For the last eight years, I have had the privilege of serving the city I love on the Jacksonville City Council. As that chapter ends, I find myself reflecting less on any vote, meeting or accomplishment, and more on how grateful I am for the opportunity Jacksonville gave me to serve.
That gratitude begins with my family.
My wife and kids have supported me every step of the way, often pulling extra weight at home so I could focus on serving our city. I am blessed beyond measure by their love and support. They are, and always will be, my “Why.”
I am also grateful for the colleagues I had the privilege of serving alongside. We did not always see eye to eye. There were passionate debates and plenty of disagreements. Through it all, however, I never
doubted that the people around me shared a love for Jacksonville and a desire to make our city better.
I experienced that sense of community personally when I had to step away for several months to fight the toughest battle of my life against cancer. My colleagues and people from across Jacksonville had my back. I will never forget the prayers, words of encouragement and grace extended to me and my family during that time.
This December, I will celebrate three years cancer-free; God is good.
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I have never been particularly comfortable talking about my own accomplishments. Public service, in my view, should be about the people being served, not the person whose name is on the office door. Looking back on eight years, I am proud of what we were able to accomplish together.
I recently asked my assistant, Gerrie, to work with our research team to review the legislation I introduced and determine how much funding those efforts brought back to our community. The answer was more than $50 million.
The number itself, however, matters less than what it represents: cleaning up blight in our neighborhoods, building a Teen STEM Center, expanding workforce programs that connect people with good jobs and careers, improving our parks and investing in our children and seniors.
None of those accomplishments belonged to one person. Every piece of legislation required colleagues willing to work together, find common ground and get things across the finish line.
That has been one of the most important lessons of my time on the council. Public service works best when the focus is not on who receives the credit, but on whether the job gets done and whether the people we represent are better off because of it.
My service on the City Council is coming to an end, but my commitment to Jacksonville is not.
I am running to represent our community in the Florida House of Representatives. God willing, I hope to have the opportunity to continue serving this great city in a new role — taking the lessons and experience of the last eight years to Tallahassee and working to make sure Jacksonville has a strong voice in our state capitol.
Whatever the future holds, I will always be grateful that Jacksonville trusted me with the opportunity to serve.
As I begin this next chapter, I carry with me the same prayer I have kept in my heart throughout my time in office: That God will continue to bless Jacksonville indeed and enlarge its borders, keep His hand over our great city, protect us from evil and keep us safe from pain.
It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve Jacksonville. I am grateful for the trust you placed in me, proud of what we accomplished together and hopeful for the opportunity to continue that service in the years ahead.
Terrance Freeman represented District 10 on the Jacksonville City Council from 2018-2019 and At-Large Group 1 from 2019-2026. He also served as City Council president from 2022-2023.
This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Terrance Freeman: Gratitude to family, people of Jacksonville
