Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday that the state is suing the city of Jacksonville for keeping an illegal log of firearms brought into city buildings.
The decision comes two months after Uthmeier began a probe into potential civil violations by the city.
Florida law prohibits governments from keeping gun registries, but it was revealed in 2025 that for two years, security at two Jacksonville government buildings recorded personal and firearm identification information from anyone entering with a gun. Two binders containing the logs were discovered.
A State Attorney’s Office investigation determined that the registry was illegal, but the office decided against any criminal penalties. In the final memo, the office said the registry was created without criminal intent by a single manager without approval from supervisors or city administration, and that the information had not been shared or misused. The SAO concluded that the logs’ creation was allowed through a “breakdown in communication and oversight.”
Uthmeier disagreed with the results of the investigation, arguing the manager’s intent was irrelevant.
“We are requesting judgment against the city of Jacksonville for $5 million as provided by law and any other relief the court deems appropriate,” Uthmeier said in a video posted to X Tuesday. “The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and we will use all power of this office to protect the rights of Floridians.”
In order for the lawsuit to succeed, the state must prove in court that the log was made “with the knowledge or complicity of the management of the governmental agency,” according to state statute.
A spokesperson for Mayor Donna Deegan’s office said Tuesday the administration had not yet received the lawsuit.
The city reissued a previous statement from when Uthmeier announced his investigation, calling it a politically motivated move against the Democrat-led city administration.
“As we have stated from the very beginning, the records will show that Mayor Deegan and her leadership team were unaware of this action taken by an individual employee concerned about building security – and that the practice was immediately ended once it became known. The State Attorney, who comes from the same party as the Attorney General, conducted a thorough, eight-month investigation into this matter and concluded there was no deliberate misconduct. As the state pursues politically motivated deflections that waste taxpayer dollars, the mayor remains focused on addressing affordability challenges for the people of Jacksonville. It would be nice to have a state partner that is doing the same.”
First Coast News is working to obtain a copy of the lawsuit.