Council Finance chair raises questions about Deegan’s London trip, administration fires back at Ron Salem

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville City Council Auditor is now looking into Mayor Donna Deegan’s trip to London around the Jaguars game after some members of city council raised questions. The auditor received new information from the Mayor’s Office on Tuesday.

City Council Finance Committee Chair Ron Salem called for an audit after concerns about Deegan’s personal vacation to Italy, which was made just three days after she arrived in London.

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The Mayor’s Office assured her vacation was paid for out of pocket and was planned well before the London trip. The city says it cost taxpayers more than $22,000 total for the mayor and three other city staff members to go overseas. Deegan’s expenses were nearly $3,000 for her hotel and she paid for her flight and meals out of pocket.

“Well, I think some of it was the way the mayor left London. The vacation. How was that handled?” Salem questioned. “It’s not clear to me how much city money each employee used and how much was paid out of their own pocket.”

The “London Trade Mission” is the city’s best “hope that companies we met with will expand operations or move their company to Jacksonville in the future. In future trips, we will aim to bring more businesses and jobs to Jacksonville,” a city impact statement read.

Deegan’s administration fired back at Council Member Salem. Mike Weinstein, Deegan’s Chief of Staff, was at Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting.

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In response to the questions raised, Weinstein said, “In the effort for transparency, which we totally agree with you, we’ve also been getting some inquiries that we have been responding to relating to you Mr. Chairman, and your travel there,” he said referring to Salem’s recent trip to London using Political Action Committee money.

“I would ask that you refer any inquiries regarding my travel to me. I don’t report to the mayor. I’m a separate individual on this council. It bothers me that you or anyone of the administration would answer questions about my travel,” Salem said. “Just like if anyone asked me questions about the mayor’s travel I’m going to refer them to you all.”

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Salem told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant that it was “grossly inappropriate” for the mayor’s office to answer questions about his travel.

He said he did use PAC money to pay for a trip to London where he fundraised more than $40,000. He said the PAC money was so that he didn’t have to use taxpayer dollars.

The council auditor’s office will go through the information it received and come back to the finance committee with a summary of its findings on Nov. 19.

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