirmation process for appointments requiring Council approval.
After appointment legislation is introduced, the Council's Rules Committee vets the nominee. Appointees are expected to contact committee members, appear before Rules and discuss their backgrounds before the nomination advances to the full Council for confirmation.
That means the appointment trail leaves a public record: who nominated the person, which seat was being filled, who previously held it, how Council members voted and, frequently, information about the nominee's professional and civic affiliations.
Jacksonville Even Asks Appointees About Their Financial Connections to City Government
One of the most revealing parts of Jacksonville's appointment process appears on the City's own mayoral boards and commissions application.
Applicants are asked whether they, their spouse or their child are employed by or officers of an organization doing business with or receiving money from the City or its independent authorities. Applicants are also asked about ownership, consulting relationships and membership on nonprofit or corporate boards receiving City or authority funds.
Those questions do not imply that such relationships automatically disqualify someone. They demonstrate that Jacksonville itself considers certain financial and organizational connections relevant enough to disclose when evaluating potential public-board members.
JEA Provides an Early Example of the Network We Are Mapping
JEA's current seven-member board includes John D. Baker II, Donald “Worth” McArthur and Ricardo “Rick” Morales III. JEA records list Baker's original appointment in April 2020, Morales' in September 2021 and McArthur's in March 2025.
All three also appear on the Jacksonville Civic Council membership roster we examined earlier in this series. That means three of JEA's seven current directors—about 43%—have a documented Civic Council connection.
That percentage by itself does not establish that the Civic Council controls JEA or had any role in selecting those directors. It does, however, give us a measurable example of overlap between a private civic-policy organization and one of Jacksonville's most consequential public authorities.
The JEA Pattern Has Continued Through Multiple Appointment Cycles
The names become more informative when viewed over time rather than as a snapshot.
McArthur joined JEA in March 2025. His predecessor, Bobby Stein, is also a Jacksonville Civic Council member, meaning the Civic Council connection continued across that particular board-seat transition.
That is why The Influence Network is increasingly focused on succession rather than isolated affiliations. The question is not simply whether a Civic Council member sits on JEA; it is whether members of the same civic and business networks repeatedly appear as seats turn over.
JTA Shows How Several Networks Can Converge Around One Appointee
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority provides a different example.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Madelen Salter to JTA in January 2026. JTA's current biography for Salter also identifies her as serving on the JAX Chamber Board of Directors, JAXUSA Partnership Policy Council, JAXUSA Business Development Committee and Build Up Downtown board.
Those are four separate civic and economic-development affiliations connected to one public-authority director. Again, the overlap itself establishes neither misconduct nor coordinated control; it shows how Jacksonville's public, business and development networks can intersect through individual appointments.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Made Several JTA Appointments at Once
Salter was not the only gubernatorial addition to JTA in 2026.
DeSantis announced the appointments of Alan Hopkins, Salter and Jonathan “Daniel” Vallencourt on January 30 and reappointed Max Glober. Vallencourt is vice president of Vallencourt Construction Company and a member of the Clay County Development Authority, while Salter's Chamber and JAXUSA affiliations were specifically identified in JTA's announcement.
The appointments illustrate another reason this investigation needs to extend beyond City Hall. Some Jacksonville authorities are governed partly by people selected in Tallahassee.
JAXPORT Provides Another Business-to-Public-Board Connection
JAXPORT's current seven-member board includes vice chair Soo Gilvarry, CEO and owner of Lotus Commercial USA.
Then-Mayor Lenny Curry appointed Gilvarry to JAXPORT, and City Council unanimously confirmed her in March 2023. JAXPORT's announcement identified her as a commercial real-estate developer and noted service on the boards of the JAX Chamber and Downtown Vision.
The example illustrates an important feature of Jacksonville's appointment system: people selected for public authorities frequently bring substantial private-sector experience. The reporting question is how often those same individuals also participate in the civic organizations attempting to shape Jacksonville policy and development.
JAXPORT Splits Appointment Power Between Jacksonville and Tallahassee
JAXPORT's seven directors provide another useful test of whether the source of an appointment changes the type of person selected.
Jacksonville's mayor appoints four members while Florida's governor appoints three. Directors serve four-year terms and may receive one additional term.
That allows us eventually to compare mayoral appointees with gubernatorial appointees on the same public authority. If similar professional and organizational networks appear on both sides of that appointment divide, that would be more significant than finding overlap originating from only one political office.
Jacksonville Aviation Authority Offers an Even Cleaner Comparison
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority makes its appointment history unusually easy to follow because its roster identifies who appointed individual directors and when.
Its seven-member board consists of four gubernatorial and three mayoral appointments. On September 21, 2026, JAA elected Fernando Acosta-Rua chair, Solomon Brotman vice chair, Andy Hofheimer secretary and Matt Connell treasurer.
Acosta-Rua and Connell were appointed by Gov. DeSantis, while Brotman and Hofheimer were appointed by Mayor Donna Deegan. The leadership team therefore combines appointees of a Republican governor and Democratic mayor on the same authority.
