Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee cuts funding for Mayor’s Chief of Diversity and Inclusion

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville’s City Council Finance Committee is once again taking aim at Mayor Donna Deegan’s Chief of Diversity and Inclusion.

On a 4-2 vote, the committee decided to strip $230,000 out of the city budget intended for the position Friday morning.

The move came just a few days after Councilmember Rory Diamond (R-District 13) promised to introduce legislation that would prohibit the city from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“In my opinion, it’s government-sponsored racism. It’s separating us. It’s dividing us,” said Diamond.

Mayor Deegan pushed back on Diamond’s efforts to target DEI initiatives Thursday.

“It is incredibly important to me that one of the most diverse cities in the country, which is our city, really make everyone feel welcome here. I don’t know why that threatens people so much,” said Deegan.

Last year, Mayor Deegan shifted money around within her office’s budget to fund the Chief of Diversity and Inclusion position after the council refused to fund it.

Deegan appointed Dr. Parvez Ahmed to the post, and in that role, he has unified dueling annual MLK breakfasts, hired the city’s first Hispanic outreach coordinator, and established the city’s African American and LGBTQ+ advisory boards.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Diamond noted this time, unlike last year, the council moved to eliminate a full position from Deegan’s office, meaning if she wants to retain her Chief of Diversity and Inclusion, she may have to cut another similarly priced position.

“And then next week I’ll have an amendment that says you can’t spend any money on this DEI stuff. So, it will completely handcuff the mayor from bringing this back like behind our backs,” said Diamond.

In a post on social media, Mayor Deegan vowed the committee’s actions, “Will not stop us from championing Jacksonville’s diversity.”

Diamond told Action News Jax if the mayor does try to circumvent the council’s will, she’d be asking for a fight.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

“Look, if I have to sue the city for violating the law that we’re going to pass then we’ll do that,” said Diamond.

Diamond said he expects to bring up his amendment that would ban city spending on DEI initiatives next Thursday.

It’s unclear whether that measure has the support to pass.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.