DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council is expected to vote on a resolution on Tuesday that could change how the Duval County School Board gets legal advice by allowing the board to hire its own attorney.
The push for the Duval County School Board to get its own general counsel began in August, when the Board voted to ask the city of Jacksonville to amend its charter, paving the way for the board to hire its own legal counsel. The move passed by a 5-2 vote.
It’s called Resolution 2025-0695, and it supports Local Bill J-1.
A J-bill would allow the city charter to be changed at the state level instead of approval by Duval County voters.
Currently, the city’s Office of General Counsel handles legal matters for all city agencies, including the school board. One of its responsibilities is hiring legal representation for the school board.
But back in August, Board Chair Charlotte Joyce said this arrangement is limiting the district’s options.
“Looking at the quality of applicants and the number of applicants, we just didn’t really have the depth that I felt like was needed for a large urban school district in Florida,” Joyce said.
The Board said it needs its own legal voice to better serve students and make decisions without relying on the city’s legal opinions.
The push for change comes as the board struggles to replace its previous attorney, Ray Pool, who resigned in May. Joyce explained in August that Duval is one of the few school districts in Florida where the board does not hire its own counsel, making recruitment difficult.
She also noted that attorneys hired under the current system must leave their state retirement benefits behind—a further obstacle to attracting qualified candidates.
If City Council votes “yes” on Tuesday, the resolution will be sent to the Duval Delegation, the group of state lawmakers who represent Duval County in Tallahassee.
The final decision would then be up to state lawmakers.
Before state lawmakers can vote, public hearings would be held locally so people in the community can learn about the proposal and share their opinions on whether the School Board should have its own attorney.