A Lower Level of Network Overlap Would Matter Too
JAA provides an important control for this investigation.
If we find substantially fewer Civic Council, JAX Chamber, JAXUSA, Downtown development or other recurring affiliations among JAA directors than among JEA, JTA or DIA directors, that difference should be reported.
The purpose of this series is not to demonstrate that every Jacksonville institution belongs to one network. It is to determine where connections are concentrated, where they are not, and how those differences developed.
DIA Is Different Because Development Expertise Is Part of Its Structure
The Downtown Investment Authority requires additional context because its mission inherently involves development, finance, property and Downtown investment.
Its current nine-member board includes executives or professionals associated with Goldman Sachs, TradeWinds Wealth Partners, Cushman & Wakefield, Rimrock Companies, Regency Centers, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and Balch & Bingham.
A concentration of real-estate, financial and development expertise on DIA therefore cannot automatically be interpreted the same way as similar concentrations on an unrelated public board. DIA itself says its membership includes leaders in real estate and finance as well as Downtown business owners.
But DIA Controls Decisions With Major Financial Consequences
That distinction does not make DIA less important to map. It makes understanding its appointment process more important.
DIA evaluates redevelopment proposals, negotiates incentive packages and makes recommendations involving substantial public commitments. Its members therefore sit at an important intersection between Jacksonville's development ambitions and its public resources.
Five DIA directors originate with the mayor and four with the Council president. That provides another opportunity to examine whether different appointing authorities draw from different professional circles—or repeatedly select candidates from overlapping ones.
DDRB Shows Why Not Every Board Connection Means the Same Thing
The Downtown Development Review Board introduces another distinction.
Its current membership includes professionals from architecture, development, planning, housing and government affairs, including representatives associated with Jax Riverfront Alliance, AT&T, Dawson Development Company, Michael Baker International, LIFT JAX and Haskell.
Some connections among Jacksonville institutions also exist because the system intentionally creates them through ex-officio or representative positions. Those should not be treated as equivalent to a person independently receiving multiple discretionary appointments.
We Need Four Categories of Jacksonville Influence
That leads to an important methodological distinction for The Influence Network.
A direct appointment occurs when a mayor, Council president or governor selects someone for a public board. An institutional or ex-officio connection exists because someone's position automatically or structurally connects one organization with another.
A private-board affiliation involves organizations such as the Jacksonville Civic Council, JAX Chamber, JAXUSA, Build Up Downtown or Downtown Vision. A professional relationship comes from someone's employer, development company, lobbying work, government-relations position or business dealings with government.
Keeping those categories separate prevents a complicated network map from becoming a misleading one.
The Jacksonville Civic Council Is Especially Relevant Because It Seeks to Influence Public Policy
Civic Council membership matters to this investigation for a specific reason.
The organization describes itself as comprising more than 90 CEOs and says its work involves researching Jacksonville issues, advocating public policy and executing civic initiatives. Its advocacy page describes government relations, policy engagement and strategic communications as part of that work.
The Civic Council also lists participation in the formation of DIA, opposition to JEA privatization, pension reform advocacy, support for the local-option gas tax and other public-policy initiatives among its accomplishments.
That Does Not Make Civic Council Membership a Conflict
Serving simultaneously on a private civic organization and a public authority does not by itself demonstrate a conflict of interest.
Jacksonville benefits from experienced residents volunteering their expertise, and many public boards are specifically designed to recruit people with professional knowledge. Public authorities also operate under legal, ethics, public-records and Sunshine requirements that private organizations generally do not share in the same way.
Our question is therefore narrower: How frequently does Jacksonville draw public leadership from the same private civic and business networks?
The Network Can Persist Across Political Parties
That may ultimately become the most consequential finding of Part V.
Jacksonville's appointment structure draws selections from mayors, Council presidents and governors who may represent different political parties and administrations. JAA's new leadership alone combines DeSantis and Deegan appointees, while other boards contain members whose service began years before the current mayor took office.
If the same organizations and professional networks repeatedly appear among appointments made by politically different leaders, the pattern would be better understood as institutional continuity rather than a network belonging to one politician or party.
Jacksonville’s Transition Teams Add Another Layer
There is another place to look before an administration begins making appointments: the mayoral transition process.
Deegan's 2023 transition included leaders from government, business, philanthropy and community organizations. One of her transition co-chairs, Brightway Insurance co-founder David Miller, was identified by the City as having served on both the JAX Chamber and Jacksonville Civic Council.
That doesn't establish any connection between transition service and a later appointment. But it creates another measurable question: How often do transition-team members—or leaders from organizations represented on transition teams—later appear in appointed government positions?
We Should Compare Deegan With Curry Rather Than Study One Administration in Isolation
Looking only at the current administration could produce a distorted picture.
