JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan on Thursday responded to Councilman Rory Diamond’s proposed budget amendments, which he calls the “Big Beautiful Budget Amendments.”
Diamond said his amendments aim to ban spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, undocumented immigrants, and abortion services.
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Deegan expressed surprise and concern over Diamond’s shift in focus.
“I’m not sure what happened to the Rory Diamond that I met out at the beach some many years ago that convinced a lot of us to support him,” she said. “He seems to have gone off on a dangerous road to me and his rhetoric and the things that he is asking us to do as a local government. I can’t really account for it. All I can say is that power doesn’t always build character, but it does reveal it.”
The mayor called some of Diamond’s comments “irresponsible and frankly, untrue.”
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“I would hope he would take a step back at some point and realize that he is here to represent the people of Jacksonville and his district and perhaps leave the culture wars to Washington, DC, and the state of Florida if they have to fight them. But they don’t belong here,” Deegan said.
Diamond said Deegan’s budget proposes “unsustainable and misplaced spending priorities,” and shared a list of amendments to Deegan’s proposal.
“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.
As the budget debate continues, Mayor Deegan is urging local leaders to focus on community needs rather than divisive political battles.