Jody Phillips, chief operating officer in the Duval County Clerk of Courts office, won the Aug. 18 Republican primary election for clerk of courts.
He received 57.7% of the vote; Scott Wilson, 31.4%; and Leon Jackson, 10.9%.
Phillips will face the Democratic Party candidate, attorney Jimmy Midyette, in the Nov. 3 general election. The winner will succeed incumbent Clerk Ronnie Fussell, who is term-limited.
A former Middleburg postmaster, Phillips had a 25-year career in the highway construction business before joining the clerk’s office after Fussell was elected in 2013. Phillips has been COO for the past three years.
At a candidate forum Aug. 5 at the Southside Business Men’s Club, Phillips said that if elected, one of the challenges he expects to face is a $2.5 million shortfall in next year’s budget. That’s because the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown is reducing state revenue, the primary funding source for the state’s county clerks and comptrollers.
Phillips said furloughing employees would be a last resort and he would work with the staff to identify ways to reduce operating expenses while maintaining service levels.
Asked if he might consider reducing his own salary to help mitigate the anticipated shortfall, Phillips said clerk’s salaries are set by the state Legislature.
“I’m not going to tell you I’m cutting because I’m not. I can’t,” Phillips said.
When same-sex marriage was recognized as legal in Florida in 2015, the clerk’s office stopped performing marriage ceremonies at the Duval County Courthouse.
Phillips said he has no intention of restoring the service because performing ceremonies doesn’t need to happen at the clerk’s office.
“There are 20,000 ministers, notaries and judges in Duval County. We’ll continue to issue marriage licenses,” he said.
Phillips said his experience in the private sector and then managing the more than 300 employees in the clerk’s office make him qualified to take over the post.
“I’ve done this. I’m ready to hit the ground running,” he said.