Mayor Deegan shares details of European trip after councilor calls for 'audit'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Republican Councilmember Terrance Freeman is calling for a full audit of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s recent European trip.

Freeman, a Finance Committee member and former Jacksonville City Council president, said the reason behind the call was a recent report that the mayor had also taken a personal vacation to Italy during the international trip earlier this month.

Freeman claimed it was a “taxpayer-funded trip,” but a spokesperson for the Democratic mayor said Monday that the only taxpayer expense on Deegan’s trip was her $2,978.18 hotel stay in London, and said her trip to Italy was pre-paid was planned. She also paid for her own flights to London and meals, as she did last year, the spokesperson said.

“Transparency is a priority for Mayor Deegan, and her travels on city business are public. As such, this information will always be made available to the public, regardless of who requests it,” the mayor’s office said in a statement along with a detailed itinerary. “The mayor was in London from October 12 to 15. She attended the British Government’s International Investment Summit, met with multiple banking and fintech companies, met with the US Ambassador to Great Britain and embassy staff, and gave interviews on economic development. All of these efforts were aimed at bringing jobs and businesses back to Jacksonville. Mayor Deegan also had a pre-planned vacation to Italy starting October 16, which she personally paid for. JAXUSA was aware of this and arranged the most important meetings and events on the days when she would always be in London.”

Even after hearing the response from the mayor’s office, Freeman said he would still like to see an audit.

“I read some of the things you mentioned as a rebuttal to the future request. I think this only further supports my action. If a statement has already been made… and they stand by that statement, then it will be made clear to the taxpayers that the council is prepared when necessary, when they ask or ask questions to hold the government to account, to hold the government accountable. we are responsible, and the best way to do that is through an audit, and the audit will support the answers they gave, and we can move on, or the audit will reveal other things, and we can who deal with things as they arise. ,” Freeman told News4JAX.

According to Florida politicsA total of about $21,000 was spent on the trip, according to the mayor’s office.

Freeman also made note of it the controversial statements the mayor made during the trip and her failure to attend the Jaguars game on Oct. 20.

News4JAX also received a statement from the president of JAX USA, which handled logistics for the trip to London. It acknowledged that it was aware of her schedule when planning the agenda and arranging meetings where she was needed on days she would be in London.

News4JAX asked Freeman where all this stands when it comes to starting an audit. He said it would start with introducing legislation.

It’s worth noting that former mayors Alvin Brown and Lenny Curry have all participated in business trips to Europe in the past decade.