The Office of General Counsel wrote a six-page memo addressing questions from the mayor’s office regarding her veto powers when it comes to the city’s budget bill.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The battle of the city’s budget continues just days after a contentious city council meeting where four council members walked out. Since then, the Office of General Counsel has released guidance on what Mayor Donna Deegan can veto in the budget bill.

The mayor had a series of questions for the Office of General Counsel and Michael Fackler responded in a six-page memo. 

The mayor wanted to know if she could veto the ordinance with the millage rate reduction. The office of general counsel said no, citing guidance from a memo written by former General Counsel Richard Mullaney in 2009.

The mayor also asked if she could veto the entire budget bill. The office of general counsel said no, citing Florida statute and a potential infringement on the separation of powers.

Then came questions about Councilman Rory Diamond’s so called ‘Big Beautiful Budget Amendments,’ which prohibit spending on diversity, equity and inclusion, abortion, and undocumented immigrants. The mayor asked if the budget could include these amendments. The office of general counsel said yes, despite a lack of detail on how the amendments impact the overall budget. 

The Office of General Counsel also stated Deegan does have the power to veto the amendments; however, council would only need a simple majority of 10 votes to override the veto. Diamond believes he has the support.

“I will probably have 11 votes is my best guess for each of my amendments, and we only need 10 to override a veto. So we have 11 to get them in, we’ll certainly have 11 to keep them in,” Diamond explained.

The Office of General Counsel also concluded Diamond’s amendments would only impact this budget cycle, meaning they would need to be introduced again in future budgets.

In a statement, the mayor’s office reiterated the budget does not include any spending related to the issues within the amendments, stating “the only purpose these unnecessary amendments seem to serve is creating division and gridlock.”

First Coast News asked Diamond what he would do if his amendments ultimately failed during the final budget meeting.

“We’ll keep going until these are part of the law here in Jacksonville,” Diamond said.

City Council meets again on September 23, 2025 for the final vote on the budget.