DeSantis wants ‘accountability’ on City Hall gun registry

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the gun registry kept on armed visitors entering City Hall and the Yates Building in recent years is unlawful, and the mayor’s office could face consequences for it.

The comment came Friday as members of Mayor Donna Deegan’s staff have been subpoenaed as the State Attorney’s Office investigates the gun registry that one Republican City Council member has blasted as sidestepping local and state law.

The governor spoke during a roundtable discussion at Gators BBQ on West Beaver Street, where he continued a series of whistle-stops in Florida cities to push for property tax reform.

After speaking about tax relief, the governor was asked about the gun registry that guards have kept at city buildings since July 2023, as Mayor Donna Deegan took office. Under a security procedure, officers recorded the names, photo ID, age and weapon type when a person entered one of the buildings with a firearm.

Critics say the registry violated state law, while the mayor’s office counters that the policy was in place before she took office.

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Toward the end of Friday’s roundtable, a reporter asked DeSantis whether he thought the mayor “should and could” face consequences for the registry.

“Having a gun registry is unlawful, and it is a violation of people’s Second Amendment rights. There needs to be consequences for it,” DeSantis said. “Our laws in Florida are very clear; our Constitution is very clear. Doing these secret gun registries is completely unacceptable, and I know you have Republicans on the City Council that are pursuing this and I know others will likely pursue, but there will need to be accountability, absolutely.”  

On May 1, City Council member Nick Howland said that the Deegan administration has “kept a registry of individuals who lawfully carry personal firearms into City Hall.”

Florida law states it is illegal to keep a gun registry. And Howland called news of that registry “chilling — and it should outrage every law-abiding Floridian.”

“(This is) a blatant violation of state law and likely the Constitution. Florida is a ‘no-registry’ state for a reason. Violating that law carries steep penalties,” Howland wrote on X. “This reckless move exposes taxpayers to serious legal liability. Jacksonville families could be on the hook for millions in legal fees, damages, and settlements. I’ll be investigating this matter further.”

Deegan’s office responded to Howland’s claim the next day. Spokesman Phil Perry wrote that the policy in question was “created and written before Mayor Deegan took office,” which was July 1, 2023.

“In light of the issue that has been raised, we are undergoing a review of all policy directives, particularly those from the previous administration that were left for us on their way out,” Perry statement reads. “Mayor Deegan and the leadership of her administration fully support constitutionally protected rights. As we stated yesterday, the City of Jacksonville has received and complied with a subpoena from the State Attorney’s Office.”

The State Attorney’s Office has subpoenaed current and former city employees about the gun registry, as well as documents such as emails that any of them may have written that discuss guns or a registry, according to Jacksonville Today news partner News4Jax.

Along with subpoenaing Deegan’s staff, prosecutors requested any communications and documents on security checkpoint policies, dating back to November 2022, during Mayor Lenny Curry’s tenure as mayor.

On May 1, Curry issued a statement on X that said his administration “followed the law.”

“We respected constitutional rights. What’s happening now is reckless and deeply irresponsible,” he posted.

Then on Thursday, Curry issued a longer statement that said he “thoroughly debunks” Deegan’s attempt to shift blame for the gun registry to his administration. He wrote that the policy in question was approved on July 31, 2023, more than three weeks after Deegan took office.

“In her zeal to attack a conservative Republican and deflect accountability, Donna Deegan has rushed to spin a false narrative that not only impugns my reputation, but also tarnishes the integrity of the employees I was proud to lead and serve alongside,” Curry wrote.

That said, during a roundtable Friday on WJCT’s First Coast Connect, former City Council President Jack Webb said both the Curry and Deegan administrations are part of the policy’s timeline. That means some portion of the process to propose the gun registry could predate Deegan’s first day as mayor in July 2023, Webb said.

“Mayor Curry, you can’t deny the fact that the general counsel, who reported to you at this particular time, probably gave legal advice to your administration because you guys drafted it,” Webb said. “Nothing changed between the June 30, 2023, proposal and what was finally implemented so you guys own it. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”

Meanwhile, a letter sent to Howland from State Attorney Melissa Nelson on Monday asks the City Council to “delay or pause any effort to form” a committee to investigate the gun registry.

Nelson noted that council member Ron Salem had spoken of assembling an investigative body to see if the city had violated any state statutes.

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