JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council’s Special Committee on Duval DOGE held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, and provided some updates on what the city is planning to do with newly discovered unspent funds totaling more than $25 million.
Recommended Videos
To open the meeting, City Councilman Ron Salem announced that Tuesday’s meeting would be the last DOGE committee meeting “for a while” as city auditors “work full-time on the budget.”
“Once the budget is approved, auditors are working on some ideas for us to tackle post-budget,” Salem said. “And I’m not sure how the [DOGE] committee will be comprised, but we’ll work with the president-elect on all of those things.”
Next, Salem said that a bill tasked with gathering the recently identified unspent money is moving through the appropriate committees and will be presented before the city council next Tuesday night.
“I think that’s a very important step for us,” Salem said, adding that a portion of the unspent money has already been allocated toward funding a new lifeguard station in Jacksonville Beach.
“We’re already starting to deploy some of those dollars,” he noted.
Additionally, in a post on Facebook, Salem shared additional details about the findings, including $5.5 million in unused funds from Fair Share Sector accounts.
Those funds have been earmarked for transportation projects within the corresponding sectors.
What’s next?
Salem said the committee is reviewing a new round of capital improvement projects, which could reveal even more unused money.
“The committee is actively reviewing another round of capital improvement projects to identify underutilized or inactive allocations that have not had any expenditures since October 2023,” Salem wrote. “This list of projects totals more than $80 million and is in addition to the nearly $25 million the committee has already uncovered.”
The Duval DOGE initiative—short for Department of Government Efficiency—was introduced by Salem earlier this year. It’s modeled after similar efforts at the state and federal levels aimed at reducing wasteful spending and improving government operations.
However, the local version has not been without controversy.
Some residents have protested the initiative, arguing it could harm working-class families, seniors, and people who rely on city services, and many comments at Tuesday’s meeting were made in opposition of Duval DOGE’s existence.
“I’m here to talk about how pointless a lot of this is,” said one Duval County resident. “When we talk about cutting funds for libraries, senior centers, community centers, children’s services...what on Earth are you guys doing?”
Another resident noted that he believes the unspent money won’t go toward helping those who actually need it, but will instead go toward developers.
“You’re not going to do what the people need, you’re going to do what’s great for the wealthy people in this city,” the speaker said.
The Mayor’s Office has also expressed concerns, stating that the Deegan administration has prioritized government efficiency since taking office—without the need for a separate committee.
Regarding the savings touted by Councilman Salem, the mayor’s office provided the following statement to News4JAX.
The Deegan administration has been working for over a year and a half to close out dozens of completed capital projects that are still on the books.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of the supposed “savings” found by the DOGE committee were simply allocated funds that were never actually spent, so the savings they’re touting are an illusion.
As we’ve said previously, the Duval DOGE committee is attempting to play catch-up, engaging in a performative and duplicative action while Mayor Deegan has been leading since Day One on government efficiency measures.
Spokesperson for Mayor Donna Deegan's office
What is 904 Lean?
Before Duval DOGE was launched, Deegan introduced the 904 Lean Initiative in June 2024.
The program was designed to reduce inefficiencies and improve how city departments function.
In a statement, Deegan said the initiative has helped city employees focus on more meaningful work while also identifying cost-saving opportunities.
“By eliminating unnecessary tasks, city employees can focus on higher-value work—leading to better service, greater job satisfaction, and cost savings that can be reinvested into critical areas like infrastructure, healthcare, affordable housing, homelessness, and small businesses,” Deegan said.
The Duval DOGE Committee is expected to deliver a final report by June 23.
The full video of Tuesday’s meeting can be watched below.
