JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the political tug-of-war between Mayor Donna Deegan’s office and the City Council over who gets free tickets and perks to events at city-owned venues continues, News4JAX dug deeper into who got free tickets last year and how many they received.
From Jaguars tickets to concert seats and parking passes, the News4JAX I-TEAM obtained a spreadsheet — released by the City of Jacksonville through a public records request — with detailed information regarding its free ticket distribution, including the names of those who requested tickets, how many they received, and the events they attended.
The ticket controversy started with legislation introduced by Councilman Ron Salem, which would have split all City perks evenly between the Mayor’s Office and City Council. On Friday, Salem said he was asked to look into authoring the legislation at the request of Carrico and introduced it on Aug. 12 after Carrico ran into issues getting free tickets to events from Mayor Donna Deegan’s office.
Deegan told News4JAX she would support new legislation that would eliminate free tickets to events at city-owned venues for city councilmembers and mayoral staff.
“At the end of the day, if we want to do it for Jaguars tickets, we should do all events,” Deegan said on Wednesday.
Carrico now says he opposes the legislation that was written by Salem and on Tuesday called for the elimination of the long-held practice related to Jacksonville Jaguars tickets.
“With recent policy changes and the Council’s continued effort to cut government waste, I am proud to file the DEEGAN Amendment to officially end the practice of free Jaguar tickets for elected officials,” said Carrico in a Tuesday statement.
On Wednesday, Carrico went a step further and said he’s going to file legislation to do away with free tickets altogether.
The back-and-forth debate over the perks distribution now begs the question: Who’s been asking for the free tickets and how many did they receive?
City Council tickets
According to the spreadsheet, city councilmembers—along with their assistants—made a total of 116 requests. Most of those requests were made for events at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, with a total of 59 events requested at the venue.
Records show Councilman Terrance Freeman made the most ticket requests, counting totals from both the city council and the mayor’s office, with 74 tickets across 19 events in 2024 — including several requests for groups of six or seven tickets to concerts.
News4JAX reached out to Freeman to ask him about the ticket requests.
“Blessed to have a large family and over the course of 8 years have attended events,” Freeman said.
The second councilman with the most requests was Reggie Gaffney Jr., who requested 29 tickets to 10 events.
Gaffney provided this statement to News4JAX:
“It’s no secret that my constituents are my top priority. In District 8, a lot of families, kids, teachers, and even first responders don’t always get the chance to enjoy events that bring people together. When I request tickets, it’s not always for me. It’s oftentimes so the people I serve can experience something uplifting and memorable that brings Jacksonville as a whole together, leaving no one out. I believe everyone deserves moments of joy and connection, no matter their circumstances. That’s why the number you’ve received is the number it is. And I wish to continue providing this opportunity to them” said Gaffney.
In third came Council President Kevin Carrico, who got 22 tickets to six events.
The events requested by Freeman include several concerts, including Lionel Richie & Earth Wind and Fire, Boyz II Men and Luke Combs.
Carrico’s requests included Justin Timberlake’s and Anthony Hamilton’s concerts. Gaffney Jr.’s requests included tickets for Nicki Minaj’s concert and Jeezy.
“The majority of the tickets requested were distributed to constituents, community members, and local organizations. The real issue isn’t sharing opportunities with the public - it’s politicians and elected officials helping themselves to free tickets for the events. That’s why I’m fighting to end this practice once and for all. Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll political freebies,” Carrico told News4JAX.
Councilman Salem requested six tickets across three events.
According to the records, in spring 2024, Salem’s office requested tickets for each of the four days of competition rounds of The Players Championship.
The records show that Salem, who was council president at the time, distributed 20 tickets for each of the first three rounds, and 15 tickets for the Sunday round across members of the city council and their staff members.
Mayor’s Office tickets
News4JAX also obtained records showing who requested tickets from the mayor’s office in 2024.
At the top of the list by the number of events requested is Chief Administrative Officer Karen Bowling, who accepted 53 tickets to 12 events, and Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kelli O’Leary, who requested 37 tickets to 12 events.
The requests made by Bowling include TPC and Jaguars games tickets, and some concerts including George Straight and Hozier.
O’Leary’s requests included Justin Timberlake’s concert and Jaguars tickets.
According to city records, Mayor Donna Deegan did not make any requests. City officials point out when it comes to Jaguars games, the city has a suite, and those tickets aren’t a part of the request process.
Jaguars tickets
When it comes to how Jacksonville Jaguars Tickets are currently being distributed, there’s a 50/50 split for the city’s suite: 12 tickets go to the council, and 12 to the mayor’s administration, to be distributed as they see fit.
The city also has Terrace Suite tickets and club tickets, which these officials can request.
City records show three members of the mayor’s staff requested various Jaguars tickets and separate records show emails from council members to the council president’s office last season, as members requested some of the council’s ticket allotment.
Records don’t show who used the tickets in the city’s suite.
Councilman Matt Carlucci said this ticket debate misses the bigger picture.
“Stopping the giveaway of free tickets and parking for Jaguars games, baseball games, concerts, and other events does not even belong in the same conversation as cutting $1.75 million from Meals on Wheels, eliminating healthcare funding for the uninsured, and removing all funding for affordable housing. Giving up free tickets is no sacrifice by politicians. Seniors losing meals, families losing healthcare, and people losing the chance at a safe home those are the real sacrifices,” he said.