Brown Leads Hogan by 603 Votes in Jacksonville Mayoral Race

And we have another close race in Florida as it appears that the mayors race in Jacksonville is so close that provisional and absentee ballots will determine the winner.

Jacksonville voters hit the polls on Tuesday to decide who would be the next mayor of the Bold New City of the South. Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan, a Republican, squared off against education official and former Al Gore aide Alvin Brown, a Democrat. The two candidates emerged as the top vote-getters in a runoff held in March. While Hogan had a considerable lead over Brown in that runoff, his margin on Tuesday night was very slim. With 246 of the 256 precincts in, Hogan had a 186 vote lead. This one is going down to the wire -- and it appears there are 2,000 provisional and absentee ballots still out. Expect a winner to be announced on Wednesday.

There were some dramatic results in down-ballot races. Michael Corrigan defeated fellow Republican former Rep. Dick Kravitz to replace Hogan as Duval County tax collector, taking more than 53 percent of the vote. Kravitz had abandoned a state Senate campaign to enter the local race. Incumbent City Council President Jack Webb lost his seat to fellow Republican Matt Schellenberg.

UPDATE: It's getting closer. With 252 of 256 precints in, Hogan is up by 14 votes.

UPDATE II: And with all 256 precints in, Brown is up by 603 votes. This race appears to be headed for a recount but it appears that 16 years of Republican rule in Jacksonville is on the ropes. Hogan easily led two other Republican candidates and Brown in the first round of the election -- a lead which now appears to have vanished.