{"id":214346,"date":"2025-09-10T02:15:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T02:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/214346\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T02:15:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T02:15:08","slug":"four-councilmembers-walk-out-of-meeting-as-rory-diamonds-big-beautiful-budget-amendments-is-discussed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/214346\/","title":{"rendered":"Four councilmembers walk out of meeting as Rory Diamond\u2019s \u2018Big Beautiful Budget Amendments\u2019 is discussed"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. <\/strong> \u2013 Four Jacksonville city councilmembers walked out of a city council meeting during budget amendment discussions Tuesday night, sparking drama and prompting the sergeant at arms to intervene.<\/p>\n

The walkout occurred after a split vote on the city\u2019s millage rate, during a contentious debate over the \u201cBig Beautiful Budget Amendments\u201d to the budget proposed by Councilman Rory Diamond.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Jacksonville City Council split on millage rate proposal<\/a><\/p>\n

Councilmembers Rahman Johnson, Jimmy Peluso, Ju\u2019Coby Pittman, and Reggie Gaffney Jr. all walked out during the discussion of Diamond\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n

Ju\u2019Coby Pittman criticized the amendments sharply, calling them a \u201cbullying tactic\u201d that undermined the transparency and trust built during weeks of budget deliberations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was snuck in after several weeks that we all worked very hard and deliberated the budget \u2014 which I feel undermined the process, the transparency and most of all the trust,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cIt was a bullying tactic, self-serving and it wasn\u2019t governing. And I want to say \u2014 enough is a doggone enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilman Rory Diamond defended his amendments, rejecting accusations of racism. He said the amendments explicitly state the city will not discriminate based on gender, race, or family status.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt literally says we are not going to be racist \u2014 we\u2019re not going to spend money on treating people different based on their gender, their race or who they go home to \u2014 that\u2019s what it says, that we will not be racist,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cInstead I get called racist. I didn\u2019t throw out any names \u2014 I didn\u2019t hear any substantive arguments against this. Give me one good reason why we should spend 1 dollar because we like one race or one gender more than another? I don\u2019t think we should.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the walkout, the councilmembers returned to reconsider the vote.<\/p>\n

On social media,<\/a> the councilman called the council\u2019s failure to strip the amendments out of the budget a \u201cBig win for Jax,\u201d adding that the vote tally was 8 (against) to 10 (in favor). <\/p>\n

\u201cAn effort to strip our Big Beautiful Budget Amendments out of the budget FAILED 8-10 tonight,\u201d he said. \u201cConservatives stood strong. We kept our BAN on spending on DEI, illegals, or abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An effort to strip our Big Beautiful Budget Amendments out of the budget FAILED 8-10 tonight. <\/p>\n

Conservatives stood strong. <\/p>\n

We kept our BAN on spending on DEI, illegals, or abortion. <\/p>\n

Big win for Jax! <\/p>\n

(Oh, then the Dems left the meeting) pic.twitter.com\/YPkCfZqjve<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rory Diamond (@RoryDiamond) September 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The millage rate vote itself was also contentious. It took three rounds of voting to reach a 9-9 tie, which meant the motion to keep the rate at 11.3169 mills failed. <\/p>\n

Councilman Terrance Freeman changed his vote, and Councilman Ron Salem said he would vote differently in two weeks to avoid prolonging the meeting.<\/p>\n

The council is required to pass the millage rate by the end of the meeting, but the final vote on the full budget is scheduled for about two weeks from today. <\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n