JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city’s Finance Committee held its final meeting on Friday to review the proposed $2 billion budget before it heads to the full city council for a vote.
Recommended Videos
During the meeting, however, council members approved a series of amendments introduced by fellow member Rory Diamond, known as the “Big Beautiful Budget Amendments.”
These amendments add several new restrictions to Mayor Donna Deegan’s budget proposal, including:
- A ban on taxpayer funding for people living in the country illegally
- A ban on taxpayer funding for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives
- A ban on taxpayer funding for abortion and abortion-related services as defined by Florida Statute
Mayor Donna Deegan issued a statement in response to the amendments, which said:
These divisive amendments do not belong in a budget bill. I’m extremely disappointed that the majority of this Finance Committee went along with yet another attempt to polarize our community with toxic DC culture wars that hurt our city. We have so much momentum right now and I will not let us be distracted.
Mayor Donna Deegan
On Aug. 5, councilman Rory Diamond said Mayor Deegan’s budget proposes “unsustainable and misplaced spending priorities,” and shared the amendments mentioned above, along with two additional suggestions, as a counter to Deegan’s proposed legislation.
“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,” Diamond said in a news release on Aug. 5.
After Diamond announced the amendments, News4JAX reached out to the mayor’s office, which provided the following statement.
Jacksonville already has the lowest property tax rate of any major city in Florida, and that revenue barely covers our police and fire expenses. Lowering the rate will put us a step behind today and have a compounding effect in the years ahead as public safety costs continue increasing and essential services are needed to support the fastest-growing population in Florida.
Our city has real momentum. All three major ratings agencies have issued a top-tier AA+ or AA rating due to our fiscally responsible and prudent budget management. Now is not the time to hurt our quality of life when we also face tough budgets in the years ahead, construction of a new jail, and the threat of major cuts forced by the state.”
Phil Perry, Chief Communications Officer with the City of Jacksonville
According to the city, the final budget must be approved by the full City Council before Oct. 1, the first day of the city’s fiscal year.
Typically, the City Council votes on the budget during its last Council meeting in September, which falls on the fourth Tuesday each September, the city said.