Councilman Emeritus represented District 5 for over a decade and championed minority business development, citizen input, and westside revitalization
The City of Pensacola and the Pensacola City Council are mourning the passing of former Councilmember Emeritus John Jerralds, who represented District 5 with distinction across two separate terms spanning more than a decade of service.
- Jerralds was first appointed to the council on July 20, 2000, and served through November 27, 2012. He returned to the council in September 2019, appointed to fill the unexpired term of Gerald Wingate, and served until November 24, 2020.
A record of service. During his tenure, Jerralds held numerous leadership roles on the council, including:
- Deputy Mayor
- Chairman and Member, Community Redevelopment Agency
- Chairman and Vice Chairman, Neighborhood Services Committee
- Member, Finance Committee
- Member, Economic and Community Development Committee
- Member, Enterprise Operations Committee
- Member, Committee of the Whole
He also represented the council on the Community Action Program Committee, the Juvenile Justice Council, the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, the Pensacola Escambia Development Commission, and the Tourism Development Council.
A life of community involvement. Beyond City Hall, Jerralds volunteered with the NAACP, Movement for Change, Inc., the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce, and served as President of the Northeast Neighborhood Association. He worked as Coordinator of Dropout Prevention at the Woodland Heights Resource Center and mentored Escambia County students.
A legacy in bricks and policy. Jerralds played a key role in projects that shaped inner-city and westside Pensacola, including new downtown and westside library facilities and the development of the Woodland Heights Resource Center. He pushed hard for the rehabilitation of the Alice S. Williams building given its significance to the Black community, and he was a strong advocate for minority and small business development, encouraging the city to conduct a disparity study.
