JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond announced on Tuesday what he called “Big Beautiful Budget Amendments” to Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed $2 billion budget.
Councilman Rory Diamond said Deegan’s budget proposes “unsustainable and misplaced spending priorities,” and shared a list of amendments to Deegan’s proposal.
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“Mayor Deegan’s budget is rife with money for woke programs with no substance. The burden on taxpayers is skyrocketing. Enough is enough. I am announcing the ‘Big Beautiful Budget Amendments’ to bring sanity back to Jacksonville, and to reward tax paying citizens for doing the right thing” said Diamond in a news release.
Diamond’s amendments include:
- A $100,000,000 property tax cut while preserving all police and fire spending
- A ban on taxpayer funding for people living in the country illegally
- A ban on taxpayer funding for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives
- Elimination of all affinity boards and commissions.
- A ban on taxpayer funding for abortion and abortion-related services as defined by Florida Statute
Diamond’s amendments come after Deegan presented her 2025-26 fiscal year budget to the City Council in July. The mayor’s proposed budget includes more than $12 million for affordable housing and homelessness programs.
“The budget was $1.2 billion when I started on Council six years ago, and it has ballooned to $2 billion as proposed by Mayor Deegan. The burden on homeowners has skyrocketed from $641,983,901 in 2019 to $1,191,159,775 today. While I’ve voted against every budget and every tax increase, the time is now to deliver meaningful tax relief to Duval families and stop the insane growth of the Jacksonville budget. The people demand action,” Diamond said.
News4JAX reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on Diamond’s announcement, and we are waiting to hear back.
READ: Mayor’s full budget address|Budget highlights|Full budget proposal|Full CIP proposal
Diamond said the city council’s budget hearings are set to continue through August, with a final vote expected in September.
Under the law, the final budget must be approved by the full City Council before Oct. 1, the first day of the city’s fiscal year.