Gentlemen and honored guests, welcome to the 2026 special installation ceremony of the Jacksonville City Council at Large, Group 1, member-elect Monet Holder. Whether you're a constituent, a neighbor, a friend, or a family member, we welcome and thank you for your attendance. I'd like to recognize all the elected officials in attendance here today. I'll just name you, starting with former Mayor Alvin Brown. I saw him around here somewhere. There he is, Mayor Brown. Mayor Donna Deegan. Thank you, Mayor, for being here. I saw property appraiser Joyce Morgan here. Thank you, Joyce. I know Senator Gibson. Former Senator Gibson is here. Yep, there she is. Audrey, good to see you. State representative-elect Audrey Gibson. Yes, indeed. Former council president Sam Newby's here. There he is. All right, Sam. And so many fellow council members. I won't name them all, but everybody could wave if you wouldn't mind. That's a testament to Monet that so many council members are here today, so that's terrific. Thank you, everybody, for your attendance and your support. A special thank you to the 2026-2027 City Council members for your continued dedication and service to our city. We're here today to honor the voices of our citizens in electing Monet Holder as council member-elect to serve on Jacksonville City Council. This body, this legislative body by design, is the closest branch of government to the people. It's chosen by the people. We live among the people. We are of the people. We decide where streets are plotted, where homes are built, where water is accessed, where we spend the money that taxpayers give us to implement the contract with local government. That's what the American experiment did. It takes those roles, lawmaking, policymaking, taxes, and budgeting from the executive and gives them to the legislative body. And that's why this body is so important. That separation of powers at work. That's a balanced government. And that's why it's also fitting that we have a formal installation for every new member of the legislative body with hopes that a city of our size, that the media picks it up, and that the people can stop you at the grocery store on the street and let you know their concerns. Every citizen of Jacksonville is represented by six of us on City Council. And so let us go right now to the invocation, and let's pray that we on City Council always do the bidding of the people of Jacksonville to deliver for the people of Jacksonville. So with that, would everyone please stand for the invocation by George Davis, Senior Pastor of Impact Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Councilmember Jimmy Peluso, and then the National Anthem, please. Let us pray. Our gracious and eternal God, we thank you for the gift of this beautiful day. We thank you for the privilege that we share of calling Jacksonville our home. We thank you for every person who has accepted the responsibility of public service. And today, in a very special way, we thank you for Councilwoman-elect Monet Holder as she takes this sacred oath and begins this new chapter of service to our amazing city. Lord, grant her the wisdom beyond her own understanding. Give her courage to make difficult decisions. Compassion for the people she serves. An integrity that remains steadfast in every circumstance. Surround her wise counsel. Strengthen her family. And give her the grace to carry both the privilege and the weight of this responsibility well. May she always remember that leadership is not simply about holding a position, but about serving people, especially those whose voices are too often unheard. We pray also for every member of the Jacksonville City Council, for our mayor, for our constitutional officers, first responders, public servants, and all those who have been entrusted with leadership in this great city. Where there are differences, give us respect. Where there are challenges, give us wisdom. Where there's division, help us find common ground. And where there's opportunity, give us the courage to seize it together. We pray for the entire city of Jacksonville, every neighborhood, every family, for our children and our seniors, for our businesses and our schools, and for all who call this city home. May Jacksonville be a city where justice is pursued, opportunity is expanded, compassion is demonstrated, and every person has the opportunity to flourish. And now as Councilwoman-elect Holder takes this oath, may she be reminded that public office is a public trust. Give her the strength to lead with conviction, the humility to listen, and the wisdom to always seek what is best for the people she's been called to serve. May your favor rest upon her, upon all of our city leaders, and upon this great city of Jacksonville. