Current Clerk of Courts Jim Fuller was ruled ineligible Friday to run for a fourth term due to term limits, effectively making Ronnie Fussell the Republican candidate to face a Democrat opponent in the November general election.
Senior Circuit Judge William Wilkes issued his final judgment on the suit filed July 26 by the City of Jacksonville to declare Fuller ineligible to run for re-election because of a May 10 decision by the Florida Supreme Court in Telli v. Broward County, which found term limits for the clerk of court did not violate the state constitution.
“The court has removed (Jim Fuller) from the race, declaring him ineligible. He is not going to appeal, therefore he is no longer a candidate for clerk of the circuit courts,” said Jerry Holland, Duval County Supervisor of Elections.
Holland also stated that, due to the court’s decision, early voting ballots will not be counted for the race.
“Because there were only two candidates in the race, this means now that Mr. (Ronnie) Fussell has won the Republican nomination without opposition,” said Holland.
Fussell, a former City Council president, will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Bill Hodges and Brenda Priestly Jackson.
The general election is Nov. 6.
One of Fuller’s defenses was that the limits did not apply to his office because he was a judicial officer, but Wilkes disagreed.
“Not only did the First (District Court of Appeal) state that the constitutional office of clerk of court is not a judicial officer under the Florida Constitution, but the first DCA also specifically found that the Duval County Clerk is not an Article V judicial officer,” stated Wilkes in the judgment.
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