Duval County School District moves closer to getting dedicated lawyer over Angie Nixon’s continued objection

House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan’s bill that would open the door for dedicated counsel for the Duval County School District continues to advance, even though support for the charter change is not universal in the Duval delegation.

The Education Administration Committee approved HB 4049, which would give the district its own General Counsel, albeit with limited authority within Jacksonville’s consolidated government, “subject to the opinion” of the city’s General Counsel and subordinate in litigation and contract preparation.

The local bill met resistance from the Jacksonville City Council when presented for its approval before the negotiated modification. Some Council members said it threatened the consolidated government model ahead of voting against recommending the charter change to the delegation.

The controversy that a majority of the City Council couldn’t abide stemmed from whether the School Board could subvert the independent authority of the city’s General Counsel.

In committee, Rep. Angie Nixon noted that Sen. Tracie Davis and she opposed the local bill during the Duval delegation meeting, and reiterated many of the concerns the two Democrats had about the legislation.

“We think it makes more sense for it to go through the Office of General Counsel, with the Mayor’s Office,” Nixon said, adding that “they know what to look for” regarding “quality candidates.”

“Previously, the Board had a tough time agreeing and finding a Superintendent,” she related.

Republican Rep. Dean Black, conversely, lauded the “fantastic bill” that is supported by a supermajority on the School Board, an elected body which has gone conservative in recent election cycles.

In close, Duggan noted that “everybody in the governance structure” of Jacksonville government supports the bill. In the end, Nixon was the sole “no” vote.

Explaining the proposal earlier this year, Chair Charlotte Joyce noted that the School Board was concerned about the candidates who applied earlier this year for an opening not being certified in education law, and said other Districts pick their own lawyers, who are eligible for the Florida Retirement System.