The Duval County Courthouse. | Jacksonville Daily Record
Published on July 2, 2026 at 2:43 pm
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A Libertarian vying for an open Jacksonville City Council seat can remain on the Aug. 18 ballot, after a judge dismissed a Duval County Republican lawsuit that claimed she was ineligible.
Addison “Liberty” Patrick’s future on the ballot was thrown into doubt when the Republican Executive Committee of Duval County filed suit June 12. The GOP claimed Patrick had not been registered with the Libertarian Party long enough to qualify for this summer’s Jacksonville’s Special Unitary Election for the City Council At Large Group 1 seat.
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The local GOP’s argument pointed to a new state law saying candidates seeking a political party’s nomination must be a registered member of that party 365 days before filing to be on the election ballot.
In response, Patrick’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, saying the law had been misapplied. The Libertarian also filed a counterclaim June 30, claiming the Republican in the race, Deborah Wesley, didn’t live in Group 1 and her primary address was actually in the Group 5 region.
Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge G.L. Geltel Jr. issued an order Wednesday dismissing both the Duval GOP’s lawsuit and Patrick’s counterclaim, ruling that the new state law does not apply to either situation.
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The judge used a strict interpretation of the language in the statute in his ruling. He said the requirement that a candidate be registered with a political party for 365 consecutive days to qualify for a ballot only qualifies for a general election or a primary seeking a party’s nomination. He says the City Council special election in August is something else.
“In rendering its decision, the Court does not reach the merits of the allegations made
either by the Republican Executive Committee or Ms. Patrick. The Court’s decision is instead
based on the plain language of the statute limiting its scope,” Geltel’s order says. “As explained more fully below, the claims of both the Republican Party and Ms. Patrick fail because the statute at issue applies only to 1) a general election (as defined by law), or 2) a primary election where candidates are seeking the nomination of a political party.
“Because the Special First Consolidated Government Election for Jacksonville City Council At Large Seat 1 is neither, the Complaint and the Counterclaim are subject to dismissal,” he wrote.
What the dismissal means in August
The decision sets up a three-way race Aug. 18 between Wesely, Democrat Moné Holder and Patrick to fill the seat being vacated by Republican council member Terrance Freeman.
Freeman, a two-term city lawmaker, announced in May that he would resign in November to run for the Florida House.
“That means I get to stay on the ballot. That means that the supervisor of elections doesn’t have to do anything different,” Patrick told Jacksonville Today after the court hearing Wednesday. “They don’t have to spend taxpayer dollars to get any more notices out. But first and foremost, we have another option on the ballot.”
Charles Barr, chair of the Republican Party of Duval County, said Wednesday that the outcome of the case could lead lawmakers in Tallahassee to clarify the law.
“We were disappointed in the ruling because we really believed that she should be disqualified,” Barr told Jacksonville Today. “We also 100% totally respect the courts and the judge for his call.”
On the dismissal of Patrick’s counterclaim, the Duval GOP says it’s standing behind Wesley and trusts Jacksonville voters to make a decision in August.
“We have full confidence that she lives in the correct group. And I’m glad that the judge went the way he did and went ahead and dismissed that,” Barr said.
If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in August, the top two candidates will go to a runoff Special General Election on Nov. 3.
The outcome of the Aug. 18 contest could affect the party makeup of the City Council going into the 2027 race. Patrick says that if she does not win the special election, she already plans to run for the full term next year.
