As he walked on stage, Lenny Curry hugged his family, then turned his attention to the cheering crowd of his supporters.
“Soak it in with me,” the mayor-elect said. “Just soak it in.”
It was less than an hour after Curry had beaten Mayor Alvin Brown, making him only the second incumbent mayor to lose since consolidation.
He thanked the crowd for their support throughout the campaign, especially when Team Curry was the overwhelming underdog to a popular campaign. He thanked his family, especially his wife, Molly.
“You’re it, Molly,” he said. “I don’t even know how to express it.”
At one point, as Curry’s daughter, Bridget, began to dance on stage, the sound of her steps rivaled her father’s speech.
She’s a competitive dancer, Curry said, as the crowd laughed.
Curry’s quick speech was similar to his campaign pledges: He would make Jacksonville a safe city again, give residents a shot at the “American dream” and push for quality education like his own children were receiving in their neighborhood school.
Just down the Northbank Riverwalk, Brown was surrounded by his family. He addressed his supporters at about 8:45 p.m., telling them he had made a call to Curry.
He then went on to thank the supporters, the volunteers, the city staff who had made his four years in office a success by “putting Jacksonville first.”
“We left a strong foundation to build on,” Brown said.
Curry will take office July 1.