JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Jacksonville’s City Council prepares to vote on the budget on Sept. 23, Mayor Donna Deegan responded to claims from Florida’s chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, who alleged $200 million in unnecessary budget increases and said the city is “over taxing and overspending.”
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Deegan dismissed the claim, saying, “All of our property taxes, every bit of it goes to police and fire, everything else, you know, I mean, that is the insane part. What would we do if we cut $200 million? I don’t know where that would come from. Nobody does. He didn’t give one solid example.”
She addressed the CFO’s social media posts featuring a hologram at the airport, clarifying,
“The only thing I kept seeing was a picture of the hologram at the airport, which we partnered with a local Jacksonville small and emerging businesswoman. It was about $50,000, I think. And every mayor in the country welcomes people to their airport, either over a video board or over audio. And we thought, what a wonderful way to support a local business that’s become just sort of a straw man for everything.”
Deegan emphasized the city’s lean budget and increased funding for public safety, including a 22% pay raise for police and fire. She urged residents to focus on real issues like insurance costs instead of unfounded claims.
To watch the full interview with Congressman Fine, tune in to This Week in Jacksonville, Sunday morning at 9 a.m.