JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The controversial “Holo-Donna” digital display that greeted travelers at Jacksonville International Airport has been removed, a move local Republicans celebrated this week as a victory against government waste.

The removal follows months of friction between Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and state leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. The state’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, initiative recently flagged the $66,000 “Proto Box” as a prime example of nearly $200 million in “wasteful and excessive spending” within the city’s general fund.

Local GOP leaders and the Jacksonville Young Republicans praised the device’s exit, characterizing it as a self-promotional tool funded by taxpayers.

“HoloDonna has been removed from @JAXairport,” the Jacksonville Young Republicans posted on X. “This ‘economic development’ expenditure was solely for Mayor @DonnaDeegan’s self-promotion at the expense of the taxpayer.”

Included in the post, Jacksonville Young Republicans shared a “Rest in Peace Holo-Donna” image, saying “Gone from our sight and the taxpayers’ wallet, but never from our memories.”

Ingoglia previously mocked the display with parody poetry and a fake logo for the mayor’s office: “TSA: Taxes Squandered Again.”

“Gone too soon (not really…good riddance),” Ingoglia posted on X.

Gone too soon 😢 (not really…good riddance). https://t.co/qMoXWE1PTs

— Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) February 3, 2026

Deegan’s office maintained that the timing of the removal was coincidental and not a result of the state’s audit. According to a city spokesperson, the six-month pilot agreement with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority to test the holographic technology expired on Feb. 1.

“It was always a pilot project for the proto box to be placed at the airport while we tested and debuted the hologram technology,” the mayor’s office told Action News Jax. “Additionally, it was unfair to the airport to be subject to constant hyper-partisan attacks.”

The city previously defended the expenditure—which they noted represented just 0.0000375% of the total city budget—as a way to showcase Jacksonville as a technology and tourism hub.

The “Holo-Donna” became a flashpoint in a broader battle over local spending. Ingoglia and DeSantis have used the Jacksonville audit to argue for a 2026 constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties, claiming the city is overtaxing residents by nearly $200 million annually.

The Proto Box has been returned to the city, where officials say they are exploring its use for “additional public education projects” within the Public Works Department.