JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Is former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry planning a political comeback?
It’s a looming question that has many Jacksonville residents wondering after he made his rounds on multiple media outlets in recent weeks.
Curry, who has been very vocal on various issues through social media and written editorials, sat down with News4JAX to get to the bottom of that question and address other topics.
Tarik: You’ve said that you wouldn’t run for office unless you really had fire in your belly, right? Are these conversations, the fire… is this part of the process of maybe preparing yourself to get ready to run for office?
Curry: Yeah, I’m not. Look, I am. I enjoy politics, I enjoy policy. enjoy the people side of it very much. I’m happy and very content right now. Well, content is not a very good word. I’m happy and competitive right now, and we’ll see what comes next. I’m very happy with the work that I’m doing. It’s very rewarding. I get to help people with government for their needs, and I get to work to elect good candidates. So I’m still in the game at the state, local and federal level.
It would be possible for Curry to run for mayor again. The city’s charter limits the mayor to two consecutive four-year terms, which Curry completed, but he could put his name in the bid again after a break.
We also asked Curry about the Florida DOGE visit, where the CFO claimed Jacksonville residents were overtaxed by $200 million over the past three years. Three of which were under the Curry administration.
Tarik: Do you take responsibility for that?
Curry: I’d have to see the specifics to know, if I, if you have the specifics, I’d be happy to respond to them. Look, big budgets. I stand by the budgets that I presented. If when I was in office, if someone came to me and pointed out and pointed out and said, Hey, let’s have a discussion about this. Does this make sense? I’d have the discussion, and I would either agree or disagree with them. If I agree with them. Oh, maybe this is wasteful. Maybe we should take a second look at this. I would, and I would cut it if I disagreed with them. I’d say, you call that wasteful. I think this is a just cause. Let me tell you why.”
One issue that Curry deeply cares about is property taxes. He said he was the first mayor since 2007 to cut property taxes in Jacksonville and remains a strong advocate for further tax relief.
He also criticized local lawmakers for not further reducing tax cuts. We also asked him why he’s inserting himself into current politics through editorials and TV interviews.
Curry: “I’m not going to speak out on every issue. There’s a lot of issues I could have spoken out on over the last couple of years that I’ve held my tongue on. Now, if we get a candidate that’s a viable Republican, that’s going to run for mayor, and I believe in that person. I’m going to be an advocate and a voice to help them make the case.”
Tarik: “So, if we don’t hear from you, and when there’s a Republican for mayor, that means that you don’t agree with the Republican pick.”
Curry: “I’d have to believe in someone to get behind them.”
When asked about the progress of downtown developments like the satidum deal and other big projects, Curry said those projects were a part of his blueprint.
We reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment on Curry’s response:
“Mayor Deegan is focused on the future and getting things done, not the past or who gets credit.”
Watch the entire interview below: