DUVAAAL HOMECOMING: The Mayor’s Town Hall Ball and a New Civic Renaissance

Black Friday Eve: DUVAAAL HOMECOMING

Between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, I propose a Jacksonville Mayor’s Ball with the energy of a town hall and the welcome of the biggest family reunion in Duval. Black Friday Eve becomes DUVAAAL HOMECOMING. If you were born here, built a life here, served here, studied here, raised children here—or left and still carry Jacksonville in your heart—come home. The final date and hours would be selected after public input, calendar coordination, transportation planning and respect for family and faith traditions.

Picture an elegant outdoor waterfront setting: white clothing, red ties and red accents, soft lights, jazz in the air and the Jacksonville skyline behind us. Wear the white suit, the white dress, the red tie—or arrive in the cleanest white shirt you own. Friend, we will not measure anyone’s Jacksonville spirit by the price of the outfit. Ha! The beauty comes from the people.

This would not be a closed political gala. Vendors, artists, musicians, dancers, poets, chefs, neighborhood organizations, veterans, youth groups, seniors, first responders and residents from every ZIP code would be invited into the design. The goal is a beautiful but approachable civic celebration where people can enjoy Jacksonville talent, meet public-service teams and participate in short, well-organized conversations about how we move the city forward. Nothing quite like it: part ball, part marketplace, part cultural festival, part town hall and one giant Duval family reunion.

1. Open, published vendor and performer application standards
2. Affordable and free-access options so income does not determine belonging
3. Accessible transportation, disability accommodations and family-friendly scheduling
4. Local food, veteran-owned and small-business participation
5. Brief civic listening sessions with public questions and documented follow-up
6. Independent safety, capacity, weather and emergency planning

The DUVAAAL HOMECOMING address

My friends, welcome home. Tonight the river reflects a city that finally sees itself clearly: strong but compassionate, ambitious but neighborly, serious about work and never too serious to laugh. If your cousin told you the dress code was camouflage, that cousin owes you dinner. Ha! Tonight we are all white, red ties, open hearts and one Jacksonville.

We are here to raise morale. A city cannot live on asphalt and budgets alone. People need friendship, beauty, music, movement and reasons to look forward to tomorrow. Higher morale means neighbors who know one another, young people who see a future and veterans who know that asking for help is an act of strength. We will work with qualified providers, peers and families to prevent veteran suicide, expand connection and make the Veterans Crisis Line—988, then press 1—known across Duval. We cannot promise that one celebration ends a crisis. We can promise that no veteran should be invisible in Jacksonville.

To our elders: you are not yesterday. You are our living library, our memory and our wisdom. You deserve safe transportation, accessible events, responsive services, protection from fraud and a seat at every table where Jacksonville’s future is discussed. If a young person is moving too fast, borrow an elder for five minutes. You will receive history, advice and possibly a full review of your outfit. Ha! Respect travels both ways.

To our children, teenagers and young adults: your talent should never depend on whether your family can afford a uniform, a ball, a pair of cleats, dance shoes or registration fees. My proposal is simple to say and serious to deliver: You Play, We Pay. Through lawful city budgeting, transparent eligibility, school and nonprofit partnerships, private sponsorships and strict safeguards, we will study how to remove participation costs for Jacksonville youth sports, arts and recreation. Every dollar would require approval, accountability and equal access—but no child should sit out because the equipment costs too much.

Basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, dance, martial arts, track, music, theater, robotics—bring us your discipline. Bring us your dream. We will ask coaches, schools, leagues, parents and young people what truly blocks participation, then publish a plan that measures enrollment, attendance, safety and outcomes. You play. We pay. You practice. We cheer. You grow. Jacksonville wins.

And to everyone who moved away: the door is open. Come see the Jacksonville we are building—safer neighborhoods, lower daily costs, better city services, serious business opportunity and a cultural life worthy of our people. Bring your experience home. Bring your company, your art, your family reunion and your good ideas. If you bring that one auntie who tells the truth about everybody, we will find her a seat near City Hall. Ha! We need accountability.

