The City of Jacksonville has announced that Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration is under investigation for allegedly enforcing a local gun registry, potentially violating Florida state law. This announcement was made in a press bulletin.
According to News4JAX, the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan enacted a policy in July 2023 requiring visitors carrying firearms into city buildings to sign into a logbook. The logbook collected the individual’s name, age, identification number, and type of weapon carried—criteria typically associated with gun registries. Florida law explicitly prohibits local governments from creating or maintaining any form of gun registry, making the city’s actions legally questionable from the outset. The policy remained in place for over a year until the State Attorney’s Office launched a formal investigation in April 2025.
News4JAX reports that Mayor Deegan initially denied that the registry was a new initiative under her administration, suggesting it may have been implemented by her predecessor. However, this narrative was refuted by both former Mayor Lenny Curry and internal city documents. During a Rules Committee meeting on May 5, 2025, Councilman Jimmy Peluso confirmed that members of the administration knew about the registry in 2023 and further testified that Deegan’s General Counsel advised officials not to self-incriminate when questioned about it. These findings severely undermine claims that the policy was inherited or that Deegan was unaware of its implementation.
The legal consequences of the gun registry could impose up to $5 million in liabilities on Duval County taxpayers, as reported by News4JAX. In response to the investigation, the Deegan administration retained the legal services of Hanke Coxe firm, which is notably headed by the father-in-law of Deegan’s General Counsel, Michael Fackler—raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Republican state officials and Jacksonville’s City Council have criticized the mayor for lack of transparency and perceived ethical lapses as multiple subpoenas have been issued to top city officials. The ongoing scrutiny has intensified pressure on the administration to provide full disclosures and cooperate with state investigators.
