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After one of the most successful years for Democrats in Jacksonville, Duval Dems have shown Jacksonville is worth fighting for and our successes in 2023 have proven that Democrats are here to work. That’s why we’re proud to host the first Democratic Gala in nearly a decade!
Purchase your ticket today and join Democrats from all across NE/FL on Saturday, February 24th at 6pm. The inaugural Singleton-Hazouri Gala will be hosted in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville at the Main Library. Following an open bar and plated dinner, we’re thrilled to announce our keynote address will be delivered by our very own, Mayor Donna Deegan. Additional Speakers include Florida Dems Chair Nikki Fried, Senator Tracie Davis, and Council Members Jimmy Peluso & Rahman Johnson. Attendance is limited. Get your tickets today!
Mary Singleton won a seat on the Jacksonville City Council in 1967. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the council.
Singleton was born in Jacksonville in 1926. She was the first black woman elected to the Jacksonville City Council. She won the Democratic nomination for the Ward 2 seat on the City Council in 1967, defeating William Thompson, a white man, by 20,648 to 16,143 votes. Singleton was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1972 for District 16. Reelected in 1974, she became the first black from north Florida to be elected to the Florida Legislature since the Reconstruction era.
In June 1976, Singleton was appointed director of the Division of Elections under Bruce Smathers. Singleton was the first black person and the second woman to hold that position.
Tommy Hazouri served for 12 years as a member of the FL House of Representatives from 1974-1986, as Mayor of the City of Jacksonville from 1987-1991, and as a Duval County School Board member from 2004-2012.
While in the FL Legislature, he was Chairman of the Duval Legislative Delegation, House Committee on Education K-12, and House Committee on Retirement, Personnel, and Collective Bargaining. He was also a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Education Funding, and Subcommittee on Personnel. He was appointed by Gov. Lawton Chiles to the FL Ethics Commission, and Chaired the Sheriff’s Mental Health and Crisis Episodes Task Force.
As Mayor, he led the effort to eliminate the tolls from Jacksonville’s roads and bridges. He also implemented an anti-odor ordinance to relieve the city of its foul odor. Tommy was honored for the opportunity to serve Jacksonville again as an At-Large City Councilman and was instrumental in the passage of a gas-tax extension, dedicating millions in infrastructure spending.