John Peyton (US politician)

John Stephens Peyton (born July 28, 1964) is a politician of the Republican Party who has served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida since July 1, 2003. He is the second Republican mayor of the city to be elected since 1888. Elected at 38, he is one of the youngest mayors currently serving a major city in Florida or any of the Southern United States. Peyton survived a crowded Republican primary and defeated the county's Democratic sheriff, Nat Glover, for the seat in a race that was the most expensive in Jacksonville history in 2003. In 2007, Peyton defeated community activist Jackie Brown by a margin over 50% to win a second term. Priorities include solidification of the River Accord, Seeds of Change, and his popular literacy program.

His father is Herb Peyton, founder and principal owner of Gate Petroleum, one of the largest privately held companies in the state. They have made a considerable fortune developing, buying and selling land to both the state and federal governments, as well as owning Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts, 225 Gate Gas & convenience stores in the southeast US and several other businesses. Prior to his election as mayor, Peyton served on the board of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority; other positions included helping manage the family business, serving as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and "Greenscape of Jacksonville".

One of Peyton's achievements during his time in office has been "RALLY Jacksonville!", an early literacy program aimed at four-year-olds. The program has served as a model for similar programs in other cities. A long-time bachelor, Peyton became engaged during his first campaign and married Jacksonville physician, Kathryn Pearson shortly after he took office. They have two sons, John Conner, born in 2005, and Kent Thomas, born in 2007. Peyton is a graduate of Mercer University and the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program.

Mayor Peyton's second term has been clouded by a variety of scandals, beginning with a Grand Jury investigation of his former chief of staff, Scott Teagle. Mr. Teagle, a long-time close friend of the Mayor's was accused of winning several hundreds of thousands of dollars in City contracts for which he was not eligible. The Grand Jury failed to issue indictments, but did criticize the City for not adhering to its contract policies. In July 2008, the FBI opened an investigation into the Mayor's Office.

Additionally, the Mayor has been hounded by the FBI investigation of the man he appointed to be the Chairman of the Board of the Jacksonville Port Authority, an independent government agency. After having his offices raided by the FBI, the former Chairman--Tony Nelson--was forced to resign from the Port Authority Board. The CFO of the Port Authority, a close friend of Mr. Nelson's, was also forced out of his post. The FBI is continuing the investigation.

ee also

*List of mayors of Jacksonville, Florida

External links

* [http://www.coj.net/Mayor/Biography.htm Biography, from the City of Jacksonville website]
* [http://www.gatepetro.com Gate Petroleum]
*Simon Barker-Benfield, [http://homes.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071401/met_6683455.html "John Peyton finds his place, awaits keys to Gate empire"] , "Jacksonville Times-Union', July 14, 2001
*Scott Teagle Investigation [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080407/met_188965829.shtml]
*Jacksonville Port Authority Investigation [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080407/met_188965829.shtml]

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