A more useful historical comparison starts with Mayor Lenny Curry's administration in 2015 and continues through Mayor Deegan's current term. For each significant appointment, we can identify the appointee, predecessor, appointing official, employer, outside organizations, previous public service and eventual successor.
The same approach can be applied to successive City Council presidents and gubernatorial appointments. That allows the investigation to distinguish a short-term political pattern from a longer-running Jacksonville institutional pattern.
Who Keeps Getting Reappointed?
Original appointments are only part of the story.
Reappointments can be especially informative because a person originally selected under one political environment may later be retained under another. That continuity can reveal where different administrations independently agree on particular civic or business leaders.
Likewise, succession matters. When one person leaves a board and someone from the same civic organization or professional network replaces them, the individual changes while the institutional connection may remain.
Which Jacksonville Organizations Appear Most Frequently?
Part V ultimately needs to answer this with numbers.
For each major board, The 101 Report will map documented affiliations with the Jacksonville Civic Council, JAX Chamber and JAXUSA, Downtown Vision, Build Up Downtown and other recurring civic-development organizations.
We'll also distinguish developers and real-estate executives, financial institutions, attorneys, lobbying and government-relations professionals, nonprofit executives and other business sectors. The purpose isn't to label one profession or organization as inherently more influential; it's to make the composition of Jacksonville's appointed government visible.
Public Money Adds Another Reason the Appointments Matter
These boards aren't ceremonial organizations.
JEA oversees Jacksonville's municipal electric, water and wastewater utility. JTA governs a public transportation authority, JAA oversees Jacksonville's airport system, JAXPORT governs the port authority, and DIA oversees Downtown redevelopment policy and incentives.
Those institutions make or influence decisions involving major public assets, infrastructure and taxpayer resources. Understanding who governs them is therefore part of understanding how Jacksonville governs itself.
But Board Membership Is Not the Same as Control
This distinction is essential.
One director does not control a seven- or nine-member authority. Membership in the Civic Council or Chamber does not establish that the organization directed an appointee's vote, and professional relationships do not establish improper coordination.
Nor should unanimous City Council confirmations automatically be interpreted as evidence of an influence network. They show political acceptance of a nominee, not necessarily how or why that person was originally selected.
Jacksonville Already Maintains Data That Can Help Answer These Questions
The City Council Research Division says it maintains a database of membership on boards and commissions to which Council appoints members.
That creates an important next step for this investigation: combine official appointment histories with public board applications, Council legislation, confirmation votes, authority biographies and private-organization membership records.
Instead of describing Jacksonville's leadership structure through anecdotes, we can begin constructing a historical appointment map.
What The 101 Report Will Measure
For each major appointment, we'll record the person, public board, seat type, appointing authority, appointing official, appointment date, predecessor, reappointments and confirmation vote.
We'll then layer in employer, Civic Council membership, Chamber/JAXUSA affiliations, Downtown Vision and Build Up Downtown participation, development or real-estate interests, lobbying and government-relations work, other City board service and transition-team participation.
Where appropriate, later reporting can add City contracts, economic-development incentives and campaign-finance records. Those categories should remain separate so readers can distinguish a civic affiliation from a financial relationship.
The Most Important Number May Be Institutional Concentration
Part III of The Influence Network established that the same people and organizations can appear in multiple places across Jacksonville's civic-development ecosystem.
Part V moves the investigation one step further. Rather than asking only where Civic Council members appear, we're asking where Jacksonville's elected leaders obtain the people they appoint to public authority.
That allows us to calculate straightforward measurements: what percentage of each board has Civic Council connections, what percentage has Chamber/JAXUSA connections, how many directors have served on multiple public boards, and how frequently the same networks recur across different appointing officials.
Does Jacksonville’s Leadership Network Change When Its Political Leadership Changes?
That is ultimately the question behind this installment.
Mayors change. Council presidents change. Governors change. Political parties compete over budgets, taxes, development, transportation and the direction of government.
But appointed institutions can provide continuity across those changes. The question is how much of that continuity comes from repeatedly selecting Jacksonville leaders from the same civic, corporate and development networks.
The Influence Network Is Becoming Measurable
Parts I and II introduced the Jacksonville Civic Council and the people who belong to it. Part III mapped where those leaders and organizations overlap, while Part IV examined what happens when that network participates in a live public-policy debate.
Part V turns the lens toward the government officials who make appointments.
The purpose isn't to argue that overlap is inherently improper. It is to make a largely invisible layer of Jacksonville government visible enough that residents can see who appoints whom, where those appointees come from, which connections persist across administrations—and where they don't.
Because in Jacksonville, understanding who wins an election tells us who receives the authority to govern.
Understanding whom they appoint tells us something different about who helps exercise it.
The Influence Network- Part V: Who Shapes Jacksonville and How?
The Influence Network- Part IV: Who has a stake in the property tax debate?
The Influence Network- Part III: How board overlap can concentrate civic power
Who Makes Up the Jacksonville Civic Council? Inside the Network of CEOs and Civic Leaders
