{"id":146314,"date":"2025-08-14T23:30:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/146314\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T23:30:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:30:10","slug":"jacksonville-mayor-responds-to-councilmans-amendments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/146314\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville mayor responds to councilman\u2019s amendments"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan on Thursday responded to Councilman Rory Diamond\u2019s proposed budget amendments, which he calls the \u201cBig Beautiful Budget Amendments.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Diamond said his amendments aim to ban<\/a> spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, undocumented immigrants, and abortion services.<\/p>\n

Deegan expressed surprise and concern over Diamond\u2019s shift in focus. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what happened to the Rory Diamond that I met out at the beach some many years ago that convinced a lot of us to support him,\u201d she said. \u201cHe seems to have gone off on a dangerous road to me and his rhetoric and the things that he is asking us to do as a local government. I can\u2019t really account for it. All I can say is that power doesn\u2019t always build character, but it does reveal it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor called some of Diamond\u2019s comments \u201cirresponsible and frankly, untrue.\u201d <\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Jacksonville councilmember accuses Mayor Deegan of misusing funds; United Way, mayor respond<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI would hope he would take a step back at some point and realize that he is here to represent the people of Jacksonville and his district and perhaps leave the culture wars to Washington, DC, and the state of Florida if they have to fight them. But they don\u2019t belong here,\u201d Deegan said.<\/p>\n

Diamond said Deegan\u2019s budget proposes \u201cunsustainable and misplaced spending priorities,\u201d and shared a list of amendments to Deegan\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor Deegan\u2019s budget is rife with money for woke programs with no substance. The burden on taxpayers is skyrocketing. Enough is enough. I am announcing the \u2018Big Beautiful Budget Amendments\u2019 to bring sanity back to Jacksonville, and to reward tax paying citizens for doing the right thing\u201d said Diamond in a news release.<\/p>\n

Diamond\u2019s amendments include:<\/p>\n