Nick Howland and Joe Carlucci will lead Jacksonville’s City Council as president and vice president, respectively, following May 26 votes.
The pair are scheduled to be sworn in during a June 25 ceremony and begin serving in their leadership roles on July 1 for the 2026-27 Council year.
Howland will succeed Kevin Carrico as president, while Carlucci will succeed Howland as vice president. Both are among the 14 Republicans on the 19-member Council.
Howland was elected with a 19-0 vote. Member Jimmy Peluso, a Democrat, initially abstained but then voted for Howland after being informed that Council rules require all members to cast a vote.
Peluso later said he took issue with a lack of effort from Council leadership to stand up for him and member Matt Carlucci after they were only appointed to one Council committee, while all other Council members were placed on two or three. Matt Carlucci, Joe Carlucci’s father, is a Republican who has been critical of Carrico and other GOP members.
Joe Carlucci was elected in a 10-9 runoff election against member Chris Miller. The younger Carlucci and Miller advanced to the runoff after no candidate reached 10 votes on an initial vote, which included nominations for the two of them plus Ken Amaro and Rahman Johnson.
Joe Carlucci voted for himself and also drew votes from Matt Carlucci, Carrico, Peluso, Johnson and members Raul Arias, Reggie Gaffney Jr., Ju’Coby Pittman, Ron Salem and Randy White. Johnson, Gaffney and Pittman are Democrats.
Miller voted for himself and drew votes from Amaro, Howland and members Michael Boylan, Tyrona Clark-Murray, Rory Diamond, Terrance Freeman, Mike Gay and Will Lahnen. Clark-Murray is a Democrat.
Howland was elected in a 2022 special election, filling the At Large Group 3 seat, following the death of former mayor and City Council member Tommy Hazouri. He was reelected in 2023 without opposition. Howland is running for reelection in 2027, and is the only candidate in his race as of May 26.
Howland serves as the Council vice chair of the Finance Committee and as Council liaison to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. He is the executive director of The Fire Watch, which works to end veteran suicide in Florida, and as a consultant to marine and defense companies.
“In a time of revenue uncertainty and fiscal pressure, we must stay focused on the core – public safety, infrastructure, essential city services – while also advancing strategies that make Jacksonville the best city in the Southeast to relocate a business and for families to live, work and play,” Howland said after the vote.
“I don’t want to force outcomes, I want to build them through discussion and through consensus, even in an election year.”
Joe Carlucci was elected in 2023 representing District 5, which includes San Marco and the Downtown Southbank. He serves as the chair of the Finance Committee, which he took over from former chair Arias in November 2025, and the Land Use and Zoning Committee. He owns a Brightway Insurance office with his brother, Matthew Carlucci II.
In addition to being the son of Matt Carlucci, who is serving his fifth term on City Council, he is the grandson of Joe Carlucci, a former Florida state senator and City Council member.