This is not nostalgia. This is a launch. DUVAAAL HOMECOMING is where memory meets possibility, where the veteran meets the student, where the poet meets the planner, where the vendor meets a new customer and where the resident meets government face to face. Strong Jacksonville. Higher morale. More opportunity. Less loneliness. More listening. More laughter. More winning. TOGETHER! We win.

February 14: The City Hall Affair

On February 14, I propose The City Hall Affair—a civic dinner and listening evening about love of city, respect for neighbors and the work ahead. Media, public employees and their families, community organizations, residents and invited subject-matter partners could dine, hear performances and see short public presentations on city priorities.

This must be a public-serving event, not an insider benefit. Media access would be fair; invitations, tickets and sponsorships would follow published rules; city employees would never be pressured to participate; gifts and hospitality would receive advance ethics review; and no vendor would purchase influence. Staff and families deserve appreciation, but residents remain the owners of City Hall. Love of Jacksonville should be transparent.

Boots on the Ground becomes a Jacksonville celebration

Boots on the Ground represents the people who do the work when cameras are absent: veterans, volunteers, organizers, first responders, neighborhood leaders and families. I propose studying a city recognition event that preserves that practical spirit and expands opportunities for service, veteran resources, community meals, music and fellowship.

A personal thank-you to Tucker, Marc Pica, Ted and everyone at Post 9 who has put real effort into bringing people together. Great work deserves recognition. These words are personal appreciation, not a statement that any individual or American Legion post endorses this campaign. The best way to honor the example is to keep serving, welcome constructive disagreement and build the next gathering with humility.

July by the water: independence, gratitude and fireworks

I propose a July 1 civic kickoff by the water leading into Jacksonville’s Fourth of July celebration. The program could highlight military families, naturalization stories, American history, local music, food and public-service education, followed by a professionally managed fireworks celebration on July 4.

Waterfront events require serious planning: marine and fire safety, crowd capacity, heat protection, weather contingencies, transit, cleanup, accessibility and protection of the St. Johns River. Existing events and partners should be strengthened rather than displaced. A new administration should begin by listening to experienced city employees, public-safety teams, artists, vendors and residents.

Jazz, cultural nights and poetry in the future performance center

If Jacksonville ultimately approves and delivers the proposed performance center, it should become a home for regular jazz, Caribbean and Haitian music, gospel, Spanish-language performance, classical programs, dance, spoken word, theater, comedy, visual art and youth showcases. The building would be the stage; Jacksonville’s people would be the story.

Local artists need transparent booking opportunities, fair compensation, rehearsal access, technical training and pathways from neighborhood stages to major rooms. Cultural nights should connect with restaurants, hotels, schools, libraries, veteran groups and small businesses so public excitement becomes wider economic activity.

The guardrails: celebration without favoritism

These are campaign proposals, not scheduled city events. Each would require feasibility review, lawful budgeting, venue and procurement decisions, permits, insurance, accessibility planning, security, public input and any necessary City Council action. Public dollars and city staff could not be used for campaign fundraising, and official events could not favor supporters, donors, parties or vendors with business before the city.

Sponsorships would be disclosed. Vendor selection would use understandable criteria. Complimentary tickets, gifts and hospitality would follow Jacksonville ethics rules. Financial and attendance results would be published after each event. The standard is simple: civic joy with public trust.

Our renaissance: one city moving forward

Jacksonville already has extraordinary artists, organizers, veterans, media professionals, public servants, entrepreneurs and families. City Hall does not create their talent; good leadership clears a stage, opens a door, protects fair access and invites the whole city inside.

Let us dance and deliberate. Let us celebrate service and listen to criticism. Let us put poets beside planners, vendors beside veterans and young performers beside masters of their craft. This is Jacksonville unity and pride—our renaissance, our new day, our new beginning. A lot of work. A lot of love. A lot of winning. TOGETHER! We win.