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Now please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. Okay, we did the Pledge of Allegiance. You can all sit, please. Thank you very much. Pastor Davis, thank you. Jimmy, thank you. At this time, we will get on with it with the Honorable Judge Rhonda Peoples-Waters. Duval County, of the Duval County Court, please come up to the microphones to deliver the oath of office for Ms. Monet Holder, Councilmember-elect for the Jacksonville City Council, at-large Group 1 within the Consolidated Government of the City of Jacksonville. Councilmember-elect Holder, will you please come forward with your children, Blake and Bailey? All right, please repeat after me. I, Monet Holder, do solemnly swear, do solemnly swear, that I am duly qualified, that I am duly qualified, to hold office, to hold office, under the Constitution, under the Constitution, of the State, of the State, or of the Charter, or of the Charter, or Or Ordinance Code, or Ordinance Code, of the City of Jacksonville, of the City of Jacksonville, that I will support, that I will support, protect, protect, defend, defend, and honor the Constitutions, and honor the Constitutions, governments, governments, and laws of the United States, and laws of the United States, and of the State of Florida, and of the State of Florida, that I will support, that I will support, protect, protect, protect, defend, defend, and honor the Charter, and honor the Charter, the Ethics Laws, the Ethics Laws, and other Ordinances, and other Ordinances, rules, rules, and regulations of the City of Jacksonville, and regulations of the City of Jacksonville, and that I will well, and that I will well, and faithfully perform, and faithfully perform, the duties, the duties, of Councilmember, of Councilmember, City of Jacksonville, City of Jacksonville, on which, on which, I am now, I am now, about to enter, about to enter, so help me God, so help me God, amen, amen, amen, congratulations, you're so proud of your mom, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the podium, the Honorable Councilmember, Monet Holder, good morning, can you hear me, thank you for being here today, I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by friends, family, neighbors, elected officials, elected leaders, and faith leaders, first and foremost, I give all glory to God, for ordering my steps, and giving me the privilege of serving as your at-large City Councilwoman, I want to give special recognition to my family, my mom, my grandmother, my aunt, and my cousin who traveled from New York City to be here with me, and my children, Blake and Bailey, who contributed with their time, their fashion advice, and who independently decided to use some of their birthday money to contribute to my campaign and get mama across the finish line, Blake was actually a recurring donor, so when I look around this room, I see many powerful people, but what stands out are the different cultures, backgrounds, and political affiliations who have come to welcome me to the council, this room represents what Jacksonville can look like when we all come together to move the city forward, as I position myself to literally hit the ground running by serving on the Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health, and Safety Committee that meets in less than two hours today, and the Transportation Energy and Utility Committee that meets tomorrow, and to vote on the budget in a couple of weeks, I am fiercely focused on the message many of you heard me deliver on TV every day and every night, and you know, you know, that I will put people over politics, that I will advocate for a Jacksonville that is affordable, that respects our first responders, that invests in our youth and seniors, because I believe we all deserve quality of life. To my new, thank you, to my new colleagues on the council, some of which are good friends, I look forward to building a strong working relationship with all of you. Since election night, I've been asked, what are some of the projects that are going to be my legacy while I'm on the council? And I've pointed to affordable housing, park improvements, expanding youth sports, and cultural opportunities for our children as a few of my priorities, that hopefully I will advance not only in this term, but my next one, if you know, you know. Yesterday, I was reminded of an old proverb that says, a society grows when old men plant trees whose shade they will never get to sit in. So although I'm not an old man, I look forward to planting the seeds necessary to leave Jacksonville better than it was when I got here, and to leave a legacy that keeps us moving forward for years to come. So I'm honored to serve as your City Councilwoman, and thank you once again. Congratulations again to the Honorable Councilmember Monet Holder on being elected to serve as the Group 1 at-large City Councilmember. Let's give Councilwoman Monet Holder another round of applause. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here today and supporting the 26-27 Jacksonville City Council. We will now have a benediction by Elder Lee Harris, pastor of the Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church, after which this concludes the special installation ceremony. Pastor Elder Harris, please. May we stand. Eternal God, our Father, we are grateful unto thee for the opportunity and the privilege that you have extended unto us to be able to assemble here at this place, my Father. And we thank you for blessing each and everyone to arrive here. As we come, dear God, to celebrate the life of an individual that has so dedicated themselves to serving mankind, we pray that you would cover her, go with her, her and her family, this city, this mayor, each and every one. But now, dear God, as we get ready to go back to our various places of state, we pray that you would cover us with the blood, that you would protect us from all hurt, harm, and danger, grant unto us travel and mercies, and keep us, and bring us back together again at your appointed time for your service. Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and present us faultless before his throne in glory, to an all-wise God, may his grace, peace, and love rest, rule, and abide with us henceforth, now and forever. And the people of God said, Amen.