Ken Jefferson, a former spokesman for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, is running to replace Sheriff Mike Williams in 2023.
Jefferson, a 24-year veteran of the agency, previously ran as a Democrat against the Republican Williams in 2015, losing a close race that mirrored the results of the mayoral election.
Williams, who defeated Democratic challenger Tony Cummings in a lopsided 2019 election, has reached the term limit for the office.
Jefferson retired from the Sheriff's Office in 2010 and served his last five years as the agency's public information officer and has served until recently as an analyst for WJCT News partner News4Jax, which increased his profile among local residents.
During his campaign announcement Thursday on the steps of the Duval County Courthouse, Jefferson cited his experiences with homelessness as a child as motivation for his career in law enforcement — and his decision to run for sheriff.
"I knew firsthand exactly what it felt like to be the victim of a crime, I knew the sense of hopelessness that someone feels when they don't feel safe. I knew that I wanted to become a police officer," he said. "I jumped about it when I went to bed at night. I dreamt about it even in the back of the station wagon."
The race for sheriff is crowded, with five others already in the running. At the top of the pack, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida, are Assistant Patrol Chief Lakesha Burton, a Democrat, and Investigations Chief T. K. Waters, a Republican.
They're polling at 39% and 27% respectively, though another strong Democratic contender in Jefferson is likely to shake up the race.
The first election will be March 21, 2023, with a potential run-off between the top two finishers on May 16 if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
