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After City Council member Terrance Freeman said an outside audit is needed to learn whether taxpayers footed any costs of Mayor Donna Deegan’s vacation in Italy this month, Deegan’s office said she paid for the expense of the vacation out of her own pocket.
Deegan went to Italy during an overseas trip that started with a stop in London where she joined JAX Chamber on its annual trade mission to drum up business from the United Kingdom. She then went from London to Italy for a previously planned vacation, her spokesman said.
Freeman said Monday he wants a “full audit” of Deegan’s trip and will file legislation for setting up a process where an entity outside City Hall conducts the review.
“The mayor must answer these actions and we as City Council must demand accountability and ensure our questions are answered,” Freeman said in a statement. “Our community deserves better and it’s essential that those entrusted with public funds remember they are here to serve, not to indulge.”
Phillip Perry, a spokesman for the mayor, said Deegan followed all city policies during the trip.
He said Deegan paid for her own airfare and meals, just as she did when she joined JAX Chamber a year ago in London. He said Deegan departed Jacksonville on Oct. 11 and the only taxpayer payment for expenses was for hotel lodging during her time in London from Oct. 12-15.
She then was in Italy from Oct. 16-21 and she personally paid for all of those expenses while on vacation, Perry said.
Former mayors Lenny Curry and Alvin Brown also went to London on the annual trade missions, as have City Council members over the years. Asked whether an audit also should include any City Council members who made this year’s trip, Freeman said he would need to get more information. He said he was raising questions in response to Florida Politics reporting about Deegan’s trip.
“We know that we’ve heard time and time again about transparency, transparency, transparency,” Freeman said. “So I don’t think anyone should have a problem with this.”
Freeman said by having an entity outside City Hall do a review, it will eliminate any charge of bias in the examination. He wants to determine whether there was any violation of the city’s policies for donations, reimbursements and travel from Oct. 12 to Oct. 21.
He said he wants the audit to determine the total cost to taxpayers for the trade mission including airfare, lodging and meals.
Perry said records of Deegan’s travel are available to anyone.
“Transparency is a priority for Mayor Deegan, and her travel for city business is a matter of public record,” he said. “As such, this information will always be made available to the public regardless of who is requesting it.”
The annual trade trips to London are tied to when the Jaguars play football games overseas. This season, the Jaguars played Oct. 13 against the Chicago Bears and Oct. 20 against the New England Patriots. Deegan went to the Oct. 13 game and then took part in two days of economic development events on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
The mayor’s office released a statement by JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace that said the chamber was aware of Deegan’s schedule and “set the meetings we needed her for” on Oct. 14 and 15.
“We appreciate the mayor’s involvement on our London mission,” Wallace said. “It is critical as we collectively sell Jacksonville and work to attract jobs and investment to our city.”
Freeman said Deegan wasn’t at the Oct. 20 game, which counted as the Jaguars’ “home” game overseas, and therefore missed a “prime occasion to promote our city on the world stage” because she “chose to use this time instead for personal activities.”
Perry said during Deegan’s time in London, she took part in the International Investment Summit hosted by the United Kingdom, met with banking and fintech companies, talked with the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom and embassy staff, and did interviews with media outlets.
Freeman said the review of the London trip should examine taxpayer costs for members of the mayor’s staff as well.
Source link : https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2024/10/29/terrence-freeman-wants-audit-jacksonville-mayors-travel-europe/75905944007/
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Publish date : 2024-10-29 14:29:00
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