Democrat Reggie Gaffney Jr. won the special election to succeed his father, City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Sr., beating Republican Charles Barr.
Gaffney Jr., an executive at his father’s nonprofit, Community Rehabilitation Center, will take office as soon as the results are certified, which should happen by Nov. 20, said Duval Chief Elections Officer Robert Phillips.
A federal court has thrown out the city’s previous council districts and ordered new ones. The city submitted Tuesday their new plans, which if approved by the court would require the judge or the city’s top lawyer to suspend a residency requirement so that Gaffney could run for re-election in March.
Gaffney currently lives with his father north of the Trout River, and the city’s proposed districts would change so that he would need to move closer to the Urban Core.